Right after the D23 Expo, Disney announced that the space for Cars Land would come from removing Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island from the Magic Kingdom. There was a large reaction to this announcement – described well by this YT channel. Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi seemed a good place to go for a protest song. I gave ChatGPT 4.o the following prompt:
create lyrics based on joni mitchell’s “big yellow taxi” about disney’s plan to replace rivers of america with cars land. Use “they paved over rivers and put up a parking lot” for the refrain. Make at least 40 lines of lyrics. Create lyrics that make it obvious you’re following mitchell’s song – your lyrics should follow the meter of her original melody. Make the case that it’s unwise to do this project – ridicule the executives promoting this project.
Here’s what the AI created; I was astonished by the quality. “The river’s lost, the heart of the park / Replaced by something cold, something stark.” IDK if Rivers was ever the heart of the park, but Walt’s berm-creating excavation was pretty damn brilliant. I just can’t see how Cars Land would ever fit in that part of the park. BTW, I gave the same prompt to Google Gemini; the results were not nearly as good.
Big Yellow Taxi (Disney’s Rivers of America)
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
With a car ride attraction, yeah, that’s what we got
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
They took all the canoes, and the steamers too
Put in some asphalt where the paddleboats grew
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
Hey Mr. CEO, can’t you see what you’ve done?
You’ve traded our history for a road with no fun
Just to make a quick buck, just to please Wall Street
Now there’s concrete where there was once something sweet
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
With a car-themed land, yeah, that’s what we got
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
We used to float down, through the green and the calm
Now we’re stuck in traffic, no trees, no charm
Executives in suits, they don’t understand
What they’ve taken away from this magical land
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
Now there’s exhaust fumes where we used to spot
The Mark Twain’s gentle glide, the Columbia’s pride
Now it’s just engines roaring, and a Disney ride
The critters are gone, no bears or birds
They traded all the wilderness for corporate words
“Synergy” they say, as they tear it all down
But where’s the magic, now that there’s just a town?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
With a flashy new sign, but at what cost?
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
And the guests all say, “Oh, it’s shiny and new”
But something’s missing that they once knew
The river’s lost, the heart of the park
Replaced by something cold, something stark
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
Now there’s no reflection, no peaceful spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
So listen, Disney, before it’s too late
Don’t erase the magic just to inflate
The profits, the numbers, the bottom line
Or you’ll lose what made your kingdom so fine
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot
Now there’s nothing left but memories and thought
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?
They paved over rivers and put up a parking lot