Love Song to a Stranger is a 1972 song by Joan Baez

Joan Baez

Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

. Originally written and recorded by her for Come from the Shadows

Come from the Shadows

Come From the Shadows was a 1972 album by Joan Baez. After recording for the independent label Vanguard for more than a decade, Baez signed with A&M, and attempted to point her career in a slightly more "commercial" direction...

, the first LP (of six) on A&M Records

A&M Records

A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...

, the song soon became a cornerstone of her live sets. It was loosely based on a short romance with her then-new manager (who masterminded Joan’s departure from Vanguard

Vanguard Records

Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...

 to A&M). Somewhere along the way, the song was supplanted by “Love Song To a Stranger/Part II,” a completely new, tongue in cheek sequel she wrote about three separate romances, unrelated to the original. “Part II” was the version whose live recording was included on the double-LP From Every Stage

From Every Stage

From Every Stage is a live double album recorded by Joan Baez on tour in the summer of 1975. The album includes live versions of songs from her then current album, Diamonds & Rust, as well as previous and original work...

, and was even issued as a single.