Big Yellow Taxi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Big Yellow Taxi” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Joni Mitchell from the album Ladies of the Canyon |
|||||
| Released | 1970 | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | 1970 | ||||
| Genre | Folk rock | ||||
| Length | 2:17 | ||||
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Joni Mitchell | ||||
| Joni Mitchell singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| “Big Yellow Taxi” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Counting Crows featuring Vanessa Carlton from the album Hard Candy |
|||||
| Released | 2003 | ||||
| Format | CD single | ||||
| Recorded | 2002 | ||||
| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 3:47 | ||||
| Label | Geffen | ||||
| Writer(s) | Joni Mitchell | ||||
| Producer | Steve Lilywhite | ||||
| Counting Crows singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
| Vanessa Carlton singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
"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:
| “ | 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.[1] | ” |
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.[2]
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 CBC's list of the top 50 essential Canadian tracks.
In 2007, Joni Mitchell released the album Shine, which includes a re-work of the song.
[edit] Cover versions
Many other artists have covered the song, including Amy Grant, Melanie (Melanie Safka), Counting Crows with and without Vanessa Carlton, Sandi Thom, Billie Joe Armstrong, 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, 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," from Jackson's 1986 album Control. It is also sampled in Jackson and 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 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.
Also the song has been performed as part of the finale during the 1997 Lilith Fair tour with the Indigo Girls, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan and Meredith Brooks.
In 1996 a "Big Yellow Taxi (Traffic Jam Mix)" peaked on the 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).
[edit] References
- ^ Hilburn, Robert. "Joni Mitchell looks at both sides now: her hits -- and misses", Los Angeles Times, 1996-12-07. Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ Mattison, Shane. Tree museum. Lyric Glossary. JoniMitchell.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
[edit] External links
- Joni Mitchell
- Lyrics for original version at jonimitchell.com
- Lyrics for 2007 version at jonimitchell.com
- Traffic Jam Mix / Friends Soundtrack at allmusic
- Traffic Jam Mix Chart Position at Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
|
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
