I too am a 61 yr old manly man, and if this song doesn't choke you up, there's something wrong with you. Amazing storytelling, so relatable, and such tender reminiscing.
Fifty years ago, I was stationed at the Sub base at Groton, CT. A couple of buddies and I rented an apartment in Norwich. A young lady living nextdoor introduced me to a friend of hers. We hit it off right away. She introduced me to so much music. Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver and a guy who had come out with a song called Taxi. Harry Chapin's music blew me away! I love all of his music is great, but Taxi, has to be the best. I listen to it and I'm 50 years younger, sitting a darkened apartment, listening to music with wonderful, young lady. Thanks for the memories Harry Chapin.
I always cry listening to it. I think of the boy I lived in high school, I moved to CA he stayed in PA, but to this day I remember him and a love lost.
I was working a bad factory job at when this song was around. I would sing the song to myself I my head while I waited for the plastic mold to open up… it helped me to keep My Sanity 👍🏼
I remember hearing this for the first time. It was the early 70's andI was in the upper west side on the top floor of a brownstone well past midnight. I had the radio on and one candle lit. Then this song came on. It blew my f-in mind.
This song is me ... driving taxi at night in S. F. in the 70s, and again in S. F. (now) driving Uber almost 50 years later. It never gets old . I only wish that Harry Chapin was still here to enjoy his life also. His songs are timeless. Thank you, Sir. May you rest in peace, love, and comfort forever
You'll be happy to know that the Chapin name carries on. His neices, "The Chapin Sisters" are making critically-acclaimed music. Doing their family legacy proud, while carving out their own sound as well!
You got that right. 😢 I can feel it, and see it. You don't get to 74 without having an experience similar to this song. Just substitute the names. Rest in peace Harry Chapin.
The storyline is as timeless as the haunting melody. None of us makes it through the years unscathed by disappoinment, loss, and the irony of what we once imagined our lives would be.
You are so right about that. I think back on loss, etc. And I guess you could say who doesn't look back with a bit of sadness about certain things? Love listening to all the great music from that period like Harry, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Don Mclean, etc. The list goes on and on.
Yes, until Sequel finally came out though that ending wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. I always want to know what actually happens at the end of the story. Also Roses Are Red is an important one for teachers to know about.
Had the honor of meeting Mister Chapin in 1977 when I was working at a rock station, he came in for an interview. Unfortunately they were very busy times and I just got to shake his hand and say hello. RIP Sir.
I thought that falsetto interlude was a woman for years. The internet live recording from way back revealed the truth. A heavily bearded musician singing at his highest falsetto ranges. And doing a knock up job. Incredible song. My rule is if i can feel I'm almost part of the story, its a great song.
this, The Boxer, Homeward Bound by S&G, then Waterloo Sunset, the Kinks' acoustic version would all be in my top 10 acoustic songs in my life. I am 68. Great visuals and such sad songs the same.
In the hollows of the Appalachians southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee in '71 am radio this came across like a broadcast from another world... still has the same spell in 2024
This is one of those songs that late at night you pour your best bourbon, sit outside by yourself, and get a small smile listening to it...love how it’s so haunting and deep...
The first time I heard this song was soon after it's release. I was working night shift in a factory, my last year of college, like most of the others working there. When this song played over the intercom/radio, the plant slowly came to a stand-still. An entire electronics factory stopped working to hear this song. When it ended everyone seemed to take a deep breath and resume their lives. That was the intensity of these lyrics in 1972. It was the end we all feared.
This song came out when I was 16 and hearing the song can take me back to that time. I am 68 now and magically can take me back to a love lost. Thanks Harry.
A work of art. It reminds me so much of 'Same Old Lang Syne' by the late Dan Fogelberg. The same scenario, two ex-lovers meeting years later, both awkward encounters, both incredibly sad, but yet so different in how they were told. Great poetry.
There was nobody like Harry Chapin before him and most likely will never be another singer like him again. Trying to put a finger on what's so likeable about him and his music is not easy. But, genuine, unquie and engaging definitely come to mind!
Harry died two weeks before I was going to see him in concert at the Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. I still have the concert ticket today. Harry was an outstanding talent.
Just Plain Jimmy I liked the way he despised the control money had over people. He never lived a king although he could have. His songs reflect caring about people, not money.
The Star was a great venue. I saw Whitesnake there in 2015, and I guess they tore it down just recently. Damn shame, they had consistently great bands there
Music transcends human years, it seems. At 30, from a country which was never exposed, influenced, by this type of music, I too had a tear to shead while listening.
It is weird that it doesn't play that often. You know, this was one of the songs that broke down the 21/2 to 31/2 minutes rule in commercial radio. Even Light my Fire had a commercial edit. There was no place in the song to cut.
