Big Yellow Taxi
Encyclopedia
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell
in 1970. It was a big hit in her native Canada (#14) as well as Australia (#6) and the UK (#11). It only reached #67 in the US in 1970, but was later a bigger hit there for her in a live version released in 1975, which peaked at #24.
Charting versions have also been recorded by The Neighborhood (who had the original top US 40 hit with the track in 1970, peaking at #29), Maire Brennan, Amy Grant
, and Counting Crows
.
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:
The song is known for its environmental
concern (from the lyrics "They 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", which may refer 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.
Mitchell's original recording 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 one of 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 newly recorded, re-arranged version of the song.
while in Amy Grant's version, the people are charged "twenty-five bucks", and in Joni Mitchell's 2007 re-recording the people are charged "an arm and a leg".
Bob Dylan instead of singing about the "big yellow taxi" that "took away my old man" sings "A big yellow bulldozer took away the house and land". While Amy Grant retains the taxi, her final reprise of the line about "paved paradise" reads "steam rolled paradise".
's "Big Yellow Taxi" was produced by John Wilson of Fine Arts Films as an animated short for the Sonny and Cher TV show in the mid 1970s. The only commercial release of this full-length music video was in the Video Gems home video release on VHS titled John Wilson's Mini Musicals but also released as The All Electric Music Movie.
The home video also contains an animated music video of Joni Mitchell
's song "Both Sides Now".
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
in 1970. It was a big hit in her native Canada (#14) as well as Australia (#6) and the UK (#11). It only reached #67 in the US in 1970, but was later a bigger hit there for her in a live version released in 1975, which peaked at #24.
Charting versions have also been recorded by The Neighborhood (who had the original top US 40 hit with the track in 1970, peaking at #29), Maire Brennan, Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
, and Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
.
Mitchell's composition and recording
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. 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:
The song is known for its environmental
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
concern (from the lyrics "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot", "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
now") and sentimental sound. The line, "Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden
Foster Botanical Garden
Foster Botanical Garden, measuring 13.5 acres , is one of three botanical gardens located at 50 North Vineyard Boulevard, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA...
in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum
Living museum
A living museum is a type of museum, in which historical events showing the life in ancient times are performed, especially in ethnographic or historical views, or processes for producing a commercial product in terms of technical and technological developments are shown, especially the craft...
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", which may refer to the old Metro Toronto Police
Toronto Police Service
The Toronto Police Service , formerly the Metropolitan Toronto Police, is the police service for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest municipal police service in Canada and second largest police force in Canada after the Royal Canadian Mounted 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.
Mitchell's original recording was first put out as a single and then was put on the album Ladies of the Canyon
Ladies of the Canyon
Ladies of the Canyon is Joni Mitchell's third album, released in 1970. Its title refers to Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, a center of popular music culture in Los Angeles during the sixties...
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 one of the most identifiable in her repertoire, still receiving significant airplay in Canada. In 2005, it was voted #9 on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's list of the top 50 essential Canadian tracks
50 Tracks: The Canadian Version
50 Tracks: The Canadian Version was a Canadian radio series, which aired across Canada on CBC Radio One in 2005. The show, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, was a competition to determine the 50 most essential songs in English language Canadian pop music history...
.
In 2007, Joni Mitchell released the album Shine
Shine (Joni Mitchell album)
Shine is the nineteenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and was released on September 25, 2007 by Starbucks' Hear Music...
that includes a newly recorded, re-arranged version of the song.
Cover versions
Many other artists have covered the song.- A single version by the singing group The Neighborhood reached the Billboard Top 40 chart (#29) in the summer of 1970.
- Bob Dylan's cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" was recorded in 1970 and released in 1973.
- In 1995, Amy GrantAmy GrantAmy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
released a cover of "Big Yellow Taxi" to pop and Adult Contemporary radio in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song was the fourth pop radio single off of her House of LoveHouse of Love (album)House of Love is the 14th album by singer-songwriter Amy Grant, released in 1994 .House of Love was Amy's follow-up to her quintuple-platinum 1991 release Heart in Motion. Although House of Love sold less than half of what its predecessor sold, it similarly combines pop music with Christian values...
album (the third in the U.S.). Grant's version featured slightly altered lyrics, which she changed at Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's request. The single peaked at #67 on The Billboard Hot 100, #18 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and at #20 in the U.K. Grant also released a music video for the single, which was aired in the U.S. and U.K. and released to home video on Grant's Greatest Videos 1986-2004 DVD.
