The call he never expected

Lukather had already cut sessions with Michael Jackson, George Benson, Ringo Starr and Aretha Franklin. Then Joni Mitchell called him in for 1982's Wild Things Run Fast.

A fan since high school

A girlfriend obsessed with Blue got him in early. Court and Spark pulled him toward studio players like Larry Carlton and the creativity they brought to records.

“I've always been a fan of Joni Mitchell ever since I had a girlfriend in high school who was obsessed with her music during the Blue period”

What am I going to bring

Excitement came with a knot of doubt. He took the gig wondering what a guitar player could possibly add to songs already finished in her hands.

“But I was like, 'Wow… what am I going to bring to this, man?'”

She was already playing it

He walked in and she was at the piano, alone, singing through the song they were about to cut. Being in a room with that kind of talent hits you physically.

“It's hard when you're in a room with greatness like that. It's hard not to be affected by it in a visceral way.”

Ranger's ears

The song was so good he could hear his part immediately. The job is to hear what you can add without getting in the way, enhancing the arpeggio instead of covering it.

“You have to have a ranger's ears and be able to listen to somebody play a song and hear the parts that you can add to make it something”

She wanted to rock it up

One little lick landed and set the tone for the sessions. Mitchell pushed for an early '80s rock edge that purist fans hated, and Lukather still takes the blame for it.

“Believe it or not, she wanted to rock and roll it up a little bit.”