Listen to a Never-Before-Heard Joni Mitchell Song

Joni Mitchell has released a never-before-heard song called “Like Veils Said Lorraine.”

The song was originally recorded in late 1971 and early 1972 at A&M Studios in Hollywood but has been shelved until now. It will be included in Mitchell’s upcoming box set, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975), set for release on Oct. 6.

You can hear the piano-based track below.

Based on a True Story

According to Mitchell, she wrote the song based on a conversation she had with a real-life woman named Lorraine, a real estate agent who took Mitchell to see properties at one point. “She had a Marlene Dietrich kind of look,” Mitchell explains in the liner notes to Archives Vol. 3.

“She was a platinum blond and she was elegant. She had lived in China with her husband, so she was kind of worldly … and glamorous. It’s an account of our conversation. … Houses are important to me, and I know how to pick them.”

READ MORE: Joni Mitchell Makes Triumphant Stage Return: Review and Set List

Archives Vol. 3, which is currently available for preorder, covers just four years of Mitchell’s career, but they include some of her most prominent work, starting with 1972’s For the Roses and continuing through 1974’s Court and Spark and 1975’s The Hissing of Summer Lawns.

The collection includes various early demos, alternate versions and live recordings, such as the entire 1972 performance from Carnegie Hall.