The 5 Best Joni Mitchell Songs That Aren't Big Yellow Taxi

"Big Yellow Taxi" is one of folk rock's premier classic songs. It's a tune from 1970 that nails the meaning of life, and it's one of the best compositions from Joni Mitchell — but she has plenty more stellar tracks in her body of work. While the environmental protest tune was one of her biggest hits, peaking at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, we're going to cover some of her highest U.S. chart hits as well as some deeper cuts, all from her career's pinnacle in one of the most defining decades of rock 'n' roll music. The folk and folk rock singer and songwriter released a plethora of excellent work over her career, particularly during the 1970s, blending a number of styles that surface in unique ways in each of the five songs of this list.

Whether Joni Mitchell was expressing love, homesickness, joy, melancholy, or any other emotion, her unique songwriting and vocal style brought her tracks to life in a way that was completely her. She was just as adept at pop hits as slower folk songs, and we'll feature both in this list. All of these tunes represent the very best that Joni Mitchell could do in her career, besides "Big Yellow Taxi."

"Help Me" was the most successful commercial track of Joni Mitchell's career, thanks to a unique deployment of jazz keys and melodies that fleshed out the lovestruck song. The folk rock smash was released in 1974 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the early summer — the only Top 10 hit Mitchell ever had. It's also the second track on "Court and Spark," released the same year.

The song is a hopeful but skeptical story of the truth of the love in a budding relationship, where Mitchell can't help but feel her emotions strongly even as she sees the possible failure: "Help me, I think I'm falling in love too fast / It's got me hoping for the future and worrying about the past / 'Cause I've seen some hot hot blazes / Come down to smoke and ash." It's extremely catchy and lyrically strong, carried by a lovely chorus that is one of Mitchell's most satisfying musical compositions. "Help Me" is one of the most underrated soft rock songs of the '70s, and there's no doubt it's among the pinnacle of her discography.

This list would be incomplete without Joni Mitchell's other most iconic song, "California," at least in terms of longevity — it has now been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify alone. The track was released in 1971 and featured on the now classic album "Blue," one of the defining records of the early '70s and one of the finest singer-songwriter records ever recorded. It begins with its trademark melody played by Mitchell on the Appalachian dulcimer, a unique instrument to be featured so prominently, but it undoubtedly brings the whole song together.

"California" is a homesick letter to its titular homeland, set with narration from abroad in Paris, Greece, and Spain, which contrasts with the sense of belonging the singer feels in her acquired American home (though she's really from Canada). The song is simultaneously heartfelt and tongue-in-cheek, with an incredibly memorable and catchy chorus that sticks in our heads for days on end: "Oh, but California / California, I'm coming home / I'm going to see the folks I dig / I'll even kiss a Sunset pig / California, I'm coming home." It's hard to find such a unique-sounding song — thanks to the folk legend's all-over-the-place vocals — that is still near universally beloved, but "California" is far and away one of the best tunes of its era and certainly one of the best of Joni Mitchell's.

This upbeat tune is one of Joni Mitchell's best pop songs, fittingly radio-friendly to match its name. "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" was released in late 1972 and found its way into the Top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1973. It was also included as the ninth track on the 1972 album "For the Roses." Its sound is undoubtedly folk rock, headlined by a gentle acoustic guitar and a recurring harmonica riff.

It's a simple love song, but her unique lyrical style, this time with a more pop intention, makes "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio" memorable. It's also vocally excellent, with harmonic swells in its chorus that we can sing all day long: "Oh honey, you turn me on, I'm a radio / I'm a country station, I'm a little bit corny / I'm a wildwood flower waving for you / I'm a broadcasting tower waving for you." At a quick two and a half minutes, the tune doesn't overstay its welcome, and its mastery of its quick and simple form separates it, remaining today as clearly one of the best tracks in Joni Mitchell's catalog.

"People's Parties," at only a little over two minutes, wasn't one of the two standout hits from "Court and Spark" in 1974, those being the aforementioned "Help Me" and the Billboard Top 25 hit "Free Man in Paris" (which very nearly made this list). With that said, it's absolutely one of Joni Mitchell's best works. "People's Parties" is the fourth track on this stellar record, and it separates itself enough to make this list with its uniquely detailed subject matter as well as, of course, its infectious tune.

Though "People's Parties" is without a chorus, instead having a series of narrative verses, its driving vocal melody stitches the meandering tune together satisfyingly. The detail of the song follows the brief vignettes of the people around this scene, and its message comes clear toward the end of the song: "I'm just living on nerves and feelings with a weak and a lazy mind / And coming to people's parties, fumblin', deaf, dumb, and blind / I wish I had more sense of humor, keeping the sadness at bay / Throwing the lightness on these things." "People's Parties" is a fascinating portrait of the West Coast art scene of its time, and Joni Mitchell's unique writing and vocal style brings it beautifully to life.

Though "Both Sides, Now" wasn't a major hit for Joni Mitchell, it's become extremely recognizable thanks to the likes of Judy Collins and more. Mitchell wrote this song at only 23 years old, and it has since become one of the most covered songs in the history of folk rock music. As the closing track on her 1969 album "Clouds," "Both Sides, Now" is an extremely mature meditation on life for such a young songwriter. It's a slow, acoustic tune, with almost no fluff, and this makes it all the more striking as one of Mitchell's very best compositions.

The melancholy meditation on love and more grows as it continues, with its first chorus taking a broader, metaphorical look at life: "I've looked at clouds from both sides now / From up and down, and still somehow / It's cloud illusions I recall / I really don't know clouds at all." The word "clouds" is replaced with "love" the second time around and "life" the final time, which makes the weight of the song land perfectly. It's a contemplative note to complete this collection of Joni Mitchell's five best tracks, showcasing the power of her songwriting that balances with her keen ear and unique style.