big yellow taxi - joni mitchell in concert 1970

[disnukka79]

@phredVI of course it is... I'm just making an observation and wondering if anyone else noticed it. You can find videos of her from the late 70's / early 80's and the swelling is noticeable even by then so it's clearly not only age... At most she was in her 30's by then

[spottedliver]

She's so cute, when she flubs that chord.

[daled856]

And the commenters discussing her face. WTF? Listen boys and girls, we all get old, and we all die. No one gets out alive. What part of that escapes you?

[omgitsLindsay]

@daled856 Also, this was back when musicians were praised on their talent, not on their pretty looks.

[daled856]

When I see likes vs. dislikes at 500:1 I ask myself why are you 139 people even watching this video? Her influence on modern music can not be underestimated. Read a fn book kids.

[teazypeople]

This is the first time I've ever heard that last verse... Great lyrics... visionary...

[disnukka79]

almost looks like bad plastic surgery which I'm sure she probably hasn't had. Looks like she was the first chick to start getting lip injections or something

[disnukka79]

why does her face look so swollen as she has gotten older?

[phredVI]

@disnukka79  Who cares ... it's about the music ....

[YManCyberDude]

Wonder where all those people clapping at the end had to park to see her show . . . ?

[LuvDaBeatlez]

people are just admiring talent you don't have to be so critical Peterborough!!!!

[HearWithoutPrejudice]

Happy New Year To All!

[YaHozna1]

A song in which Joni complains they 'Paved paradise to put up a parking lot', a measure which actually would have alleviated traffic congestion on the outskirts of paradise, something which Joni singularly fails to point out, perhaps because it doesn't quite fit in with her blinkered view of the world. Nevertheless, nice song.

[YManCyberDude]

@YaHozna1 … Doubt she protested parking lots by refusing her portion of ticket sales of people parking in those parking lots to see her shows...

[antbubb]

@YaHozna1

Abso-bloody-exactly!

[naturalmeatswinnipeg]

Joni you have an amazing voice 

[xbrennanax]

Fuck Counting Crows, she got it right the FIRST TIME. Couldn't get any better from the original version :)

[paulguay2]

crazy, classic "unplugged"...now I know where Alanis, Tori, and Sinead get their influence.

[warrenmixon]

If it got ANY better than this, Jimi Hendrix would sit in my living room and tell Jim Morrison why he played left handed.... Jim would say, "hey, you did it right"....

[weealn34]

@warrenmixon So so right my friend the girl is KING !!!!!

[weealn34]

@warrenmixon I'm with you man , i;m a Scottish man and it's ma thought that if it doesn't kill you it makes you fuckin stronger !!!

[Sunzion]

ow cool!! Though counting crows sings it well, it's so cool to know that there is such an ancient version!!

[Guineveire]

@Sunzion um 1970's is really not that ancient..

[Sunzion]

@Guineveire LOL ... of course I didn't mean it "literally"

[ZINGGO]

You do not know till its gone...So True

[gkowalski2110]

bees are funny

[HLP1306]

Temaso!!!

[xkcman]

wow bud u sound like such a dickhead,really, a big fat dickhead.

[loochinque]

So beautiful!

[yowyOw69]

Her work influenced so many great artists that the best you can do is shut up and enjoy a music genius at her best.

[1caninelover]

This about sums up California...

[808surf420]

@1caninelover this song is about Hawaii Nei braddah!

[1caninelover]

@808surf420 Only said it sums up California, not that it's about Califotnia. 'The Eagles summed up the destruction of my homestate quite well in 'The Last Resort'.

[florallove14]

I really like the way she sings this :)

[corkie1953]

ahhhh lookey there.... antdigger learned some big words, ant, did your parents have any children who lived?

[pellakilbane]

my cousin mary obrien loved this song she was always singing it

[hanaxcb]

yeah she's pretty much my idol :')

[antdigger]

This woman ripped off Counting Crows.

[madikwechef]

@antdigger You are a complete and fucking idiot. Joni Mitchell did this first, before anything or anyone else even heard of it. Please know what you are talking about before you talk so much shit about stuff that you don't know anything about.

[madikwechef]

@antdigger sorry dumbass, forgot to add, did you know that Joni Mitchell wrote this song? Bet you feel like a boob now, don't you?

[SonnnyyyScooott]

@antdigger What, when she sang it originally?

