“You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.” More than 50 years since Joni Mitchell first sang those words, singer-songwriter Raina Krangle breathes new life into them with her vibrant, acoustic-driven cover of Big Yellow Taxi, out now. Blending her signature Fresh Folk style with a stripped-down authenticity true to Joni’s spirit, Krangle’s version is both a nostalgic nod and a timely refresh—one that captures the urgency of now with the warmth of a shared past.
Backed by longtime music collaborator Brian Siegal and Chris Seldon (guitar/backing vocals), the track was originally recorded decades ago in Toronto—preserved on tape and brought forward into the present with subtle clean-up and deep respect for its original rawness. The simplicity of the arrangement lets Krangle’s voice shine through, drawing comparisons to icons like Stevie Nicks and Sheryl Crow, but always sounding like herself: earthy, luminous, and unmistakably honest.
“There was no folk club at university,” Raina recalls, “so Chris, Brian and I started the Western Guitar Society. We jammed every Friday night and played around campus. I practiced singing daily to Joni’s Clouds album—especially ‘Chelsea Morning.’ That’s how I trained myself to hold notes, shift to falsetto, and find my voice.”
Their acoustic version of Big Yellow Taxi was captured one weekend in Toronto. “If I hadn’t digitized the tape, it might’ve been lost forever,” she adds. “Years later, I listened to it in my old car on the way to perform at the Aurora Music Festival—singing along, grinning—and realized it still had something real and special.” That recording, she says, was “pure, unpolished, and real—just three young musicians capturing the essence of a timeless song.” And though the cassette is long gone and the car it played in has since been replaced, the feeling remains. “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Records, tapes, even CDs—formats change, but the emotion of music is eternal.”
From those early days to today, Krangle has kept Mitchell’s music close. Her classroom even made the Top 10 in CBC Music’s 2019 Big Yellow Taxi challenge, an experience she calls “so thrilling.” But it was the rediscovery of the old university recording—rescued from tape, transferred to CD, and gently restored—that made her realize this version needed to be heard.
And the timing couldn’t be more right. “Now, with Canada-U.S. tariff wars and growing global tensions, two Canadian singer-songwriters—Joni, now in the U.S., and me in Canada—watch history unfold,” Raina reflects. What began as an environmental anthem has become something far broader. “That lyric—‘you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone’—it echoes now in broken alliances, disinformation, and a deep yearning for truth.”
This new release is a continuation of protest music’s legacy and a heartfelt reminder that art and activism can collide in meaningful, beautiful ways. “This project is a statement about unity, kindness and the need to stand against hate,” she says. “This song asks what went wrong.”
As Joni Mitchell’s legacy continues to rise in public consciousness—through tribute albums, documentaries, and sold-out concerts—Krangle’s version taps into something deep and timely. “The message feels even more urgent today,” she says. “And this version of the song, rooted in memory and reimagined for 2025, is my way of honouring that message.”
And now the song has been passed from one generation of Canadian artists to another. It’s memory, melody, and a message that still rings true.
Raina Krangle’s music has earned her finalist status in the Blues and Roots Radio International Song Contest and a nomination for the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award. Her sound—often described as a meeting of Tom Petty and The Eagles with modern folk sensibilities—has graced venues across Canada, including legendary spots like Toronto’s Free Times Café and the El Mocambo and The Rainbow Bistro in Ottawa.
