Taxi by Harry Chapin

Album: Heads And Tales (1972)

Charted: 24

License This Song

Songfacts®:

"Taxi" was Chapin's first single. He had his taxi driver's license in New York City and worked as a driver for six months in Long Beach, New York. Sandy Chapin, who was married to Harry from 1968 until his death in 1981, told Songfacts the story: "He had been working in film, that was how he made his living. Harry's plan at the time was to make enough money in five or six months that he would not have to work for five or six months, and during which time he would write screenplays. And then, the money did run out and he went back to look for some work in film, but there wasn't anything available. He needed a job, he wanted to still to be able to write, so he applied for a cab license. And I was something like eight months pregnant. I felt very positive about it, because I thought, wow, it would be a great experience, because people in cabs will tell him stories, and he'll get all kinds of characters for songs. I think he was feeling pretty low about it, and wrote the song 'Taxi' with the idea that the people he had told his dreams - that he was gonna make a great film - were gonna get into the cab, and so he ended up being a cab driver after all the big talk. And one of whom would be the girlfriend that he had while he was at Cornell. Sue was a real person."
The song is set in San Francisco. Sandy Chapin explains: "The song was moved to the West Coast from the East Coast. His life, college and otherwise, his work, was all on the East Coast. Even his film work was on the East Coast, except for that one year in California when he was doing commercials.

When I would look through Harry's notebooks, I was amazed at how little editing there was. He would start jotting down ideas for a song or a story, and then decide later that because of the rhyming or the rhythm or whatever it was, that San Francisco would be a good place. He probably just came up with the line, 'It was raining hard in Frisco,' and went on from there. There were some notebooks where he jotted down 4 or 6 lines that he might come back to later and use. But there are other notebooks where he just sat down and wrote the song."
This song is about a cab driver who picks up a passenger who turns out to be his former lover. They broke up so she could be an actress and he could learn to fly. At the end, he realizes they both got their wish, as she acts like she is happy and he flies in his taxi by getting stoned. Eight years later, Chapin followed this up with another hit, appropriately titled "Sequel," which continued the chronicles of the former lovers Harry and Sue.
Chapin utilized harmonic techniques on the guitar to simulate the sound of rain at the song's beginning and end, thus musically reflecting the lyric "It was raining hard in 'Frisco." >>
Suggestion credit:
Bruce - West Columbia, SC, for above 2
Out of high School, Chapin entered the Air Force Academy to "Learn to Fly." He quit during his freshmen year. >>
Suggestion credit:
Fred - Saugus, CA

