The end of Big Yellow Taxi - Yay or Nay?

You know something, the end of Big Yellow Taxi has always bugged me. Was listening to the song earlier and it’s a wonderful, amazing song and performance right until the end where she does that weird bit of low singing and laughs.

anyone else thinks this almost ruins the entire song or are you ok with it?

 

I find it endearing and silly, in keeping with the song.

 

Fair dos! I can see what you mean

 

It doesn’t sound planned. Almost like something you’d do if it was supposed to have faded out earlier.

I’ve always found it charming.

 

Yeah, I like it.

 

If it wasn't there anymore, I'd miss it.

 

I f** kin hate it!!! grotesque... it’s like that horrible “scat” at the end of “Woodstock” where she goes all out of key an s**t, just awful...quality control issues. bad for music in general

 

Haha! So I’m not alone!

 

It's Joni, that's who she is.

 

Not quality control issues, since it's intentional. It's just put in for people who aren't so uptight

 

Doesn't bother me in the least.

What I truly cannot stand is Janet Jackson's oh-so-very-fake 'extemporaneous' comment at the end of the otherwise excellent pop hit "Escapade": "Ooh, didn't quite hit the note, that wasn't such a good time."

Absolutely ruins the song for me. So I edited it out.

 

I don't like the 'deep voice' but I love the laugh so I guess I'm on the fence.

 

YOU'RE ACTING LIKE TOURISTS MAN!

 

I'm just the opposite lol

 

It used to bug me. Now I couldn’t abide it without.

 

Sounds pretty cool here.

 

Love it

 

At first I didn’t like it at all, then it grew on me and I was okay with it, but now it’s just...lost its charm. Much like Lennon’s commentary after “Get Back” about passing the audition it’s just not funny after a while.

 

No problem here...

 

I've always enjoyed "human" spontaneous moments in the studio, bits of chatter etc. years before I got to listen to bootlegs full of outtakes, jams, banter by various bands. It's always made me feel closer, as if I had been in the studio.

For instance, I've always loved "Peter Gunn/Catastrophe" and "Three Little Bears" on Jimi Hendrix' "War Heroes"...two tracks that have been almost universally despised, including by the estate ("Peter Gunn" was only reissued in 2010 on disc 4 of a box set, somewhere in a dark corner). Now I understand there were better outtakes to be used before these two made the cut on "War Heroes", but the truth is...I couldn't imagine "War Heroes" without them

Back to "Big Yellow Taxi"...it's one of these adlibbed moments like that. It was a good take, she did that thing at the end - and they kept it. Good transition into "Woodstock" also, on the album.

 

I’m a naysayer. It doesn’t sound ad-libbed at all, to my ears — more like she ad-libbed it at some point and then made the once-spontaneous moment a rote part of the performance. The high-low singing is fine... it’s the forced-sounding laugh that puts me off.

 

Never liked it.

 

I always loved the ending.... and even when I play the song on my guitar, i can't help but mimic it

 

It's an impressive demonstration of her vocal range. It's not any sillier than the verse about putting the trees in a tree museum and charging the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em.

 

Makes no difference to me one way or another. Need an "indifferent" choice in the poll.