Rockin’ Thursday LXV

Today is World Environment Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging action for the protection of the environment. World Environment Day was established in 1972 by the United Nations at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (June 5–16, 1972), which emerged from discussions about the relationship between human activity and the environment. One year later, in 1973, the first World Environment Day was held with the theme “Only One Earth.”1

I thought it would be great to include a song about the environment, and I found one that expresses concern for it.

“Big Yellow Taxi” is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970. I came across a wonderful version performed by Counting Crows, an American rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area, which I really enjoy.

Here is part of the lyrics that touch on environmental concerns:

"Hey, farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please!

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone?
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Hey, now, they paved paradise to put up a parking lot"

I hope you enjoy the video, and have a wonderful, Rockin’ Thursday! 

Let’s save the planet, my friends.

Counting Crows – Big Yellow Taxi ft. Vanessa Carlton

You can access the lyrics here.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Environment_Day#History ↩︎

39 thoughts on “Rockin’ Thursday LXV”

  8. Great song, often quoted, “tear down paradise, put up a parking lot.” A block away from us was a small park that the citizens of the neighborhood had donated to the city. It is gone and an eight storey mixed use building is there instead.

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    1. That’s sad. When we were in Texas, I was talking to Liza about the number of houses and buildings in Laredo and the lack of green spaces. There’s concrete everywhere, so no wonder it’s so hot down there. I was so glad to get back home and see green again.

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        1. I think we were talking not too long ago about Colombia creating green corridors in one of its cities and how that’s helping reduce temperatures there. That’s a great initiative that other cities should adopt as much as possible.

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  14. Of course I know the Joni version very well, Edward – and yes, it has a place on a couple of my play lists. I’m very familiar with “Earth Day” in April, but had never heard of World Environment Day, so thanks for the info in your post!

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