Big Yellow Taxi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Big Yellow Taxi" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Joni Mitchell | ||
| Released | 1970 | |
| Format | ??? | |
| Genre | ??? | |
| Length | 2:17 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Writer(s) | Joni Mitchell | |
| Producer(s) | ??? | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Joni Mitchell singles chronology | ||
| ??? | Big Yellow Taxi | ??? |
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song originally written and performed by Joni Mitchell but covered by many other artists such as Billie Joe Armstrong, Amy Grant, Counting Crows, Kaya, Pinhead Gunpowder, Paul Tillotson, Máire Brennan, Keb Mo, Chris Thomas King, the acappella quintet Toxic Audio, and Bob Dylan, who slightly rewrote the lyrics on the album Dylan, released in 1973. The song is also quoted in Janet Jackson and Q-Tip's single "Got 'Til It's Gone," from Jackson's album The Velvet Rope.
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. [1] The song is known for its environmental statement (as assumed from the lyric "paved paradise to put up a parking lot") and sentimental sound. The line, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" refers to the destruction of the Garden of Allah, a silent-movie era Hollywood hotel renowned for its rowdy celebration parties. The line, "Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum, charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in Waikiki which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.
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 CBC's list of the top 50 essential Canadian tracks.
When Amy Grant released it as a successful pop single in 1995 for her "House of Love" album, it was with slightly updated lyrics that were modernized at Mitchell's suggestion. Grant's updated lyrics have been reused in many covers since that time. The Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton (on back-up vocals) cover of the song is featured on the soundtrack to the movie Two Weeks Notice (2002).
