Parallelograms

By Julissa Miller ‘26

Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs should have gotten the same attention as Joni Mitchell's Blue. Linda Perhacs was a dental hygienist in Beverly Hills when one of her clients, award-winning composer Leonard Rosenman, asked to hear her songs. In less than no time, Perhacs signed a record deal with Universal Studios. She released her debut psychedelic folk album, Parallelograms, in 1970. Unfortunately, the album lacked commercial response and Perhacs returned to her dental career. Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs was underappreciated during its time, and should have been the folk staple it set out to be in the 70s. 

Songs on this record can be relatable to anyone at all. For instance, the most streamed song on the album, “Hey, Who Really Cares,” weighs in on the difficulty of dealing with mental struggles everyday while feeling like you are completely alone. In the chorus Perhacs sings, “Hey now, who really cares/Hey, won't somebody listen/Let me say what's been on my mind/Can I bring it out to you/I need someone to talk to/And no one else would spare me the time.” The lyrics are quite simple, but they just as easily convey the heavy feelings of having no one listening to you. This song in particular showcases Perhacs’ vulnerability to which many people can identify with. When an artist is open with their audience through their art, it is easier to understand and connect with. Meaning, it makes sense why this is the highlight of the album, but it is surprising that it did not receive any more recognition than that. Ironically, the premise is an amalgamation of what the future would hold for this record. It truly was like no one listened or seemed to care about what Perhacs had to say forcing her to revert back to her life before music. 

Parallelograms truly embraces its folk roots by succinctly calling out consumerism and lack of purpose. In the song “Porcelain Baked-Over Cast-Iron Wedding” Perhacs criticizes how love doesn't seem to take center stage at weddings in Beverly Hills but rather how the event is put together. When referring to the weddings Perhacs says, “the shallowness of the love and the fact that the concentration was on the display of grandeur rather than the vows that should have been the focus. One girl in my office spent a year planning her wedding, and I never heard her mention the guy! I knew the cost was breaking her whole family, and I just wrote the song because it was disturbing me.” Many folk musicians use their music as a gateway to address social justice issues or the ways society is taking a turn for the worst. In an analysis of the power of folk music one says, “folk music can convey convoluted social concepts like social stratification or complex social networks, as well as addressing concerns in the local community and the impact of culture at large” (Shochet). This song should have been more notable as it fulfills the search for a folk inspired track. Similarly to “Hey, Who Really Cares,” the song parallels the outcome of album sales. It is of frequent occurrence for listeners to pass by an album of great purpose and meaning for the sake of seeming more sophisticated by listening to greater revered artists such as Bob Dylan, James Taylor, or Joni Mitchell – all the while missing the point of the songs they're listening to.

Joni Mitchell and Linda Perhacs aren’t that different from each other. Both have, eventually, come to be extremely inspiring female folk musicians. Artists like Taylor Swift, Björk, and Lorde have led victorious careers and were inspired by Mitchell. Perhacs impressed artists such as Daft Punk and Sufjan Stevens. Blue by Mitchell and Parallelograms by Perhacs came out just one year apart, Parallelograms in 1970 and Blue in 1971. Both albums are relatively short, ranging from 36 minutes to 40 minutes, and in both albums, the vocals are given the spotlight. The likeness goes as far as both Mitchell and Perhacs being the same age, 27, when these albums were released. Some may argue that Blue was more popular because Mitchell had already released albums prior to Blue and therefore she was an established artist or because it was simply a better album with a stronger connection to folk. However, both of these folk records expressed feelings of love and belonging through beautiful lyrics and production. Parallelograms is also unique because of the psychedelic aspect. Perhacs fuses folk and psychedelic music seamlessly and in doing so she created a promising record filled with well constructed songs to connect all people. Therefore, it seems amiss that Blue was an incredibly successful album whereas Parallelograms went unnoticed. 

This record has a wide variety of concepts and creative ways of storytelling. There are many great aspects to it including relatability, classic folk traces, touching lyricism, etc. Although it has received more attention through the years, Parallelograms was definitely undervalued when it was initially released. Perhacs and Rosenman created an enthralling 40 minute journey that was woefully held back by inadequate sales. Fortunately, this album does not define Perhacs’ entire career. In 2014, 44 years after the release of Parallelograms, Perhacs came out with her sophomore album The Soul of All Natural Things. Then again, just 3 years later in 2017, she released her third album I'm a Harmony. So, perhaps pursuing music in the 70s wasn’t a wise choice for Perhacs because it did not provide her with a stable income, but now she is able to take that path as a result of the new attention she has received for Parallelograms. Better late than never!