I was late and in a real big hurry to get my BOTB posted on May 1, so I didn't give you any information or background on the song or artists. Today, I'm still pretty late getting this 'Results' post up, but I'm gonna take my time and give you some history.
First, the song itself:
"
Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by
Kris Kristofferson and
Fred Foster, originally performed by
Roger Miller. Others performed the song later, including the Grateful Dead, Kristofferson himself,
[1] and
Janis Joplin who topped the
U.S. singles chart with the song in 1971 after her death, making the song the second posthumous number-one single in U.S. chart history after "
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by
Otis Redding.
Billboard ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.
[2]
History
In the original version of the song, Bobby is a woman. Joplin, who
was allegedly a lover (but also a good friend and mentor) of
Kristofferson's from the beginning of her career to her death, changed
the sex and a few of the lyrics in her cover. Kristofferson stated he
did not write this song for her, but the song is associated with her,
especially in the line "Somewhere near
Salinas, Lord, I let her slip away."
[3]
In a conversation with director
Monte Hellman called "Somewhere Near Salinas" (available in the supplements to the
Criterion Collection DVD release of
Two-Lane Blacktop, a film in which Kristofferson's version is used on the soundtrack), Kristofferson stated that the film
La Strada was an inspiration for the song and remarked on the irony of how a song inspired by a classic
road movie should come to be used in another.
The title came from [producer and Monument Records founder] Fred
Foster. He called one night and said, "I've got a song title for you.
It's 'Me and Bobby McKee'." I thought he said "McGee". Bobby McKee was
the secretary of Boudleaux Bryant, who was in the same building with
Fred. Then Fred says, "The hook is that Bobby McKee is a she. How does
that grab you?" (Laughs) I said, "Uh, I'll try to write it, but I've
never written a song on assignment." So it took me a while to think
about.[1] - Kris Kristofferson
The original song is essentially a road story about two drifters, the
narrator and his girlfriend Bobby McGee (boyfriend in Joplin's
version). He speaks about thumbing a diesel truck and singing with the
driver all the way. The couple travels to California, as they grow more
intimate and help each other through the hardships of life, but by the
final verse, Bobby gets tired of the road life and decides to settle
down.
She parts ways with the narrator who still continues his lifestyle,
though he may never be happy again without her, as he would trade his
life just to be with her again for just one day.
Recordings and notable performances
Roger Miller was the first artist to have a hit with the song, peaking with it at No. 12 on the US country chart in 1969.
Gordon Lightfoot's
version hit No. 13 on the pop chart and No. 1 country in his native
Canada in 1970, and was also a top 10 hit in South Africa in 1971.
Lightfoot sang the song after a detailed tribute to Kris Kristofferson
in a CBC broadcast from the summer 1969
Charlottetown Festival.
In a 2008 autobiography,
Don Reid and
Harold Reid of the
Statler Brothers
say Kristofferson promised it to them, but when they later inquired
about recording it, they learned Miller had already cut the song. The
Reids say there were no hard feelings, and were happy about Miller's
success with the song. The song was later included on a Statler Brothers
album, and was not released as a single.
Joplin also covered the song for inclusion on her
Pearl album only a few days before her death in October 1970. Kristofferson had sung the song for her, and singer
Bob Neuwirth
taught it to her. Kristofferson did not know she had covered it until
after her death. The first time he heard her recording of it was the day
after she died.
[4]
Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one
single and in 2004, her version of this song was ranked No. 148 on
Rolling Stone's list of
the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. She also had heard Bob Weir of
The Grateful Dead's
accelerated ending and liked it so much she added her much more
energetic "rap" to the end of the song. The Dead regularly covered the
song between 1971 and 1974.
Kristofferson performed the song live at the
Isle of Wight Festival 1970 and a CD and DVD of the event were issued 30 years later as
Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival 1970.
The Joplin version was used prominently in the epilogue of
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's epic film of
Berlin Alexanderplatz.
I knew Kristofferson (Sorry Kris, I been misspelling yer name.) is credited with writing the song (I admit, I never head of Fred Foster. Hope he got the royalties.) But I had no idea how it came to be (an assignment, that's exciting, NOT) or that Roger Miller was the first to record it. I knew it was on the concert play list of the Grateful Dead, and even heard them preform it live at Red rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Janis's version is probably the most 'famous', but I didn't know until this BOTB that it was her only number one hit.
