Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CXLVIII--Janis Joplin: Me and Bobby McGee

Back in the day before there were computers and video games and a thousand TV channels, families used to entertain themselves in ways that may seem somewhat quaint today.  One of the ways my family entertained ourselves when I was but a wee lad was by singing together (and, no, in case you were wondering we were neither as cool, nor as talented, as the Partridge Family...if you're of a certain age).  And one of the songs I remember us doing was this week's tune, with my sister on guitar (she took lessons for about two years and even today, when she picks up a guitar once every fifteen years or so, she's much better than me) and the rest of us singing along to one of my Dad's favorite tunes.  In fact, for many years I was considerably more familiar with our rendition than with Ms. Joplin's much celebrated version.

If ever there was an artist who lived up to the ideal behind a "tortured artist" it was Janis Joplin.  Born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, Joplin was ostracized and bullied in high school for being just a tad on the different side, and after a year of college got the hell out of Dodge and headed for the San Francisco Bay Area--where she quickly developed problems with both alcohol abuse (Southern Comfort) and drug addiction (heroin).  After a knockout performance (Joplin is still considered one or rock's truly great live performers) at the Monterrey Pop Festival in 1967 with Big Brother and the Holding Company (Joplin was also great at surrounding herself with bands with cool names--as the aforementioned band as well as the Kozmic Blues Band and the Full Tilt Boogie Band), Joplin's career went into the stratosphere and she released three albums over the next three years with varying degrees of success, though her star continued to rise.  Sadly, while in the midst of recording her fourth album, Joplin overdosed on heroin and died on October 4, 1970, just two weeks after Jimi Hendrix succumbed to the same fate.  Her last album, Pearl (and her nickname, one of rock's great nicknames), would go on to be the most successful of her career and add to a legacy that would end up with her election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as being considered one of the truly great rock and roll female vocalists of all time.  It's easy to see why such flamboyant female vocalists as Stevie Nicks, Madonna, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga (among several others) owe her a serious debt of gratitude.

Written by one of America's great songwriters ("Help Me Make It Through the Night," "For the Good Times," "Sunday Morning Comin' Down" and many others), Kris Kristofferson (who is really worth a listen if you give yourself some time to get used to his scratchy vocals), "Me and Bobby McGee" was released on her previously mentioned Pearl album in 1970, and would go on to become her only #1 (most assuredly with a bullet!) single on the Billboard Hot 100.  Recorded just days before her death, it would also go on to rank #148 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Fun (if somewhat sad) Fact:  "Me and Bobby McGee" was the second single to reach #1 posthumously on the Billboard Hot 100--the first being the utterly delightful "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding.

Opening with just Joplin playing an acoustic guitar, "Me and Bobby McGee" weaves the tale of two ill-fated lovers roaming across America looking for a home who eventually part ways, leaving the narrator to spend the rest of her life ruing the day.  About a minute in, the Full Tilt Boogie Band kicks in and the song takes it up a notch, becoming a bluesy, spiritual, pop song ruminating on the nuances of lost love.  The song is notable for having one of the most memorable lines ever written for a song ("Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose..."), Joplin's beyond incredible vocals, and for being covered by literally thousands of artists.  The last minute of the song showcases the Full Tilt Boogie Band turning it into a, well, full tilt boogie--and at close the song becomes a masterful performance for a masterpiece of songwriting, and one of rock's quintessential numbers.

Lyric Sheet:  "Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headin' for the trains/Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans..."

Enjoy:

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