"Big Yellow Taxi" Quotes

Context

This line is from the song "Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell, from her album Ladies of the Canyon (1970).

Sometime in the late 60s, a young Joni Mitchell looked out her hotel room in Hawaii and was shocked. In the distance, she saw beautiful green mountains, and below—a big, fat, ugly parking lot. She stated that "It broke my heart… this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song."

"Big Yellow Taxi" had its first U.S. release in 1970 by a group called The Neighborhood. Timing couldn't be more perfect! The environmental problem moved from "don't litter" to "don't plunder and pollute" overnight.

(Incidentally, Joni's version wasn't released until the mid-70s, when it became the all-time classic.)

Where you've heard it

A local conservation group might have been very vocal against development in your town by writing articles, making speeches, and even picketing with this line. Or your parents used it when talking about the rampant growth of their hometown.

Additional Notable References:

• Saving My Tomorrow theme.
• Counting Crows cover.
• What about your piece of paradise?
• A little musical mash-up.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Saving the planet is on everyone's "to-do" list. They just need to be reminded of it and you're the tree-hugger to do it.