AMOS, Jeffrey is right on. I was born in 1954... Lost loves still haunt me. Especially a memory anchored by a song. Most recently "Sometimes in Winter" from Blood Sweat and Tears brought back an early heartbreak for me. Bittersweet is a fact of life, now it leaves less sad than wistful.
This is one of the very greatest tunes of the 70s. And I can NAIL it karaoke. I remember as a teen the final words "..takin' tips, and gettin' stoned. I go flyin' so high...when I'm stoned." It was a little rebellious given the times. Loved it then, love it now. Chapin was a MASTER storyteller.
What a classic song by Harry Chapin. Very weird, you hardly hear this song on either the radio or satellite. Two nights ago, I was pulling into my driveway and Taxi came on, I could not get out of my car until the song was over. What chills were running up and down my spine!!!!!! GR8 Tune......R.I.P.
Great song, just don't make them like this anymore. I get chills everytime I her this song. Takes me back to so many memories. Thanx Harry, keep the change....Peace and Love...
Just add your life story, you have mine and we have Harry's life story in common. Somehow everyone has the same story but a little different. My life is not what I thought it would be, but its not bad!!!
That has happened to me too MARK It makes me remember HER ... why can'r we ever shake off those horrible regretful memories ? I can never shut t his song off .. I guess it's how I still punish myself for what I did
49 years ago I was working a Bad Factory job when this song was around. I would sing it to myself in my head while I waited for the plastic mold to open up. It Helped Me to Keep My Sanity…. Thank You Harry ❤️🧠
I don't know why I thought of this song today. But I had to listen. Met Harry & his band backstage at the great southeast music hall in Atlanta, early 70s. Such a nice person, with a big heart. Sad he's no longer here.
One of my favorite songs of all time! I'm 45 now and have a 20 month old son... I have sang this song to him even when he was still in his mommies tummy.. probably the first song he ever knew lol love it!
I sang this for my son when I put him to bed as a child. He called it 'Hard', as in, 'sing "Hard" for me Papa '. I always did. I texted him just now, he's 34 we shared the days events...I had to link this to him, yes I still tear up. RIP Harry
Every time I hear this song . Makes me think of my first love. Even though it’s been 50years, still can remember how he made me feel. A love tucked into my heart forever. ❤️❤️
An amazing musician and even better man. I remember the day he died on the Long Island Expressway about fifteen minutes from my house. Any oxygen I had was immediately sucked out. He was humble beyond belief; a performer the equivalent of Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot.
I listen to this song almost daily for many years now as it is on my playlist. Time after time it brings back memories that on some level those who are willing to admit it were life-changing. I still morn his loss for the compassionate man talented performer that he was. I'm certain that I am amongst thousands that feel the same. RIP HARRY, we miss you as a man musician and one of societies finest.
And life choices in general, here I am in my 50's lost many loved ones because of cheating, can't stand my job, relationship sucks, but I stay positive, I'm the product of my own demise.
I'm a metalhead, but this song is so awesome! I actually heard this as a Lost Classic on WOUR in Utica, NY one afternoon, and I was shocked at how nice this song is. Harry Chapin certainly knew how to tell a story in his songs.
IM CONFUSED ... you like this song .. but ... your a metalhead .... as a metalhead ... have YOU ANY IDEA HOW MANY MORe SONGS ThERE ARE LIKE THIS ... that you passed up for metal "stuff" ////
I think a lot of people have a story like this....that is why this song was such a incredible hit....we could relate.....Harry Chapin had a gift of reminding us of the loneliness of the Human condition......love the guy
He burst upon the scene when I was in high school. Greatest Stories Live was the first album of his I bought while in Grad school. He became one of the first socially active rock musicians. He died in a car accident seven months after John Lennon, with little fan fare. But Harry Chapin's activism to combat world hunger eventfully lead to the Foundation in his name and the Harry Chapin Food banks. Today, they are feeding so many Americans during the Covid Pandemic, and that makes him much more relevant.
In 1978 I hitchhiked to San Francisco, chasing my first love. I got a job driving for Veteran Cab Co. Smoked pot. The whole bit. I lived this song. Perversely, this is my favorite song for karaoke!!! Howard, keep the change! .
Beautiful. "Another man might've been angry, and another man might've been hurt. But another man never would've let her go. I stashed the bill in my shirt." Pure poetry.
GOD REST YOUR SOUL HARRY !!! July 16, 1981. YOUR GREATNESS, KINDNESS, CARING, GIVING HEART, IS STILL A BLESSING TO US ALL !!! We had tickets too your next two night concerts at The Hampton Beach Ballroom. We still LOVE AND MISS YOU !!! YOU WERE THE BEST !!!!
