“Big Yellow Taxi” is a classic song, written and composed by Joni Mitchell.
This Canadian artist originally recorded the song in 1970, but the lyrics still seem to be relatable and it has been covered countless times. Even so, this video of Mitchell’s live performance shows why she was one of the best artists of her time—and of all time.
Mitchell is charming, talented and very young in this video, and she reminds us why so many people say her music is so soulful.
At the beginning of the video, Mitchell says she’s “really in the mood to sing.”
When she comes up to the stage, this blonde girl in a long dress has a wide smile. She also adds that her “pipes are kind of going out.” What makes it so funny is that she then proceeds to sing with a heavenly voice that’s perfectly in tune.
Her authentic voice is easy to recognize.
As soon as she starts to sing, Mitchell gets a big round of applause. As soon as she sings, her angelic voice has the crowd in the palm of her hand.
Still, the best part is when she smiles in the middle of the song.
The best thing about her song is that it will never get old.
Hearing this today is still just as relevant as it was in Mitchell’s day. In the middle of the song, she sings a line in a high pitch before continuing to sing in a deeper voice to show her range. After that, she giggles at herself.
Her flourishes give this performance incredible charm and show the full potential of her range.
Her voice range is unbelievable. What’s also interesting is that Peter Green from Fleetwood Mac and Bob Ross were in the audience watching her that day!
When it’s all over, the crowd gives her a big round of applause.
Mitchell was, without a doubt, a true genius.
Many people rightfully claim that her music has it all: a great melody, an ageless message, fantastic vocals, and creative rhymes. She is amazing because the audience seems to connect to her easily, almost on a friend level. She knows how to blow everyone’s minds with her music and she does it effortlessly. The most appealing thing about her though is that she seems to have a wonderful imagination.
It’s understandable why people consider this song to be one of the best songs of the last 50 years.
Though not everyone today knows this, Mitchell even overcame illness to express her talent and creativity.
Mitchell suffered from polio as a little girl. It affected her a lot and she had limited finger dexterity as a result of it. Still, she didn’t give up on her dreams and approached her problem creatively. She invented different guitar tunings to allow her to make the right notes, which is why she re-tunes her guitar for each song. Seeing her do it all is inspirational, and it confirms that you can achieve anything if you want it enough and work hard. This video was uploaded on YouTube in 2008 and it got more than two million views. It remains a great way to remember a legendary artist!
Thanks to Joni Mitchell for sharing her amazing talent with the world! Check out the full performance in the link below:
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