[MrSoranut]

Now you know why thailand is flooded right now

[mchudi91]

heard this on the radio for the 1st time a few years back but never knew who the artist was. love this song, so meaningful.....and joni seems so cute and innocent, bless her xxx :)

[closetmonkey89]

I think this song was about the suburbanization of the 1970's, when shopping malls first became popular, compromising the woods and farm land that once surrounded the cities..

[ConduciveDude]

Heard this in environmental engineering class yesterday. X] Never saw the relevance...til yesterday. 

[constancelena]

@YManCyberDude right on & righteous

[whitestoneguy1989]

good song

[woolknoll]

OMG ! LOVE U JO .

[TheJessietime]

wtf ?????

[showbizzell]

I love her.

I love her for her words.

I love her for her melody.

I love her for her activism.

But most of all I love her for the giggle at the end of this song. It always makes me smile.

Peace and Love everyone!

[kdsf12]

The simple fact that she had the presence of mind to add one bar while the audience was applauding only shows the level of professionality she had. It was a good decision on her part. Think on your feet baby.

[241caramel]

Well it's now 2011 and we have not learnt.!!

[lzexlnero]

i thought the counting crows created it

[ChuckNorris358]

i like the one from the counting cows

[tonyberber]

Beautiful! The message is so uptodate. And parking lots are still being put up everywhere, unfortunately.

[peterborough1960]

I feel very sorry for all the people that have commented on this song. She never intended for you people to think that this was an anthem for you. Its just a perspective on life

She would laugh if she read your comments. I wouldnt let her when she was here yesterday. She is my Aunt !! And I still love listening to her on Youtube!

Because she amazes me ,she doesnt read our comments and she doesn't care. Because as my Aunt Joni says '' Dont it always seem to go.... Her nephew

Buddy Blair

[ilkovsky]

@peterborough1960 It's very cool Joni Mitchell is your aunt. This is a beautiful performance of a brilliant song. Lots of love from Bulgaria.

Ilko Birov

[daroflcopterful]

@peterborough1960 lol your names Buddy Blair, better call yourself peterborough

[MBCland]

@peterborough1960 I hope I'm reading this comment out of context, because it's so cocky and hateful, I wanna believe someone had a good reason for writing it. People love Joni Mitchel's music, why would you have a problem them making it their anthem. And why wouldn't Joni read these comments, people say a lot of nice things about her. I hope she knows that you've decided to speak on her behalf and that you're point of view is very different from her music.

[Wagonga2074]

@peterborough1960 let people be and let them believe what makes them happy. By the way you dropped something behind you.....oh, don't worry, it's just a name!!!!

[NWO4LifeEr]

@peterborough1960 We have something in common. I did your aunt. it was mid 70's after a festival in northern cali. Thumbs up if you also did his aunt!!

[natobaden]

@peterborough1960 Cheers ty for insight,, it's all good . :}

[Theozzie11]

@peterborough1960 well next time you see her tell her i said thanks

[unclechad2]

@peterborough1960 yeah yeah her nephew right right i almost forgot everyone slaims to be related to the famous on youtube it dosent make you cool it makes you deapretly lame for attention

[YManCyberDude]

Old hippies never die. They just get uploaded to YouTube.

[Pangael]

@YManCyberDude ,

Right. We never die. Just takes us a bit longer to get a mortgage. We were here when you arrived and we'll be here when you leave.

[60051]

@YManCyberDude hehe good one

[Whatwon1]

@YManCyberDude holy shit

[andagii]

Pink Hotel, the Hawaiian Royal Hotel, that just connected in my head. Interesting inspiration for her to get this from Hawaii. Great lyrics because it is true, except it wasn't just a parking lot, it was a whole lot bigger than that.

[12lookalike]

B For Butterfly - Photograph

[obebogie]

As Alan Partridge pointed out: the parking lot was to alleviate traffic congestion on the outskirts of paradise.

[jamesknox64]

@obebogie And he had it nailed! Have you tried to find a space in Norwich recently?

[HiSirHi]

Counting Crows version is waaaaay better!

[Pepelaputr]

I've found a reference, if not the actual video:

An animated music video of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" was produced by John Wilson of Fine Arts Films as an animated short for the Sonny and Cher TV show in the mid 1970s. The only commercial release of this full-length music video was in the Video Gems home video release on VHS titled John Wilson's Mini Musicals but also released as The All Electric Music Movie.