'Me & Bobby McGee' has been covered by numerous artists. I had an old boyfriend who was partial to Jerry Jeff Walker and I've listened to his recording of it many, Many, MANY times. I'm not sure where or when I first heard the cover by Waylon, but I do know that when I heard it, I was reminded of Kristoffersons recording; only a whole lot better. (I always kinda liked ole Kris, but he really didn't do the songs he wrote justice. I think it was STMc who said he was 'boring' and that rang a bell for me. I couldn't quite call Kris monotone, but close. There just was no pizazz ). Anyway, it was at this point that I decided I like the 'country influence' brought to the number by Waylon, better 'an the gut wrenching, bluesy' Janis Joplin version.
Now, before I get onto the final tally and my vote, I want to talk a little bit about each of these artists.
Waylon Arnold Jennings (pronounced
/ /;
June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter,
musician, and actor. Jennings began playing guitar at 8 and began
performing at 12 on
KVOW radio. His first band was
The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J. on KVOW,
KDAV,
KYTI, and
KLLL. In 1958,
Buddy Holly arranged Jennings's first recording session, of "
Jole Blon" and "When Sin Stops (Love Begins)". Holly hired him to play bass. In
Clear Lake, Iowa, Jennings gave up his seat on the ill-fated flight that crashed and killed Holly,
J. P. Richardson, and others. The day of the flight was later known as
The Day the Music Died. Jennings then worked as a D.J. in
Coolidge, Arizona, and
Phoenix. He formed a
rockabilly club band,
The Waylors. He recorded for independent label Trend Records and
A&M Records, before succeeding with
RCA Victor after achieving creative control.
During the 1970s, Jennings joined the
Outlaw movement. He released critically acclaimed albums
Lonesome, On'ry and Mean and
Honky Tonk Heroes, followed by hit albums
Dreaming My Dreams and
Are You Ready for the Country. In 1976 he released the album
Wanted! The Outlaws with
Willie Nelson,
Tompall Glaser, and
Jessi Colter, the first platinum country music album. That success was followed by
Ol' Waylon, and the hit song "
Luckenbach, Texas". By the early 1980s, Jennings was struggling with a
cocaine addiction, which he quit in 1984. Later he joined the country
supergroup The Highwaymen with Nelson,
Kris Kristofferson, and
Johnny Cash. During that period, Jennings released the successful album
Will the Wolf Survive.
He toured less after 1997, to spend more time with his family. Between
1999 and 2001, his appearances were limited by health problems. On
February 13, 2002, Jennings died from complications of
diabetes.
Jennings also appeared in movies and television series. He was the
balladeer for
The Dukes of Hazzard; composing and singing
the show's theme song. In 2001 he was inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame, which he chose not to attend. In 2007 he was posthumously awarded the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award by the
Academy of Country Music.
Y'all know that came straight outta 'Wacky Watchee' and there is a whole lot more there. So if you have a few minutes goon over and check it out. BUT, just in cast you skimmed that article take note of two things. Ole Waylon was on that ill fated tour with Buddy Holly. It's said he felt guilty for not being on that plane and dying with his buddies and yet he was being the 'good guy' giving up his seat on the plane. ALSO, note that in 1976 he released along with a few other notables, the FIRST PLATINUM COUNTRY MUSIC ALBUM. No small feat, I'll guess.
Janis Lyn Joplin (
//; January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American
singer-songwriter who first rose to fame in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the
psychedelic acid-rock band
Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later as a solo artist with her own backing groups, The
Kozmic Blues Band and The
Full Tilt Boogie Band. Her first ever large scale public performance was at the
Monterey Pop Festival; this led her to becoming very popular and one of the major attractions at the
Woodstock festival and the
Festival Express train tour. Joplin charted five singles; other popular songs include: "
Down on Me"; "
Summertime"; "
Piece of My Heart"; "
Ball 'n' Chain"; "
Maybe"; "
To Love Somebody"; "
Kozmic Blues"; "
Work Me, Lord"; "
Cry Baby"; "
Mercedes Benz"; and her only number one hit, "
Me and Bobby McGee".
Joplin was well known for her performing ability and was a multi
instrumentalist. Her fans referred to her stage presence as "electric";
at the height of her career, she was known as "The Queen of Psychedelic
Soul". Known as "Pearl" among her friends, she was also a painter,
dancer and music arranger.
Rolling Stone ranked Joplin number 46 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004,
[1] and number 28 on its 2008 list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
Janis Joplin was born in
Port Arthur, Texas, on January 19, 1943,
[2] to Dorothy Bonita East (February 15, 1913 – December 13, 1998), a
registrar at a business college, and her husband, Seth Ward Joplin (April 19, 1910 – May 10, 1987), an engineer at
Texaco. She had two younger siblings, Michael and Laura. The family attended the
Church of Christ.
[3]
The Joplins felt that Janis always needed more attention than their
other children, with her mother stating, "She was unhappy and
unsatisfied without [receiving a lot of attention]. The normal rapport
wasn't adequate."
