Song of the Day: Big Yellow Taxi

Good Monday morning everyone! We’ll start off the week with Joni Mitchell, the beloved and very talented singer-songwriter from Canada. “Big Yellow Taxi” was recorded in 1970 and Mitchell wrote it after taking her first trip to Hawaii. Upon waking up in her hotel room and opening the curtains her first morning there, she discovered beautiful mountains on the horizon. But it was the other thing she saw that disappointed her so much and inspired her to write the song. Underneath her window and for as far as she could see was a parking lot. It was such a disappointment to see the man-made, drab parking lot taking up space in such a paradise setting, hence the lyrics, “they paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” The song has been covered by several people, including the well-known Counting Crows version. And while that cover is great, you just can’t beat the original by the great Joni. And that laugh at the very end.

Garett