Harry. I hope, after all these years, that you are having one hell of a wonderful journey. Thank you for your wonderful musical gifts. You were a part of my youth.
I recently bought a Midnight Special DVD. This 2014 release has Harry Chapin performing Taxi on August 19, 1972. Since then I have been listening to his music regularly and rediscovering his immense talent. Often Harry's voice has been regarded as nondescript. I say his voice was the doorway to his soul. Fly on... Willie J.
Just the other week met up with my high school love. Im 4 years a widow, hes married, we had our walk down memory lane. Came here to hear this when i got home.
one of the greatest storytellers. I loved him, still do. I saw him in concert in Nashville years ago. he invited all in the audience to join him onstage for Taxi. I stood beside him, all of us singing...what a memory. I have an autographed book of his poems too.
I saw him twice. First time at Capitol Theater in Passaic, N.J., about 1973. Second time was at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC. , around 1977. He was a genius and a philanthropist who moved people through his music. R.I.P., Harry. We love you and miss you. God took you too soon.
Kirk Matheson Remember going to OC,Maryland with friends smoking some kick ads hash. Leaving with a broken heart from my 1st love became my song of life's little paybacks for not making the right choices.But as Harry so ettiquiettly puts it "we both got what we asked for" such is life.Its been great and I really miss that Hash.
Taxi at 6:49 vs. CITC at 3:49. "Editing for time. Radio edits often shorten a long song in order to make it more commercially viable for radio stations. The normal length for songs played on the radio is between 3 to 4 minutes. " Radio edit - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Radio_edi
The falsetto lines in the middle ("Baby's so high that she's skying ... aren't we all?") are just breathtakingly beautiful. I heard this song when I was 13, when it came out, and had never heard it on anything but a car radio. I couldn't tell if voice, or some kind of instrument. For some reason, just now, about 50 years later, it occurred to me to listen to it on headphones. I was amazed at how beautifully it's arranged and produced. But that vocal passage gave me chills. And for a song that's straight-up narrative, those lines are way, way out there.
The falsetto was performed by his brother, Tom Chapin. I was lucky to see Harry in concert before he passed. A true story teller and a wonderful human being.
Just heard this song for the first time thirty minutes ago and had to look it up. I am 26 years old. It is funny how great music transcends time. Perhaps music transcends all things.
As a San Francisco native, when I first heard this song, I could picture Harry pulling the cab into "16 Parkside Lane". Perhaps somewhere in Presidion Heights, I thought. This song is a classic, and introduced an entire generation to a great soul. His death was too tragic, and too soon.
Jeez... 1972, Vietnam, I was 18, in the military and heard this song during a thunderstorm in my barracks. His words were lost on me back then, I was too young and dumb. But it has a universal bittersweet truth. "Harry -- Keep the change..." As the song faded out every guy there just sat silent.
@@instantkarma1511 Then for him to die in a freeway collision in 1981 was just pure hell. His wife won a settlement against the trucking company, oh well. He was one of the few people back then who was trying to make the world a better place, read his bio on Wikipedia.
And she walked away in silence, it's strange how you never know. But we'd both gotten what we asked for, such a long....long time ago. Some days I feel like every man who's ever felt that way. RIP Harry, you were truly one of a kind.
I saw Harry in concert 3 times with a good friend, when we heard that Harry had died we were together and we were just stunned into silence. We still talk about the concerts and how great he was
![Taxi/Sequel - Harry Chapin [Complete Extended Remix Audio]](/img/1.gif)
When an artist can make you feel the way he feels ,
Is greatness. Harry nailed it!
Harry Chapin is one of those people you don't hear about, but should.
I too am a 61 yr old manly man, and if this song doesn't choke you up, there's something wrong with you. Amazing storytelling, so relatable, and such tender reminiscing.
I love this song😢😊
Sex
“Too many miles and too little smiles”
I think we can all relate to this line.
My favorite lyric of any song.
My name is Harry and I drove a taxi in the Hamptons where friends Nick named me Harry keep the change . This song means a lot to me
Legend!!! That's a great one..my da was a taxi driver too I'd loved this song that's how I know it..great song..hope you keeping well harry
Fifty years ago, I was stationed at the Sub base at Groton, CT. A couple of buddies and I rented an apartment in Norwich. A young lady living nextdoor introduced me to a friend of hers. We hit it off right away. She introduced me to so much music. Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver and a guy who had come out with a song called Taxi. Harry Chapin's music blew me away! I love all of his music is great, but Taxi, has to be the best. I listen to it and I'm 50 years younger, sitting a darkened apartment, listening to music with wonderful, young lady. Thanks for the memories Harry Chapin.