[Pepelaputr]

I can't find either one posted here, but sometime in the early seventies I remember seeing this song on television (along with Melanie's "Brand New Key) as a line drawing animation. I cannot recall what program this was shown on, but it couldn't have been "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" as they went off the air in 1969.

Does this prod a memory from anyone else?

[shnings]

its not matthew

[shnings]

lol its my cousins account boiii

[SomewhatRed]

Matt ?

[hockeyman917]

ROCKWAYY YAAAA



[shnings]

HEY EVERYONEBODY FROM ROCKWAY

[hockeyman917]

@shnings yaaa boy rockway for the win

[shnings]

YO MAN YAZHA WHATS ILL

[kittykat1111111111]

I love her laugh. Does anyone know why she did that though?

[ananxlxl]

@kittykat1111111111 She made a mistake on her guitar.

[Joeyland]

we need more like her

[ziggyuno1]

im 57 she liked this back then, shes gone, im starting to listen, only notice, starting to listen, i truly miss and love my x from the 70s, o yes my son to,,

[cbl1948]

Lopis1980 said it perfectly. In place of great musicians and incredible music, we have given ourselves noting to listen to but unadulterated BULLSHIT or crap!! We deserve all the "dumbing down" and stupidity we've had dumped on us. A once great nation that is nowhere near its pinnacle, but more like a third-world country now. Uneducated, illiterate, fuc**** dumb asses who can't even recognize anything true, excellent and real any more. All we know is the shit we keep on feeding ourselves.

[MrDilkington2011]

"That was Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell, a song in which Joni complains they 'Paved paradise to put up a parking lot', a measure which actually would have alleviated traffic congestion on the outskirts of paradise, something which Joni singularly fails to point out, perhaps because it doesn't quite fit in with her blinkered view of the world. Nevertheless, nice song"

[fixitmanarizona]

@MrDilkington2011 The point is you don't need a parking lot if the damn countryside isn't littered with cities. Too many people in the petri dish, it'll be solyent green before you know it.

[edshift]

This is a pinnacle. A nexus. Never forget this performance. I keep coming back to this.

So many years on the message is still urgent.

Luv and peace.

Ed.

[WilliamZacharyCain1]

Some of you are missing the most obvious factor: THIS was her song. She sang it like it was intended. The songwriter created it and this is HER singing it.

[bosheaful]

shame she went mental and started hating on bob dylan

[edshift]

@bosheaful ???

[bosheaful]

@edshift she for some reason thought that bob dylan stole all her stuff and was a phoney

[itzjoeymac]

She's an angel.

[67baudelaire]

@itzjoeymac Totalmente de acuerdo, a parte de ser una gran cantante por supuesto, amo a Joni Mitchel

[nati8042]

que monse no tiene ritmo

[flopsy1997xfactor]

she sings this!!!! i had no idea!!! i think there is some crappy pop version now

[Wessman1974]

<3's Joni.

[trulez]

Great song, average singer.

[12zuzus]

@trulez

shes an amazing singer!

do you know how hard it is to keep switching from falsetto to chest voice like that?

joni's falsetto is so angelic...

and her voice is so unique... it has so much soul yet can express so much humour and sarcasm at the same time!

joni rocks :)

[pd2905]

Genius but weird and looks kinda sick

[thisiswilson2]

No more DDT now : )

[abuzoob49]

Fajitaboys.I just scrolled down and read 'youtube troll' and the beer i was drinking went through my nose.

[vapido]

wow. when are we ever going to get another artist more multi-talented, humble, so full of charisma, and just downright honest?

if they do come around we wont hear them on the radio or see them on tv.

might get people to thinking

looking around.

seeing that they did pave paradise.

and you use that parking lot.

but its just a song right?

[mwjayjr]

didn't know that what Counting Crows did was a remake

[kaceyrain1]

I never knew that she performed this song until recently, and I think since then I've listened to it about a million times. She's amazing. <3

[Lopis1980]

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone"... So true. We never appreciated the quality of music back then, until it was gone... Today's untalented s#it is all our fault.

[Nancyonwood]

@Lopis1980 Yes maybe it's your fault but we forgive you.:)

[TheJayman213]

@Lopis1980 what are you talking about? good music was apreciated before too. more than it it is now in fact.

[JaguarEarlobe]

@TheJayman213 - What makes you think people don't appreciate music as much now?

[TheJayman213]

@JaguarEarlobe just look around. people are listening to music because it's high on the charts. and instead of really taking time to enjoy it at home and in peace they only use it to not get bored while riding the bus. it's not everybody but more than it used to be.

