Joni Mitchell’s song “I Had A King”, from her 1968 debut album *Song to a Seagull*, is presented as a reflection on her brief first marriage to folk singer Chuck Mitchell. The relationship, which Mitchell later described as a marriage of convenience, left her feeling creatively constrained and helped prompt the more personal songwriting that became central to her work.

Chuck Mitchell proposed 36 hours after they met, when Joni, then known as Joni Anderson, had recently given birth to a daughter who was later adopted. The pair performed together in coffeehouses and clubs but differed artistically: Chuck favoured traditional folk material, while Joni wanted to write original songs. They divorced in 1967, after which Mitchell lived alone and pursued her own musical direction.