Absolutley timeless. The 70's were the best decade for music.
Yes It Is ❤️
the 70's were the best time for everything
Absolutely
Some bad times in 70s as well. Good times and some very bad times. Roy b, CapeTown south africa 🇿🇦
Thank you Debbie downer😢
I'm 68 I'm tearing up now listening to the song
I always cry listening to it. I think of the boy I lived in high school, I moved to CA he stayed in PA, but to this day I remember him and a love lost.
I'm 58, and Harry still brings tears to my eyes.
Its been 42 years today since we lost Harry. RIP to a great artist
Hard to believe it has been 50 years since this came out. One of my favourites back then and still is.
A timeless classic. ❤️🎶🎻
I was working a bad factory job at when this song was around. I would sing the song to myself I my head while I waited for the plastic mold to open up… it helped me to keep My Sanity 👍🏼
I remember hearing this for the first time. It was the early 70's andI was in the upper west side on the top floor of a brownstone well past midnight. I had the radio on and one candle lit. Then this song came on. It blew my f-in mind.
@@jamesgannon6192 You share a name with a late, great actor. RIP to both Harry and James.
He was a Genius.
This song is me ... driving taxi at night in S. F. in the 70s, and again in S. F. (now) driving Uber almost 50 years later. It never gets old . I only wish that Harry Chapin was still here to enjoy his life also. His songs are timeless. Thank you, Sir. May you rest in peace, love, and comfort forever
You'll be happy to know that the Chapin name carries on. His neices, "The Chapin Sisters" are making critically-acclaimed music. Doing their family legacy proud, while carving out their own sound as well!
@@jayanxiety If they're critically acclaimed then they must be doing better with the critics than their uncle did.
I love ❤️this Song Especially while driving on A Rainy day or Any Day❤Rip mr Chapin.
Reminds me of better times. My very young years were good. Kind of a Cat Stevens type song pulls at your heart strings.
ty for the post, and for driving us all in the rain.
70.. Found old tapes that played. Wow I'm crying, hugs you guys❤
Hugs right back!
This is art! This is music. This is a great talented story teller sharing his life and feelings through his work. I love it. Thank you Harry Chapin.
Very Unique Awesome
@@doreenpower😅😊😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😅😅😅😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
One of the best songs of the seventies
"Whatever we had once was gone" Man, that cuts like a knife.
Not really it's our memories that make us wealthy soul
You got that right. 😢 I can feel it, and see it. You don't get to 74 without having an experience similar to this song. Just substitute the names. Rest in peace Harry Chapin.
Sure does - fabulous song sadly he died too young
Amen!
Absolutely
My little brother is gone now but he loved this song and could sing every word
Sorry for your loss.😢
God bless 🙏
IM 64 YRS OLD LISTENED TO LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SONGS.TAXI IS IN MY TOP FIVE! RIP HARRY
The storyline is as timeless as the haunting melody. None of us makes it through the years unscathed by disappoinment, loss, and the irony of what we once imagined our lives would be.
Well put
@@hpflax9488 Thanks.
it happen to me when I was 20 years old
Well said 😊
You are so right about that. I think back on loss, etc. And I guess you could say who doesn't look back with a bit of sadness about certain things? Love listening to all the great music from that period like Harry, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Don Mclean, etc. The list goes on and on.
"But another man never would have let her go." Chokes me up every time.
@@sourisvoleur4854 "I stuffed the bill in my shirt.."
I stashed the bill in my shirt. No sadder line ever.
I am now 76 and have loved this song since it was first released...He was a great story teller. The BEST..🙏
Same age. Any other good songs by him?
Exactly my old friend
He sure could tell a story, could he? Amazing songwriter. He may have left this planet too soon but his music lives eternally
1972: masterpiece
2023: masterpiece
Timeless
Even at 10yrs old. I understood the depth of this song. Harry is a legend.
Quite possibly Harry's best song. Hard not to be drawn into this wonderful narrative. Music like this never really ages.
I was just thinking that it’s his best song.
Tough one between Taxi and Cats in the Craddle.
Yes, until Sequel finally came out though that ending wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. I always want to know what actually happens at the end of the story. Also Roses Are Red is an important one for teachers to know about.
@@HUBABUBA-il8fnso hard to pick one
@@HUBABUBA-il8fn Yes, for me too.
Had the honor of meeting Mister Chapin in 1977 when I was working at a rock station, he came in for an interview. Unfortunately they were very busy times and I just got to shake his hand and say hello. RIP Sir.
Did you happen to work at WOLDDDDD! Playing all the hits for you, wherever you may be?
