Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchel

Question 1

Describe the harmony of the intro of Big Yellow Taxi

Answer 1

Based around a IV,V,I progression (primary chords) but the IV and V chords are played with an alternating pattern between 6th chords and normal major chords, eg (A,A6,A,A6). This is a typically folksy sounding pattern.
The I chord (E) feel is due to a tonic E pedal, but the guitar part above it moves from an E, an A, and an E7, but all the while we feel like the chord being played is based around the E, due to the pedal.

Question 2

Describe the sonority of the piece

Answer 2

Mostly based around acoustic guitar and vocals, but with some light percussion including a hand drum in the verses, and a triangle which plays a rhythm based around a crotchet and 2 quavers in the first 4 bars of the choruses.

Question 3

Describe Verse 1

Answer 3

8 bars. Acoustic guitar +light percussion including the hand drum, and vocals, which sing a melody which reaches a G# (relatively narrow range). The melody feels more conversational than sung, which differs to the chorus melody. The harmony is still predominantly based around primary chords with the previously mentioned pattern including the dominant 7th when the E is played.

Question 4

Describe chorus 1

Answer 4

10 bars - 6 + 4 bars of shoe bop bop bop. Generally higher melody - going to a high B and feels more sung. Includes a few new chords such as an E major 7th.
Triangle also enters for first 4 bars roughly with a crotchet + 2 quaver rhythm.

Question 5

How is verse 1 different to verse 2?

Answer 5

Very similar but with slightly more prominent percussion and more complex strumming pattern.

Question 6

Chorus 2?

Answer 6

Very very similar, if not same, as chorus 1.

Question 7

How is verse 3 different to the previous differences?

Answer 7

Same until at the end when the word ‘please’ is sung in high head voice, reaching a high E before melismatically doing a short phrase based around the 5th and 6th (dominant and submediant ) of E.

Question 8

Chorus 3?

Answer 8

Same

Question 9

Verse 4?

Answer 9

Very similar to verse 2. No high ‘please’ and with the slightly more complex strumming pattern of verse 2.

Question 10

Chorus 4 + outro?

Answer 10

12 bars (6 bars plus + shoe bop for just 2 bars + four more bars which end on a pause while the vocals sing a tonic E and the word ‘gone’). The song feels quite resolved and could end there, but instead the end parts of the choruses ‘the paved paradise, put up a parking lot’ + shoe bop bop bop is repeated three times. The last time this pattern is sung, Mitchel flexes her range and ascends to a high F#, then down to a very low E - a range of a 16th, followed by a strange laugh and the song ends