[4] As a teenager, she befriended a group of outcasts, one of whom had albums by
blues artists
Bessie Smith,
Ma Rainey and
Lead Belly, whom Joplin later credited with influencing her decision to become a singer.
[5] She began singing in the local
choir and expanded her listening to blues singers such as
Odetta,
Billie Holiday and
Big Mama Thornton.
Primarily a painter while still in school, she first began singing blues and
folk music with friends. While at
Thomas Jefferson High School, she stated that she was mostly shunned.
[5] Joplin was quoted as saying, "I was a misfit. I read, I painted, I didn't hate
niggers."
[4] As a teen, she became overweight and her skin broke out so badly she was left with deep scars which required
dermabrasion.
[4][6][7] Other kids at high school would routinely taunt her and call her names like "pig", "freak", "nigger lover" or "creep".
[4] Among her classmates were
G. W. Bailey and
Jimmy Johnson. Joplin graduated from high school in 1960 and attended
Lamar State College of Technology in
Beaumont, Texas, during the summer
[6] and later the
University of Texas at Austin, though she did not complete her studies.
[8] The campus newspaper
The Daily Texan ran a profile of her in the issue dated July 27, 1962, headlined "She Dares to Be Different".
[8]
The article began, "She goes barefooted when she feels like it, wears
Levis to class because they're more comfortable, and carries her
Autoharp with her everywhere she goes so that in case she gets the urge to break into song, it will be handy. Her name is Janis Joplin."
[8]
Among her last public appearances were two broadcasts of
The Dick Cavett Show.
In a June 25, 1970 appearance, she announced that she would attend her
ten-year high-school class reunion. When asked if she had been popular
in school, she admitted that when in high school, her schoolmates
"laughed me out of class, out of town and out of the state."
[37] (Joplin had been voted "Ugliest Man on Campus" by frat boys during her university years.
[38]) In a subsequent Cavett broadcast on August 3, 1970, Joplin discussed her upcoming performance at the
Festival for Peace to be held at
Shea Stadium in
Queens, New York, three days later.
On August 7, 1970, a tombstone - paid for by both Joplin and Juanita Green, who as a child had done housework for
Bessie Smith—was erected at Smith's previously-unmarked grave.
[39]
Joplin's last public performance, with the Full Tilt Boogie Band, took place on August 12, 1970, at the
Harvard Stadium in Boston.
The Harvard Crimson
gave the performance a positive, front-page review, despite the fact
that Full Tilt Boogie had performed with makeshift sound amplifiers
after their regular equipment was stolen in Boston.
[7]
Joplin attended her high-school reunion on August 14, accompanied by fellow musician and friend
Bob Neuwirth, road manager John Cooke, and her sister Laura, but it was reportedly an unhappy experience for her.
[40] Joplin held a press conference in Port Arthur during her reunion visit.
Rolling Stone journalist Chet Flippo reported that she wore enough jewelry for a "Babylonian whore".
[5] When asked by a reporter if she ever entertained at
Thomas Jefferson High School when she was a student there, Joplin replied, "Only when I walked down the aisles."
[2][2][4] Joplin denigrated Port Arthur and the classmates who had humiliated her a decade earlier.
[2]
There are pages and pages about Janis at 'Wacky Watchee', I chose to excerpt only the part about her early life. In Today's world we hear a lot about bullying and the affect it is having on the young people of the world. When I read these things I thought, perhaps Janis' outlandish behavior was a direct result of how she had been treated. You know the old self-deprecating trick of making yourself into the caricature everyone else is trying to before they have the opportunity. I dunno, just a thought. At any rate, after delving into her past somewhat, I came away with a different picture of a tortured woman who found a way to 'get back' at the world. Again, I encourage you to take the time to read it ALL for yourself and make your own decision about Janis Joplin.
For quite a few votes things were 'neck 'n neck' in this BATTLE and that really surprised me. I know a lot of you don't like country. Janis had the edge of familiarity on her side. And with the A to Z in full swing, my voting numbers were a bit down. At the very end things took a decided turn and the final tally, including my vote (I don't have to spell it out for you who I voted for, do I?) is:
Waylon Jennings 11 votes (including my vote)
Janis Joplin 8 votes
An interesting BATTLE from my perspective. I learned some things, particularly about Janis. I don't think I shall ever look at her extreme behavior in the same way again.
This has been a grueling week for me. Two blog posts back to back (YIKES! I do not know how some of you blog every day, or more than once a week, for that matter.) I'll be back on the 15th with another BATTLE 'The Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.' Until that time...Happy Trails to you!
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