I thought that falsetto interlude was a woman for years. The internet live recording from way back revealed the truth. A heavily bearded musician singing at his highest falsetto ranges. And doing a knock up job. Incredible song. My rule is if i can feel I'm almost part of the story, its a great song.
Big john wallace
One of the coolest songs ever. Tells such a sad song. Makes me cry almost every time I hear it.
This man is missed!
Me too!
Me to
this, The Boxer, Homeward Bound by S&G, then Waterloo Sunset, the Kinks' acoustic version would all be in my top 10 acoustic songs in my life. I am 68. Great visuals and such sad songs the same.
Gone too soon what a talent. A special musician and songwriter from another era.... we will never see the likes of him again. He will be forever Young
You just don’t hear quality music like this anymore
Oh Harry, how you are still thought of and missed. Your music lives on. 😢
In the hollows of the Appalachians southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee in '71 am radio this came across like a broadcast from another world... still has the same spell in 2024
This is one of those songs that late at night you pour your best bourbon, sit outside by yourself, and get a small smile listening to it...love how it’s so haunting and deep...
I agree with everything everyone has said below.
Yes you are so right. But damn if I know what to do with all the things it brought back....do you ?
Cheers
Everything is right, except that I'm not smilling
The viola haunts
The first time I heard this song was soon after it's release. I was working night shift in a factory, my last year of college, like most of the others working there. When this song played over the intercom/radio, the plant slowly came to a stand-still. An entire electronics factory stopped working to hear this song. When it ended everyone seemed to take a deep breath and resume their lives. That was the intensity of these lyrics in 1972. It was the end we all feared.
Here's hoping it worked out OK for you, Leon.
I hear you. And him.
I was a senior in high school when this song was released in March, 1972 and yes, it was a tune that you stopped what you're doing and listened.
I hear yee
Harry soon met his fate....mines right around the corner.
Yes I’m 68 old woman. Been searching for this song 🎧 for ages. Takes me back. ❤thank you ❤
69 year old man here, and same.
Same here, 69.@@pimpompoom93726
This song came out when I was 16 and hearing the song can take me back to that time. I am 68 now and magically can take me back to a love lost. Thanks Harry.
A work of art. It reminds me so much of 'Same Old Lang Syne' by the late Dan Fogelberg. The same scenario, two ex-lovers meeting years later, both awkward encounters, both incredibly sad, but yet so different in how they were told. Great poetry.
I thought the same thing
I was in grade 9, this song came on the radio and really "grabbed" me.... In my mid 60's now, still 'grabs' me..... The power of music.....
Got stationed in California mid 70s in the Navy. Drove all over California with Harry Chapin in the cassette player as many miles passed under my car
So blessed I was growing up in the Early 70's.
Oh yeah….best era for music!
Hard not to brush away a tear when listening to this song.
yup .... it never goes away , does it
We all had a similar memory like this song I brushed many tears away when I hear this song
Old flames never die
@@fhowland i still can remember a pretty girl I knew when I was 16....
There was nobody like Harry Chapin before him and most likely will never be another singer like him again. Trying to put a finger on what's so likeable about him and his music is not easy. But, genuine, unquie and engaging definitely come to mind!
I guess Harry Nilsson is similar, both were great.
It's my turn
Mofos gonna get some
Harry died two weeks before I was going to see him in concert at the Holiday Star Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana. I still have the concert ticket today. Harry was an outstanding talent.
The Holiday Star had great acts to perform
I like him. Grew up with his music.
The Star isn't even there anymore. Such a loss.
Just Plain Jimmy I liked the way he despised the control money had over people. He never lived a king although he could have. His songs reflect caring about people, not money.
The Star was a great venue. I saw Whitesnake there in 2015, and I guess they tore it down just recently. Damn shame, they had consistently great bands there
I'm a 61 year old manly man and this song makes me tear up to this day.
At 65, it is one of my go to oldies. To makes me feel melancholy, drink a beer, and go to bed.
Music transcends human years, it seems. At 30, from a country which was never exposed, influenced, by this type of music, I too had a tear to shead while listening.
It is weird that it doesn't play that often.
You know, this was one of the songs that broke down the 21/2 to 31/2 minutes rule in commercial radio. Even Light my Fire had a commercial edit. There was no place in the song to cut.
AMOS, Jeffrey is right on. I was born in 1954... Lost loves still haunt me. Especially a memory anchored by a song. Most recently "Sometimes in Winter" from Blood Sweat and Tears brought back an early heartbreak for me. Bittersweet is a fact of life, now it leaves less sad than wistful.
