Big Yellow Taxi 2012759 223028904 2008-07-02T07:02:49Z Putnam269 5714016 /* Cover versions */ {{Infobox Single | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --> | Name = Big Yellow Taxi | Cover = Big_Yellow_Taxi_-_Joni_Mitchell.jpg | Artist = [[Joni Mitchell]] | from Album = [[Ladies of the Canyon]] | B-side = | Released = [[1970]] | Format = [[Vinyl record|7"]] | Recorded = 1970 | Genre = [[Folk rock]] | Length = 2:17 | Label = [[Warner Bros. Records]] | Writer = [[Joni Mitchell]] | Producer = | Certification = | Last single = "[[Chelsea Morning]]"<br />(1969) | This single = "'''Big Yellow Taxi'''""<br />(1970) | Next single = "[[Carey (song)|Carey]]"<br />(1971) }} {{Infobox Single | | Name = Big Yellow Taxi | Cover = BYTCounting Crows.jpg | Artist = [[Counting Crows]] featuring [[Vanessa Carlton]] | from Album = [[Hard Candy (Counting Crows album)|Hard Candy]] | Released = [[2003]] | Format = [[CD single]] | Recorded = 2002 | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]] | Length = 3:47 | Label = [[Geffen Records|Geffen]] | Writer = [[Joni Mitchell]] | Producer = [[Steve Lilywhite]] | Chronology = [[Counting Crows]] singles | Last single = "[[Miami (Counting Crows song)|Miami]]"<br>(2002) | This single = "'''Big Yellow Taxi'''"<br>(2003) | Next single = "[[If I Could Give All My Love (Richard Manuel Is Dead)]]"<br>(2003) | Misc = {{Extra chronology 2 | Artist = [[Vanessa Carlton]] singles | Type = singles | Last single = "[[Pretty Baby (2002 song)|Pretty Baby]]"<br>(2002) | This single = "'''Big Yellow Taxi'''"<br>(2003) | Next single = "[[White Houses (song)|White Houses]]"<br>(2004) }} }} "'''Big Yellow Taxi'''" is a song originally written and performed by [[Joni Mitchell]]. 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 1970's: {{cquote|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.<ref>{{cite news | last = Hilburn | first = Robert | title = Joni Mitchell looks at both sides now: her hits -- and misses | work = Los Angeles Times | date = [[1996]]-[[12-07]] | url = http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/12-96/12-07-96/b01ae065.htm | accessdate = 2008-05-16}}</ref>}} 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.<ref>{{cite web | last = Mattison | first = Shane | title = Tree museum | work = Lyric Glossary | publisher = JoniMitchell.com | url = http://www.jonimitchell.com/research/g_entry.cfm?id=42 | accessdate = 2008-05-15}}</ref> 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 Toronto Police Service 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 has made the song the most identifiable in her repertoire, still receiving significant airplay in Canada. In 2005, it was voted #9 on [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]'s list of the [[50 Tracks: The Canadian Version|top 50 essential Canadian tracks]]. In 2007, Joni Mitchell released the album Shine, which includes a re-work of the song. ==Cover versions== Many other artists have covered the song, including [[Amy Grant]], [[Melanie Safka|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 acappella quintet [[Toxic Audio]], and [[Bob Dylan]], who slightly rewrote the lyrics on the album ''[[Dylan (1973 album)|Dylan]]'', released in 1973. A single version by the singing group The Neighborhood reached the Billboard Top 40 chart (#29) in the summer of 1970. The song's title is referenced by [[Janet Jackson]] in her single "[[The Pleasure Principle (song)|The Pleasure Principle]]," from Jackson's 1986 album ''[[Conrol (album)|Control]]''. It is also sampled in Jackson and [[Q-Tip (rapper)|Q-Tip]]'s single "[[Got 'Til It's Gone]]," from Jackson's 1997 album ''[[The Velvet Rope]]''. The [[Counting Crows]] featuring [[Adam Duritz]] and [[Vanessa Carlton]] (on back-up vocals) cover of the song is featured on the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Two Weeks Notice]]''. Originally the song was a hidden track on the Crows' 2002 album ''[[Hard Candy (Counting Crows album)|Hard Candy]]'' and did not include Vanessa Carlton until it was to be featured in the movie. New releases of the album included it as a track with her added, as with her in the video, although Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton did not appear in the video together nor record together. This song became the band's only Top 20 single in the [[UK]], peaking at #13. Also the song has been performed as part of the finale during the 1997 [[Lilith Fair]] tour with the [[Indigo Girls]], [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]], [[Sarah McLachlan]] and [[Meredith Brooks]]. In 1996 a "Big Yellow Taxi (Traffic Jam Mix)" peaked on the [[Hot Dance Club Play|U.S. dance charts]] at #39 and was part of the ''Friends: Music from the TV Series'' soundtrack album (see [[Joni Mitchell#Singles]] and [[#External links|External links]]). ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://jonimitchell.com/musician/ Joni Mitchell] *[http://jonimitchell.com/musician/song.cfm?id=BigYellowTaxi Lyrics for original version] at jonimitchell.com *[http://jonimitchell.com/musician/song.cfm?id=BigYellowTaxi2007 Lyrics for 2007 version] at jonimitchell.com *[http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:vdjp7i5og75r~T2 Traffic Jam Mix / Friends Soundtrack] at [[allmusic]] *[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=5222&model.vnuAlbumId=556373 Traffic Jam Mix Chart Position] at [[Billboard Hot Dance Club Play]] {{Counting Crows}} {{Vanessa Carlton}} [[Category:1970 songs]] [[Category:2002 singles]] [[Category:Counting Crows songs]] [[Category:Bob Dylan songs]] [[Category:Environmental songs]] [[Category:Joni Mitchell songs]] [[nl:Big Yellow Taxi]]