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Big Yellow Taxi

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"Big Yellow Taxi"

Single by Joni Mitchell

Released 1970

Format ???

Genre ???

Length 2:17

Label Warner

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 Amy Grant, Counting Crows, Kaya, Pinhead Gunpowder, 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 'Till It's Gone," from Jackson's album The Velvet Rope.

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

The Counting Crows cover of the song is featured on the soundtrack to the movie Two Weeks Notice (2002).

Lyrics

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Categories: Pop song stubs | 1970 songs | Joni Mitchell songs