[JaguarEarlobe]

@TheJayman213 - I disagree. If You look at the gig/concert listings in any major town and city worldwide. They're bustling with so many top quality, inovative musicians from always expanding genres.. a tiny proportion of which are in the charts. The charts are comercial entertainment... not real musicianship. Millions and millions of people ignore the charts and love real music.

[TheJayman213]

@JaguarEarlobe you're always talking about the present itself and not in comparison to the past. sure the number of poser musicians isn't THAT big but it used to be even smaller. millions and millions of people ignore the charts but it used to be even more.

[JaguarEarlobe]

@Lopis1980 - You're deluded. Music was amazing then. It's also amazing now. You must be looking in all the wrong places or have very limited taste

[DLPBurke]

@JaguarEarlobe You are in a minority view here. The truth is today's music is generic rubbish like arctic monkeys or even worse... the likes of Boyzone and other manufactured rubbish. There is hardly anything like this. Very few artists are around who write like this.

[JaguarEarlobe]

@DLPBurke - You are in the deluded masses.

[DLPBurke]

@JaguarEarlobe You are wrong. Sit down.

[JaguarEarlobe]

@DLPBurke - I'm sitting at a computer desk

[muddack]

vote a thumbs down to the comment warriors enough times and youtube will delete the comments... did you know that?? they are stinking up the room!!

[muddack]

what's your "paradise"??



[sTapleEVA]

I thought counting crows originaly sang this :P

[joeygsmom]

*cute giggle*

[Thornoff4]

When I first heard this song, I thought she's a young woman but now I know she's an old .lady. Pretty voice for making me think she's young. I heard this song during English lesson

[poetrymaz]

No longer wish to comment on the music..just handing out some big Zzzzzzzz to the comments that have gone before....get a room you two!

[KAF128]

Just heard this on the radio for the first time in ages. An absolute classic ! Don't remember it first time around as I was only six ! Don't know anything else that Joni did so I'm just off to have a look at some of these others.

[punxsutawneyphyllis]

Beautiful, you don't see too many female singers using their voices like this anymore.

[Nowhereman90]

I love the song, how she plays with her voice at the end. She is having so much fun. I would love to meet more people like you who like this music, who feel the good vibrations, and the beauty. I have enough of the people who bitch about everything

[paragonparadox]

I think that the best part of this performance is how she is able to say something very important while still being fun. People tend to think that the only way to get a message across is to be angry or to make other people angry. The sad thing is, that IS what it takes to make people pay attention now.

[jlanza227559]

she's a genius..an artist



[Lemayo01]

My parents named me Joni and my nephew is called Mitchell... (A)

[BRaffertyable]

Is the "took away my house and land" bit borrowed from Dylan's cover?

[sloo7047]

LOVE THIS! its brilliant how she laughs and giggles through some bits and really enjoys herself :)

[AnnaC0212]

@sloo7047 Hey...I've recorded a version of woodstock....check it out and share if you like it!

[DeadJesus100]

A Legend in our time

Joni baby love you

[whywouldye]

FFS people...stop fighting....Honestly.....WTF??­??...Listen to the song ffs

[everybodypoops11]

aww, look at joni performing and truly enjoying herself. you don't see that much anymore, sadly.

[pileofpwnge]

I hope you'll read this, but my name is Kat, and Im in a developing band with a song

that lots of people say is beyond amazing :) our band is call See 4 Yourself, and our "Amzing" song is called Billie Joe.

Kc and I have been chasing our dream for so long and our hoping you would atleast checkot our channel (KcandKat)

Please :) check it out

By the way, we are YOUNG so please dont h8 :P

Thank you from the bottom of my heart :]<3 -Kat

[Quaaludedude714]

superb singer a show girl & a Star :) QC

[TheFenderplecre]

stunning

[sutchek]

Wundervolles Lied!

[desmondmcferran]

Another great Canadian talent despite what you negative putzs have to say..

[katethespidermonkey]

is she carrie? the girl who played carrie in the film....she looks like carrie :/

[acninee]

@katethespidermonkey Nope, that was Sissy Spacek.. but they both are blonde and have those high cheek bones :)

[lindahortowitz]

This song makes me cringe...who the fuck cares about a damn parking lot?! What the hell kind of song is this? She may have been smoking pot, but for the rest of us, there isn't enough sedatives ingested to listen to this mess. They play this crap from satellite at retail stores because it's cheap to buy - and she's not even dead! This belongs on the Ipod from hell and given to your worst enemy.

