Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

September 3, 1970 http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.htm... Watch the full show: http://thesixtiesarchive.blogspot.com...

"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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[Mićo Ćirković]

Californication brought me here :D

[hotbikerrc]

I love joni...she's so cool and still beautiful inside and out!! She shows her inner light at 2:02

[skinnyernie]

"pipes are going"? coulda fooled me!

[outsidernl]

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

[tonedelux]

what a fucking sweetheart!

[Tiberiotertio]

Oh wow the little tykes are discovering music!

[Tasha Roberts]

awesome man, she is soo sweet and so chill man blaze with her forsuurre