This is one of the very greatest tunes of the 70s. And I can NAIL it karaoke. I remember as a teen the final words "..takin' tips, and gettin' stoned. I go flyin' so high...when I'm stoned." It was a little rebellious given the times. Loved it then, love it now. Chapin was a MASTER storyteller.
What a classic song by Harry Chapin. Very weird, you hardly hear this song on either the radio or satellite. Two nights ago, I was pulling into my driveway and Taxi came on, I could not get out of my car until the song was over. What chills were running up and down my spine!!!!!! GR8 Tune......R.I.P.
Great song, just don't make them like this anymore. I get chills everytime I her this song. Takes me back to so many memories. Thanx Harry, keep the change....Peace and Love...
Just add your life story, you have mine and we have Harry's life story in common. Somehow everyone has the same story but a little different. My life is not what I thought it would be, but its not bad!!!
That has happened to me too MARK
It makes me remember HER ... why can'r we ever shake off those horrible regretful memories ? I can never shut t his song off .. I guess it's how I still punish myself for what I did
It got a lot of radio play in 1972. What a great year for radio.
@@eddriver7815 need to forgive yourself, let go and move on
Most evocative song I've ever heard. Masterpiece.
49 years ago I was working a Bad Factory job when this song was around. I would sing it to myself in my head while I waited for the plastic mold to open up. It Helped Me to Keep My Sanity…. Thank You Harry ❤️🧠
Discarded illusions and loss of innocence. This song meant a lot to me, as a teenager, back in the 70s, now it is even more haunting and prescient.
Somhow I've gotten what i asked for. As they say," be careful what you ask for " rings true
Please tell me what you meant with your words, please?
Yes! Agreed! "I've got something inside me. Not what my life's about!"
In TC
I remember seeing him in 1976, Grand Valley University in Allendale, Michigan ! Timeless ...
If you just sit and listen to these songs will take you back in your youth of the 50s and 60s
One of my favorite songs by Harry Chapin. First time I heard this song I cried my eyes out. What a beautiful song.
"I go flying so high when I'm stoned." I don't even take drugs, but I love that line.
That line is probably why we don’t hear this on the radio.
I am 71 years old and still love his songs. I went to his concert once and he stepped on my foot.
I don't know why I thought of this song today. But I had to listen. Met Harry & his band backstage at the great southeast music hall in Atlanta, early 70s. Such a nice person, with a big heart. Sad he's no longer here.
. . . Well there’s mud in your eye! 😆
A blessing
Whatever we had once was gone…. Sad but true for all of us
Lucky bastard!!!
Love this song, Chapin's sound, and the melancholy truth of the lyrics. Life goes fast.
One of my favorite songs of all time! I'm 45 now and have a 20 month old son... I have sang this song to him even when he was still in his mommies tummy.. probably the first song he ever knew lol love it!
I sang this for my son when I put him to bed as a child. He called it 'Hard', as in, 'sing "Hard" for me Papa '. I always did. I texted him just now, he's 34 we shared the days events...I had to link this to him, yes I still tear up.
RIP Harry
What a Beautiful Memory ❤️
Xs 2❤️❤️
Every time I hear this song . Makes me think of my first love. Even though it’s been 50years, still can remember how he made me feel. A love tucked into my heart forever. ❤️❤️
Then maybe you'll see him on the Other Side.
how beautiful
that ... just gave goose bumps //// first REAL LOVE ....tucked away in my heart forever
I know how it is...
Really, I remember being date raped in a white van by Ron Hugo. Cheers!
An amazing musician and even better man. I remember the day he died on the Long Island Expressway about fifteen minutes from my house. Any oxygen I had was immediately sucked out. He was humble beyond belief; a performer the equivalent of Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot.
So you so get it. So glad someone else does
Thank you for getting it Mark
I listen to this song almost daily for many years now as it is on my playlist. Time after time it brings back memories that on some level those who are willing to admit it were life-changing. I still morn his loss for the compassionate man talented performer that he was. I'm certain that I am amongst thousands that feel the same. RIP HARRY, we miss you as a man musician and one of societies finest.
sir i only rate certain musicians and this chaps one of them one of the greatest in my opinion
Sequal to Taxi
This is a song that really gets deep into your soul
It's been in mine since I was 14 years old
@@miketocci 17 here...:/ :o)
Love the arrangement, the message, the delivery. And the evocative background sounds.
All the mistakes you make in relationships come back to you when listening to this. Priceless memories....
I never made the mistake again ... she taught me a lesson that ironically she never benefitted from ... that's a shame !
And man have I made mine. I lost the love of my life. Not once, not twice but three times from being a total fuck up.
Not me, I fly so high when I'm stoned.
And life choices in general, here I am in my 50's lost many loved ones because of cheating, can't stand my job, relationship sucks, but I stay positive, I'm the product of my own demise.