[unmilliard]

@lindahortowitz You say "who the fuck cares about a damn parking lot?! " Do you even know what the lyrics are suggesting? She's worried about the resource that was torn up/taken down just to put up a fucking parking lot! Do you know what DDT was? Probably not! So let's sum up: You don't understand the song, I know you can't sing, you certainly couldn't write a song if your life depended on it, and you sure as hell can't play a musical instrument worth shit. So what's the deal?

[YOURADUECHE]

@unmilliard DDT weakened the eggs of falcons, eagles, hawks, even seagulls etc. caused some them to become almost wiped out until recently. I'v seen both eagles & falcons coming back in various parts of Ontario, Ca. and I also run over 3-4 stupid seagulls a day! DDT killed mosquitos & also f'd everything else in the long run. Im assuming you had responded to a comment that has now been removed? -Because they're retarted I assume?

[1ZillBilly]

@unmilliard geeze due why'd you listen to her then?

[punkiejunkie1000]

not sure whats up with all the vile commenting, but Joni is NOT the place for it....

[unclechad2]

i read in comments someone saying her tone was off? wtf you mean she wrote the song she made the tones i think she would know if they were off she is much better than any makeup bueaty queen whore singers out there today whos voices sound like someone runing there finger up and down there throat

[aimeemannfan2010]

Outstanding!!! Love you Joni. Great post. Thank you.

[strummer114]

when I die and there is a heaven nuf said

[ScribblesOfOwls]

Such an inspiration!

[kizzymissymoo]

@JUDGEDREGZ ....and u r a fool...

[kizzymissymoo]

@fajitaboys tell it like it is man...u know it!

[lynsey627]

she might not be a graeat singer bu it's appropriate wat she sings x

[ntnima]

@lynsey627 I respectfully disagree with you so much that I won't even rage/flame. One of the purest voices I ever heard.

peace.

[abuBakr97]

@lynsey627 What is the definition of 'great', perfect pitch, a good vibrato, steady notes, or the likes of today's 'singer's' like Rihannan. My God, the more twiddly bits the better or perhaps someone who is inspired like Joni Mitchel who is probably the kind of singer that all the other singers with the perfect attributes mentioned above listen too. To argue over such things just illustrates the shear lack of imagination of the one who argues. Just plain limited. Oh dear, oh dear oh dear...

[lynsey627]

@abuBakr97 I am not arguing. I think you need to chill out a bit. I wouldn't have listened to this if i didn't think she was a fantastic singer I am in no way slagging her off, merely pointing out that she is not as manufactured as todays artists which is not a bad thing. Keep your hair on!!

[abuBakr97]

@lynsey627 Pls forgive me if I've 'had a go' at you for apparently no reason. I actually can't find the comment I made (I don't remember it) .Either way please accept my sincere apologies especially given the only other comment I've made on the page is about people being 'unkind' and 'rude' to one another. Ironic eh.... ! To your credit, I must say, you've at least handled it with good grace which is a good example for us all and I thank you for pointing out my shortcomings that I might improve.

[lynsey627]

shamone lol x

[mysticlawlotus]

My heart just came home in a big yellow taxi.

[douglas170270]

such beautiful music - what a pity you people are being so awful to eachother - missing the point of good vibrations i think?!

[abuBakr97]

@douglas170270 Ah... comrade... One only has to look at the comments on You Tube and how uncivilized and rude (not to mention plain dumb) people are to one another to know we're fucked as a species. God help us all.... With some luck we'll see each other in heaven....

[GamingGuru21]

explains san francisco?

[shanehenning26]

great song

[CherishportMusic]

anyone think she looks like a talented version of Phoebe Buffay?

[Hazza32]

@CherishportMusic She sang this 24 years before friends even started ;P

[natweeasle]

@JUDGEDREGZ

How old are you? 5? Why don't you just fuck right off 'you insect'.

Get out of here. You are not wanted.

That is all.

[JUDGEDREGZ]

@natweeasle Problem?

You pathetic CUNT!!

[fajitaboys]

@JUDGEDREGZ oh im sure you are a "superb singer", much better than Joni. It would explain perfectly how she is a superstar, and how you are just a youtube troll. Even if you think she is a bad singer, she still wrote this amazing song, and many others. Tell me, if you are such an amazing singer, why don't you post a link of you singing for us to judge.