10 Happy Songs With Really Dark Endings
5. Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
A good half of Joni Mitchell's music stands as some of the most beautiful rock and roll ever written. Though she never fit comfortably amid acts like the Doors in her time, the sheer beauty of records like Blue and Hejira have put her in the ranks as one of the greatest songwriters of her (or any) generation. That being said, not every gorgeous melody had to be followed up with a happy lyric though.
Being arguably her most popular song, Big Yellow Taxi is a lot deeper than many probably realized on first listen, as Joni talks about all of the forces of nature in her life slipping away. While most people can pick up on the love aspect when she sings about the titular taxi taking her old man away, there's a far more environmental message behind this, as she talks about trees being put into museums and having people be charged to see the remnants of what the Earth originally had to offer.
For God's sake, it's in the most memorable part of the song too, as she talks about the powers that be paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Even though Joni would have far more personal songs to sing both before and after Big Yellow Taxi, this is one of the more damning cautionary tales she has ever laid down.