- In 1996 a "Big Yellow Taxi (Traffic Jam Mix)" peaked on the U.S. dance chartsHot Dance Club PlayThe Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
at #39 and was part of the Friends: Music from the TV SeriesFriends discographyFriends Again is a 1999 soundtrack album. It is the second F.R.I.E.N.D.S. soundtrack, released after Friends Original TV Soundtrack .-Track listing:# "Introduction"#*Friends Again# "Every Word Means No"#*Smash Mouth# "Delicious"...
soundtrack album (see Joni Mitchell#Singles and External links).
- The song is sampled in Janet Jackson and Q-TipQ-Tip (rapper)Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
's single "Got 'Til It's GoneGot 'Til It's Gone"Got 'til It's Gone" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson, featuring American rapper Q-Tip and Canadian singer Joni Mitchell. It was released as the lead single from Jackson's sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope .-Song information:...
," from Jackson's 1997 album The Velvet RopeThe Velvet RopeThe Velvet Rope is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Janet Jackson, released October 7, 1997 by Virgin Records. Prior to its debut, Jackson had been at the center of a second high-profile bidding war over her recording contract...
.
- Counting CrowsCounting CrowsCounting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
featuring Vanessa CarltonVanessa CarltonVanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Upon completion of her education at the School of American Ballet, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York bars and clubs while attending university. Three months after recording a demo with producer Peter...
(on back-up vocals) cover of the song is featured on the soundtrack to the movie Two Weeks NoticeTwo Weeks NoticeTwo Weeks Notice is a 2002 romantic comedy film starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock from Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was written and directed by Marc Lawrence. Upon release, the film received a successful box office run both in the United States and globally.-Plot:Lucy Kelson is a...
and is the most successful version to date (U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40). Originally the song was a hidden trackHidden trackIn the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
on the band's 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 or record together. This song became the band's only Top 20 single in the UK, peaking at #13. This version slightly changed Mitchell's original lyrics to describe when the eponymous taxi took "my girl" away, instead of Mitchell's "my old man".
Variants of lyrics
There are various slight alterations of the lyrics from different versions. Joni Mitchell's original version runswhile in Amy Grant's version, the people are charged "twenty-five bucks", and in Joni Mitchell's 2007 re-recording the people are charged "an arm and a leg".
Bob Dylan instead of singing about the "big yellow taxi" that "took away my old man" sings "A big yellow bulldozer took away the house and land". While Amy Grant retains the taxi, her final reprise of the line about "paved paradise" reads "steam rolled paradise".
Music video
An animated music video of Joni MitchellJoni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's "Big Yellow Taxi" was produced by John Wilson of Fine Arts Films as an animated short for the Sonny and Cher TV show in the mid 1970s. The only commercial release of this full-length music video was in the Video Gems home video release on VHS titled John Wilson's Mini Musicals but also released as The All Electric Music Movie.
The home video also contains an animated music video of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
's song "Both Sides Now".
Joni Mitchell version
- Big Yellow Taxi (“Friends” Album Version)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Radio Mix)
- Big Yellow Taxi (N.Y. Cab To Club Mix)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Tribal Dub)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Late Night Club Mix)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Double Espresso NRG Mix)
Amy Grant versions
- Big Yellow Taxi - Paradise Mix
- Big Yellow Taxi - Alternative Paradise Mix
- Big Yellow Taxi - LP Version
Counting Crows version
- Big Yellow Taxi
- Big Yellow Taxi II
- If I Could Give All My Love/Richard Manuel Is Dead (Acoustic / Live)
- Hard Candy (Acoustic / Live)
- Big Yellow Taxi (Multimedia Track)
Joni Mitchell version
| Chart (1970) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
6 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles |
14 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 67 |
| Chart (1975) | Peak Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 24 |
| Chart (1996) | Peak Position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
39 |
Amy Grant version
| Chart (1994) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Adult Contemporary |
4 |
| Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Top Singles |
25 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
20 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 67 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
18 |
Counting Crows/Vanessa Carlton version
| Chart (2003) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
3 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
13 |
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