She suffered from polio as a little girl and had limited finger dexterity. She invented different guitar tunings to allow her to make the notes.....that's why she has to re-tune her guitar for each song. One of the great guitar player/writers/singers of all time.
rick - thanks for that, that's nice to know....... i swear she's going through octaves on single words sometimes too (with the voice, I mean, not the guitar)
Kurt Mclaughlin Well, she didn't invent open tuning but she did use 40+ alternate tunings. There are countless number of guitarists and songwriters who've never used anything but standard tuning. You might be familiar with " Joni Mitchell: so far", written by her ex guitar-tech and published by Alfred music but if you aren't you might want to check it out...
Loved the way Joni delayed singing the second line until the clapping had finished. Kudos for being able to tune the guitar by ear. And great performance of course.
Your comment just annoyed me.Shes one one the greatest singer songwriters of out time and sure she is nice looking,but couldn’t you just mention her talent and musicianship first?Plenty of “pretty ladies” out there....and boys for that matter.
@@Dabhach1 ""Our generation" is the worst that ever lived." We are the most destructive simply because of the sheer number of us and the technologies that we use. Imagine what previous generations would have done if they had the same technologies, demands and numbers. We simply wouldn't be here now if the Romans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Ottomans, etc, had had the same access. Gradually, painfully slowly, people are improving and gaining more understanding and more empathy. Even in places like Russia and the US, people can be seen helping other people and animals, despite the overall viws being very primitive. Unfortunately, it's too late for the hundreds of species that we are wiping out *per week!* Hopefully, DNA samples might be used in the future to resurrect many of the species that we have driven to extinction, but, the environment aside, socially, we are facing disasters. No one knows for sure what's going to happen, but if we make it to the end of the century without any major disasters, the future could be brighter. We are at a crux, a turning point, and one that I believe is more crucial than any in the last few millennia.
I love watching her make the mistake 2:07 because of the unbridled giggling joy it produced. its something I can understand on a musical and a human level
IceCream MarshmallowTop make the best of what you have now. Obviously a fully grown tree is better than a sapling, but you can’t go back twenty years ago and plant a tree. However you can plant one now and make a better future.
Years ago when I went to Jasper Place High School in Edmonton Alberta I had a Guitar teacher by the name of Garth Worthington. He told me that when Joni Mitchell first wrote this song she came to him who was her piano player at the time, sang the song for him and asked him if he thought the people would like the song. He said without a doubt this will be a huge hit song for you and people everywhere will love it. I don't know if Mr.Worthington is still alive today, but I loved that old man for helping to make me the man and musician I am today. so Thank You Garth and also to Joni for writing this great song.
I love how in the 60s-70s musicians connected with their audience and you could connect with them, like friends. I don’t see much of that today with pop music, you’ll live on forever Joni
People now don't know what it was like to live in fear of Polio.I do but not like my parents did and I'll never forget lining up to take Sabin on Sunday at my elementary school in 1959.I was lucky enough to see Joni perform with someone I love in 1975 in California.At the end of the show we were walking out and someone said 'that were she walks to catch her limo' no one believed them but I did and we waited and sure enough she walked by and was gracious enough to stop and chat with me.
She is such a natural beauty , needs no makeup . Most females would kill for her cheekbones . One of the great composers, singers, songwriters in music of the late 20th century
I'm hooked on Joni Mitchell ,40 years and now I discovered live on RU-vid ... When am I going to sleep..... Can't get enough.....Singing for you Joni.... Rainbow wishes and get well kisses you way.....my collection continues to grow . Just learned Carey and California on my guitar🎼🎸🎤🎟
My 3rd grade teacher's favorite song at Sandy Hook Elementary School back in about 1977. She'd bring in albums every day to play for the class. Wonderful, bittersweet memories. The song still brings me to tears.
Found it 10 f..king years but here she is. Love this tune. On the radio years ago n never got the artist and listened to many close copies and close song lyrics from TV show
An absolute classic and she was so before her time,fantastic voice,amazing musician and a statement for the world that we are still trying to get to grips with all these years later,an ECO pioneer 😍😍
I have heard this song over a thousand times spanning four decades by Joni and another artist and this is the first time I heard the very last verse. I also loved how she extended the first line for the audience to applause... very well done.
Tell me about it. I lived out in the middle of nowhere washington, 2 years after buying a group if people from seattle came out and built summer homes and made an HOA. Couldn't shoot anymore, they honked at my chickens, and harrassed me constantly. I hate city folk
I have great memories of this song. In 5th grade our pretty, long maxi dressed music teacher took us outside for music class, and taught us to sing this, as She strummed her acoustic guitar. I knew then and there, I wanted to to that.
My first time ever listening to her and i have to say not only she's an amazing artist, great vocalist but also woman with such unique personality. The way she acts is so fascinating, definitely gonna binge watch her performances
The fantastically talented Joni Mitchell wonderfully gifted talented performer bless her. LOVE YOU JONI MITCHELL ALWAYS WILL YOU ARE A HUGE STAR AND ANGEL OF A VOICE.
Ah Beautiful Joni poet, visionary, goddess- the words here are as relevant today as ever - Don't it always seem to go you don't know what you got til it's gone-- Lake Mead, Colorado River, disappearing species... at least we still have apples and sometimes snow in winter... for now.
Acoustic guitar , a beautiful song , a very , very Talented young Lady , and a Big Yellow Taxi , it doesn't get any better !! You don't know what you have got until it is gone.........
There's a musical about the songs of Joni Mitchell, playing at the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, BC, right now. It took four vocalists to cover her songs, because of her range and abilities, which few or none could match. The musical is called "I Think I'm Fallin'"; it is great, and every ticket has been sold, for all performances.
Rick Coona Nah: Joni Mitchell "Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally recorded by Joni Mitchell in 1970. It was a hit in her native Canada (No. 14) as well as Australia (No. 6)" Wikipedia
I remember this as one of the very first music videos. It was animated with a taxi running around on the parking lot after the dozer knocked down the tree, and i seem to remember a little bunny hopping away. Had to have been really close to 1970.
makes me wonder - this song is a treasure, and a cover was made by Counting Crows the really modern genre acoustic, again it was a hit. Joni is a genius!
