Mother Earth
A Reason To Smile
Happy Earth Day!
Wednesday was the 56th annual celebration of Mother Earth. More than one billion people worldwide participated in community cleanups, workshops, tree plantings, marches, and voter registration drives.
Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin following an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969. The first official Earth Day, a year later, led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and a flurry of groundbreaking laws.
Joni Mitchell’s 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi” became a seminal anthem for the burgeoning environmental movement and remains so to this day.
The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song was awarded to Mitchell in 2023. At a concert in her honor, some of music’s biggest names, including Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Brandi Carlisle, and Angélique Kidjo, gathered to perform the famous folk-pop song.
The song’s genius lies in the juxtaposition of the jaunty rhythm and joyful melody with the serious subject matter.
Mitchell wrote the song after her first trip to Hawaii in 1970. “I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart,” she said.
The song’s popularity, and its connection to environmental awareness, is as strong as ever. According to Mitchell’s website, the song has been officially covered 456 times, keeping its message of ecological preservation alive, something sorely needed today.
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Stay Steady,
Dan
Thanks Dan. Great song.
Absolutely right…… “ you don’t know what you got til it’s gone”.
We have one earth, so let’s take care of it.
We have one moon, as I wrote in my substacks the last couple of weeks, so when we get there again, let’s treasure that too.
Oh, my goodness, Dan. What incredible timing to select this all time favorite and have it air the day after the shooting at the event in Washington. When Joni Mitchell wrote this great song, we as a country were just waking up to our obligation to save and nurture our Mother Earth. We have made some small attempts at progress but still have so much work to do. And none of these great goals will ever be achieved if we continue to resolve our difficulties with guns. The music is healing and a reminder that as much progress as we have made, the road ahead is still a mine field to be navigated and cleaned up! Each of us has a role to play. Let's live by example.