Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

September 3, 1970 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.... Watch the full show: http://thesixtiesarchive.blogspot.com/2010/12/joni-mitchell-live-in-concert-s...

"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell. It reached #67 in 1970 (U.S., Billboard)

Mitchell got the idea for the song during a visit to Hawaii. She looked out of her hotel window at the spectacular Pacific mountain scenery, and then down to a parking lot.

Joni said this about writing the song to journalist Alan McDougall in the early 1970s:
" I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart... this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song. "

The song is known for its environmental statement (from the lyrics "Paved paradise to put up a parking lot", "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now") and sentimental sound. The line, "Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.

In the song's final verse, the political gives way to the personal. Mitchell recounts the departure of her "old man" in the titular "big yellow taxi", referring to the old Metro Toronto Police patrol cars that until 1986 were painted yellow. In many covers the departed one may be interpreted as variously a boyfriend, a husband, or a father. The literal interpretation is that he is walking out on the singer by taking a taxi; otherwise it is assumed he is being taken away by the authorities.

The song was first put out as a single and then was put on the album Ladies of the Canyon in 1970; a later live version was released in 1975 and reached #24 on the U.S. charts. Mitchell's playful closing lyrics have made the song the most identifiable in her repertoire, still receiving significant airplay in Canada. In 2005, it was voted #9 on CBC's list of the top 50 essential Canadian tracks.

In 2007, Joni Mitchell released the album Shine that includes a re-work of the song.

Many other artists have covered the song, including Amy Grant, Melanie (Melanie Safka), Counting Crows with and without Vanessa Carlton, Sandi Thom, Kaya, Pinhead Gunpowder, Paul Tillotson, Moya Brennan, Keb Mo, Chris Thomas King, Keren Ann, the a cappella quintet Toxic Audio, Bob Dylan, Green Day, The Tragically Hip, and Jack Johnson. Tracy Chapman has performed a version of her own during her live shows.

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[weealn34]

This song by Joni is in my top 5 greatest songs of all time , and i'm a 90s raver !!

[EarthManXTrees]

This is great and it's true they pave paradise to build stupid stores n stuff

[jessiet02]

@weealn34 Your grammar is so terrible I can hardly understand what you are asking me or why you felt the need to ask it three times in a row, while also managing to reply to yourself in the process. Anyway, in my opinion, the music of the 50's, 60's, and 70's is some of the greatest music of all time. I think it is immensely better than any of the music that is on the radio today, with the exception of Adele, who is an incredible singer and talented songwriter. Does that answer your question?

[weealn34]

@weealn34 You must be so young !! still wet behind yer ears , My taste is huge in music & would never slate another tryin to make a crust so you must tell us , who has talent ?????

[weealn34]

@jessiet02 If your a Girl then i'm sorry but what is real talent and why listen to her ??

[weealn34]

@jessiet02 so what is real talent Simon !!

[jessiet02]

@haloreachhookblade you must not know anything about REAL talent.

[sonnetmartin]

In my joni mood

[haloreachhookblade]

weird tone of voice. i perfer counting crows

[qwerty93764]

its so and good so true i loved this song since i was a kid

[puddypuss]

it always slightly annoys me that it takes the audience longer than it should to recognise the song, or maybe they did earlier ,and thought the ettiquette was to wait. or, did they need to applaud early at all?

[KawaiiNekoABC]

I like how back then the song always seemed different each time it was performed :)