Comments: 30

James Patrick Brody from Belfast IrelandGreat song. It's a story that you actually can feel as if you were the singer. The best part of the song was when the girl sue gave him a $20 dollar bill for a $2.50 fare and she said Harry keep the change. He sings that another man might have been angry and another man might have been hurt. But another man never would have let her go. The best part. I stashed the bill in my shirt. Best line ever.
Don James from GeorgiaNever saw Chapin live, but his music lives on. Taxi is his definitive work, you can feel the lyrics. RIP Harry.
Tal from PnwI don't understand the purpose/meaning of the interlude as it relates to this song:
Baby's so high that she's skying
Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall
I'll tell you why baby's crying
'Cause she's dying, aren't we all?
any insite?
David Hughes from MarylandI love this song, however one line has troubled me since the song's release. A cab driver doesn't need a license for his name, he needs a license to drive a cab for hire. A stronger line might have been, "And she glanced at the license with my name".
Trainmaster from Long Beach, NyWhile cab driving in Long Beach, Harry lined on Parkside Avenue in Point Lookout, New York. Clare Alden MacIntyre-Ross, a neighbor, died at age 73, After an on-and-off romance in the early 1960s, she was the basis for the character Sue.
Alananda from Santa MonicaFew songs haunt me to chills like those of Harry Chapin, perhaps more than any other "Taxi". It's so laden with "what could have been". I lived in San Francisco in the late 60s (you NEVER called it Frisco), and rainy nights there could be so involutingly lonely. Also, there was a Sue (Soozi) back then too. She passed, but her enchanting magic will always be with me
K H from Atlanta GaI also went off to learn to fly. Air Force Academy was the place to go, to get your shot to attend pilot training after graduation. I was there in Colorado Springs form 1977-1981 until graduation. We had various concerts held on weekends, quite rarely actually, but I did have the opportunity to attend two of Harry’s shows during my time at the academy. Harry always found time in his concert tours to stop by and perform at the Academy out of respect and quite frankly, pity, for all attending school there. He knew how rough that first year was for all of us, and he liked to bring us his music to add a little bit of lightness and charm with his music. Yes, he did speak about the his days as cadet during his first year before he quit and how the leadership counselors said he would fail if he left. It was a good story.
Another bad came to the Air Force AcDemy almost every year, and that was America. The band members were all Air Force military brats, so they, like Harry, wanted to bring some fun and lightness during out stay of 4 years up on the hill, affectionately known as the Aluminum Zoo.
Thank you Harry, and America. We loved your shows. And I really did learn to fly.
Dave Rose from Modesto CaA 2.50 fare? In San Francisco? Now l know that song is ancient.
Kent Kidwell from MarysvilleOh the life that I could have lived (maybe) if I would have married Beth, yet my priorities were maligned. I'm sure I am not alone in this scenario.
Bruce Adkins from HilliardMany of us have lived the life of woulda, shoulda, coulda. I shoulda seen Harry In concert but life got in the way and I coulda checked one more off my bucket list if I woulda went.
Lz from BurghThis song makes me cry and hope Harry was still on this earth gracing us with his story songs. I always felt Dan Fogelberg's "Same Auld Lang Syne" was a slight ripoff of this song.
Lee from S/f, CaWhen "Taxi" came out I was living in New England. The girl I was dating took me to the NH amusement park known as "Canobee Lake" (spelling!). Where Chapin's band was the featured act. You wouldn't believe how great of a singer that his cellist was!! He could sing fantastic bass vocals & yet also nail soprano voices!! I've never heard anyone like him.
The song intrigued me and I very much liked Harry. But later on in life and after moving from NE to CA something about this song started to bother me. It was the one thing it that I never liked. This is the reference to "Friscoe". WE DON'T CALL IT FRISCOE IN SAN FRANCISCO!!
To everyone else the song will make sense, but not if you've ever really lived in the City By The Bay. As the first thing you learn after moving here is that,
WE DON'T CALL IT "FRISCO"!!
Jim F from Dublin, Ireland.I remember seeing Harry, his band and brothers several times in Dublin. He put on some great concerts back in the 80's.
A magnificent story teller, I still sing along to Taxi while driving around town.
What a tragic loss.
But his music lasts for ever.
Nancy S. from Venice, FlIn my teens and early 20's I was living in Bridgeport, CT and remember going on a first date with a guy - he had tickets to see some new guy named Harry Chapin at the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, CT. We went, not really knowing what to expect, and saw a guy come out and sit on a stage in a folding chair with his guitar, a bass player, a drummer, and a cellist. By the end of the concert we were blown away by this guy's raw honesty and story telling ability set to his own music. Since that night I've seen Harry 21 times in concert. I was a real "groupie." I remember seeing him in White Plains, NY and he had been delayed due to traffic. He walked into the theatre using the front door, walked down the center aisle, jumped up on to the stage and apologized for being late, while taking off his jacket. He sat down and he and the band gave a three-hour concert. Harry always had time to meet and greet people after his concerts - signing autographs and just chatting with people. I still have his autograph, as well as those of Michael Masters, John Wallace, and Ron Palmer. I have them hanging on my wall in my home, along with a picture of me, Harry, and Michael. I treasure those concerts and every occasion where I met anyone involved with the band. He is still my favorite singer/songwriter/entertainer and I listen to him all the time. A truly wonderful, funny, warm, caring individual who died a tragic death ... I still miss him and sometimes wonder what he'd be doing now if he were still alive. Rest in Peace, Harry.
Roger Rose from Spring, TexasReminds me of my taxi driving days.....Yellow Cab .Washington DC 1976 "And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned" Remember this was 1976
Jeff from Oklahoma City, OkAs Doug commented on, as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, many cadets had the pleasure to hear Harry Chapin in concert in the 1970s and had an opportunity to enjoy his comments about his departure from the Academy in 1960 early during his freshman year, the toughest year, and the bogus counseling he received from the chaplain about how he'd never succeed in life if he left. Also as a graduate of the Air Force Academy, I was there as a cadet during one of those performances in the 1970s and remember the story that Harry shared so well, as Doug accurately conveyed! Harry was a great story teller, in both words and through his music.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm
Clare Alden MacIntyre-Ross, one-time girlfriend of Harry Chapin and reportedly the inspiration for his songs, "Taxi" and "Sequel," died of a stroke March 9th, 2016 in Falls Church, Virginia...
The two were Summer camp counselors but split up and drifted apart in real life...
May she R.I.P.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyHere's some obscure trivia:
On May 31st 1907, the first taxi cabs went into service in New York City; thus also becoming the first taxis in the U.S.A.
And exactly sixty-five years later on May 31st, 1972 Harry Chapin's "Taxi" was at #24 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart {See next post below}...
It reached #5 on the Canadian RPM Singles chart.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 19th 1972, Harry Chapin performed "Taxi" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
Five months earlier on March 5th, 1972 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #100; and on May 28th, 1972 it peaked at #24 {for 2 weeks} and spent 16 weeks on the Top 100...
Earlier on the same day of his ‘Bandstand’ appearance he appeared on the NBC-TV special 'The Midnight Special' and performed the song...
Between 1972 and 1980 he had seven Top 100 records; his biggest hit was Cat's In the Cradle", it reached #1 {for 1 week} on December 15th, 1974...
In 1980 "Sequel" peaked at #23 on the Top 100...
R.I.P. Harry Forster Chapin {1942 - 1981}.
Scotty from Cheyenne, WyFunny how you can connect to some songs...my first true girlfriend was names Suzanne, and I called her Sue. We dated for a while through high school in New Orleans. We really liked each other, but had too many differences to make the relationship really bloom. I had always planned to be an Air Force pilot like my Dad, and while I had a nomination to the AFA, I couldn't qualify academically, so I went to LSU and earned a pilot training slot through AFROTC. Suzanne had an amazing voice, and I expected her to make it in show business some way, but she could never really break through. I washed out of pilot training and became a missile launch officer. No matter how many times I hear this song, the parallels always amaze me.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyHISTORY OF WOLD AM & FM: WOLD - AM 1330 Khz went on the air with 1000 watts daytime only on April 25, 1962 started By Seward Broadcasting Co. The AM station increased output power to 5000 watts day and 500 watts pre-sunrise in 1981. Specialty programing includes country and religious formats. It was acquired by present owner Emerald Sound,Inc in September 1965. WOLD - FM signed on March 14 1968 and now operates on 102.5 Mhz with 6000 watts. Format 24 hours a day is adult contemporary, and oldies {Info source: http://www.netva.com/wold/HISTORY.HTM}
Doug from Dixfield, MeSaw Harry many times in concert. As a grad of the Air Force Academy, he had special meanings to a couple of his songs. He performed there several times. At one of his concerts he related to the audience that as he was out processing from the Academy that he had to talk to the chaplain. The chaplain, in an effort to have Harry reconsider said that if he wasn't a success at the Academy that he wouldn't be a success at anything. Harry said, "I gave away $4 million to charity last year and still had to pay taxes on the other $7 million I kept. Mow, I'm not sure what a major in the Air Force makes but I don't believe it is quite that high yet." He also commented about what a good decision it was to leave the Academy since he was in the class of '64 - they lost a lot of pilots in Vietnam.