Yes
one of his best what a story teller he was this song is so awesome what a great man RIP Harry you left us way too early
What a crying shame that such a talented man was taken from us far, far too early in his career. God rest you, Harry, and thanks for all the memories.
This song is a masterpiece!
His best song by far. This is a classic no doubt in my mind. They will be listening to this 100 years from now.
Sequel is good too, where it takes the characters years later.
I'm a metalhead, but this song is so awesome! I actually heard this as a Lost Classic on WOUR in Utica, NY one afternoon, and I was shocked at how nice this song is. Harry Chapin certainly knew how to tell a story in his songs.
IM CONFUSED ... you like this song .. but ... your a metalhead .... as a metalhead ... have YOU ANY IDEA HOW MANY MORe SONGS ThERE ARE LIKE THIS ... that you passed up for metal "stuff" ////
Same here!
Ah the early seventies when music could still be good.
Before Fly Robin Fly was considered a song
@@patgalvez4563 All 6 words
It only has meaning to people who lived in that time.
We lost a great storyteller and a great human being when Harry died. Like the Billy Joel song - Only the good die young.
I’m 60 years old! And I can still remember where I was wen harry died, 42 years ago!!
thank you for the memory , had to play it over and over . great music is the cure .
I think a lot of people have a story like this....that is why this song was such a incredible hit....we could relate.....Harry Chapin had a gift of reminding us of the loneliness of the Human condition......love the guy
He burst upon the scene when I was in high school. Greatest Stories Live was the first album of his I bought while in Grad school. He became one of the first socially active rock musicians. He died in a car accident seven months after John Lennon, with little fan fare. But Harry Chapin's activism to combat world hunger eventfully lead to the Foundation in his name and the Harry Chapin Food banks. Today, they are feeding so many Americans during the Covid Pandemic, and that makes him much more relevant.
I waited on him once and I managed not to make a comment about "keeping the change", which was pretty good for my younger self.
In 1978 I hitchhiked to San Francisco, chasing my first love. I got a job driving for Veteran Cab Co. Smoked pot. The whole bit. I lived this song.
Perversely, this is my favorite song for karaoke!!!
Howard, keep the change!
.
Beautiful. "Another man might've been angry, and another man might've been hurt. But another man never would've let her go. I stashed the bill in my shirt." Pure poetry.
I agree. True poetic genius. Thanks
The kind of MAN we don't find to often today, 'ey Cindy?
Amen
I heard his wife wrote this song.
You see she was gonna be an actress, I was gonna learn to fly......
It's worth being older now, to have been young then.
One of the best ever written. Brings back many memories and tugs at the heart. Thanks Harry RIP
agree mine too
GOD REST YOUR SOUL HARRY !!! July 16, 1981. YOUR GREATNESS, KINDNESS, CARING, GIVING HEART, IS STILL A BLESSING TO US ALL !!! We had tickets too your next two night concerts at The Hampton Beach Ballroom. We still LOVE AND MISS YOU !!! YOU WERE THE BEST !!!!
A musicians. Musician
40 years this week. I miss him dearly and I never even met the man.
The lyrics, the music. Perfect song.
what a song one of my favorites
Harry. I hope, after all these years, that you are having one hell of a wonderful journey. Thank you for your wonderful musical gifts. You were a part of my youth.
Because our hearts are moved when we feel something that can be a real experience we can all hide a broken heart many have .
I recently bought a Midnight Special DVD. This 2014 release has Harry Chapin performing Taxi on August 19, 1972. Since then I have been listening to his music regularly and rediscovering his immense talent. Often Harry's voice has been regarded as nondescript. I say his voice was the doorway to his soul. Fly on... Willie J.
just maybe the greatest song ever written and based on a true story. holy shit this is great stuff.
I’ve heard this song countless times in the 70’s. I did not realize it was 6:44 long. That story Harry tells moves along so smoothly.
Best gift anyone has ever given me...a collection of Harry Chapin songs
To this day I still love the song
Just the other week met up with my high school love. Im 4 years a widow, hes married, we had our walk down memory lane. Came here to hear this when i got home.
one of the greatest storytellers. I loved him, still do. I saw him in concert in Nashville years ago. he invited all in the audience to join him onstage for Taxi. I stood beside him, all of us singing...what a memory. I have an autographed book of his poems too.
Donna Frost . I took my 65 year old mom to see him. He had a press conference after and we got to stand in the front. My mom loved it
A lucky girl!
I envy you
Donna Frost he came yo my high school
Very cool!
What a guy! This song is still echoing in my mind after watching him sing it in person back in 1978! RIP Harry!
