Today I’m playing the Joni Mitchell classic Big Yellow Taxi. She told a journalist about the origins of the song:

I wrote ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart… this blight on paradise. That’s when I sat down and wrote the song.

I hope you enjoy my version (though personally I prefer the Counting Crows’ version, or the original!)

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https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/big-yellow-taxi/s-GiyqG