Another song about his life at "the Zoo" (AF Academy) is "Changes" on the Short Stories album.
Keith from San Francisco, CaBeing a native San Franciscan (I was 12 in the summer of 1967, Haight-Ashbury and all that), I knew the song wasn't originally about San Francisco. First we don't have Brownstones, and we don't call it "Frisco". Having said that, I love this song because it is a great and evocative song. You KNOW in the first couple bars what song it is, it was like no other songs at the time. I think of Harry Chapin and Don McLean as two of the greatest songwriters of our time, but I think of Harry Chapin as more of a Song PAINTER for his ability to create
an image in your mind with his work. RIP Harry
M from Df, NyHarry changed the city and the name to sue, the song was about a woman named "cille" lucille. I remember when this really happened because my mother was on the way to see my sister and i but she got lost on the cab ride. I never did see her for awhile after that. The 5 story brownstory was on main street in a small italian town outside of n.y. Harry was my Mom's only love before she had married my dad and that didn't work out. didn't know alot about her but she loved harry very much and I never met him but always admired him for who he was and what he stood for. Rest in peace Harry.
Terri from Baltimore, MdAlthough I like some of his other songs, Taxi and Sequel will always be my favorites.
James from Houston, TxI saw Harry perform this song at a Concert at West Point. He related that he had at one time gone to the Air Force Academy (dropped out after one year), which explains the lyrics "I was going to learn to fly"
Lester from New York City, NySaw Harry Chapin many times. His songs 'Sniper' & Bummer' were truly killer. He almost completely stopped doing them about a year before he died because his voice couldn't handle the songs anymore. mitch, I was engaged to a girl in Long Beach, LI in '70-'71
Alex from New York, NyThis was Chapin's first single. Harry had his taxi drivers license in New York City and worked as a driver for 6 months in Long Beach, New York. When he wrote this song, he changed the setting to San Francisco to make it more interesting.
Mitch from New York, NyHarry Chapin was a cab driver in Long Beach, NY but when he wrote Taxi, he changed it to San Fransico to make it more interesting.
Charles from Charlotte, NcSan Franciscans disdain having their city called "Frisco". Wonder if Chapin knew this when he wrote the song?
Chapin died in a car crash in 1981 shortly after his last single "Sequel" was released.

see more comments

More Songfacts:

ReasonsEarth, Wind & Fire

"Reasons" by Earth, Wind & Fire is a popular wedding song, but it's actually about a one-night stand.

Ain't No SunshineBill Withers

"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers was inspired by the Jack Lemmon movie Days of Wine and Roses.

MMMbopHanson

Hanson's megahit "MMMbop," released when they were teenagers, is surprisingly profound. Zac Hanson told Songfacts it "represents a frame of time or the futility of life."

Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell" was released as a single in America because it has a catchy beat, but the lyrics describe a reign of terror instigated by the despot Pink, the main character in the concept album The Wall.

What's Love Got To Do With ItTina Turner

Tina Turner hated "What's Love Got To Do With It" but when her manager convinced her to record it anyway, it became her big comeback hit.

SundownGordon Lightfoot

The inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" came when he was worrying about his girlfriend, who was out at bars all day while he was home writing songs.