I saw him twice. First time at Capitol Theater in Passaic, N.J., about 1973. Second time was at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC. , around 1977. He was a genius and a philanthropist who moved people through his music. R.I.P., Harry. We love you and miss you. God took you too soon.
Brings back memories. I knew this composition would be timeless!
Great memories from my teen years. My favorite from Harry Chapin.
Kirk Matheson this is my moms fav song. thanks I'll let her listen.
You must have listened to FM back then. This was too long for AM stations.
Kirk Matheson Remember going to OC,Maryland with friends smoking some kick ads hash. Leaving with a broken heart from my 1st love became my song of life's little paybacks for not making the right choices.But as Harry so ettiquiettly puts it "we both got what we asked for" such is life.Its been great and I really miss that Hash.
I just love songs that are like stories, none better than Harry
That just amped up the memory, I live in TX but I'm from Essex, MD Loved the drive and everything about OC. That hash wasn't blond was it ?
This was the story of my first true love and it’s been 50 years. It still takes me back to the intensity our first love invokes.
I am 62 years old just turned 62 in. I am also a manly man and I tear up also want to hear this song.
He had a great voice, loved his music. Some of the best music ever was produced in the early 70s.
It's a shame that all the radio stations over-play Cat's in the Cradle and basically ignore this song. His best.
Taxi at 6:49 vs. CITC at 3:49. "Editing for time. Radio edits often shorten a long song in order to make it more commercially viable for radio stations. The normal length for songs played on the radio is between 3 to 4 minutes.
"
Radio edit - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Radio_edi
Back in 70 or 71 they did play it quite a bit, but not as much as Cats In The Cradle. It was my favorite of his, also.
@@wrwallpi I think on the DJ copy, the song is edited. But the full version is on the stock copy.
"Laugh Man" is another great song him.
yesssssssssssssss
The falsetto lines in the middle ("Baby's so high that she's skying ... aren't we all?") are just breathtakingly beautiful. I heard this song when I was 13, when it came out, and had never heard it on anything but a car radio. I couldn't tell if voice, or some kind of instrument. For some reason, just now, about 50 years later, it occurred to me to listen to it on headphones.
I was amazed at how beautifully it's arranged and produced. But that vocal passage gave me chills. And for a song that's straight-up narrative, those lines are way, way out there.
The falsetto was performed by his brother, Tom Chapin. I was lucky to see Harry in concert before he passed. A true story teller and a wonderful human being.
Just heard this song for the first time thirty minutes ago and had to look it up. I am 26 years old. It is funny how great music transcends time. Perhaps music transcends all things.
As a San Francisco native, when I first heard this song, I could picture Harry pulling the cab into "16 Parkside Lane". Perhaps somewhere in Presidion Heights, I thought. This song is a classic, and introduced an entire generation to a great soul. His death was too tragic, and too soon.
I have to say Brian, I have listened to this song countless times and never could decipher what the lady was saying in this song.
@@boblynch7348 that's his brother tom. A very good singer
A taxi ride and a love of long ago - this song brings that pain and heart ache back every time but it also brings a smile.
@betty busch so true, Betty, so true!
Jeez... 1972, Vietnam, I was 18, in the military and heard this song during a thunderstorm in my barracks. His words were lost on me back then, I was too young and dumb. But it has a universal bittersweet truth. "Harry -- Keep the change..." As the song faded out every guy there just sat silent.
It's very sad. Thank you for your service!!
@@instantkarma1511 Then for him to die in a freeway collision in 1981 was just pure hell. His wife won a settlement against the trucking company, oh well. He was one of the few people back then who was trying to make the world a better place, read his bio on Wikipedia.
Copper...yes..it has that effect......thank you for your service.....former Marine here '75-'79
@@rickflood8360 Semper fi, Dude.
@@copperman752 thanks...back at ya
70's Absolutely Best Era Ever!
And she walked away in silence, it's strange how you never know. But we'd both gotten what we asked for, such a long....long time ago. Some days I feel like every man who's ever felt that way. RIP Harry, you were truly one of a kind.
You got that right Jeff.. I'm one the most blessed person you know.i hung with Grcce before she passed After almost 20 years.You go Harry😀😀😀
Friends and I were to see him live, Hampton Beach NH... There was a note on the door, Mr Chapin passed in bad car crash !!! No one spoke for hours !!!
This song makes you remember your first love(crush) and how it will always be special to you. You will always remember that person that made you FEEL.
I saw Harry in concert 3 times with a good friend, when we heard that Harry had died we were together and we were just stunned into silence. We still talk about the concerts and how great he was
I cry every time I hear this song - the line that chokes me up is " its strange how you never know" wow powerful