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Single:
Janis Joplin’s version of Me and Bobby McGee entered the Australian singles chart* on 15 March 1971 and was a #1 hit. The song was #15 in the Top 100 of 1971.
Album:
The song is on Pearl which entered the Australian albums chart* on 12 April 1971. It reached #1 on 17 May 1971 where it stayed for 5 weeks.
Songwriters:
Kris Kristofferson, Fred Foster
Producer:
Paul A. Rothchild
Record label of Australian release:
CBS
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS SONGS BELOW – Mercedes Benz and Cry Baby (live) by Janis Joplin
Wikipedia:
Me and Bobby McGee is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. A posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the US singles chart in 1971.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_Bobby_McGee
Chron:
According to the Brownsville-born Kristofferson, the title came from producer and Monument Records founder Fred Foster who called him up one night with a title but no song. He pitched Kristofferson “Me and Bobby McKee” with the songwriter mishearing it as “McGee.” The new name stuck.
Who was Bobby McKee though? Barbara “Bobby” McKee was a secretary at an office that Foster would visit on Nashville’s Music Row. She was apparently cute enough for Foster to need to make frequent visits to.
Read more: www.chron.com/entertainment/music/article/The-story-behind-Janis-Joplin-s-landmark-hit-Me-10848677.php
The death of Janis Joplin at age 27 made her a member of what became known as the 27 Club. Others included Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Click to read more.
Lyrics:
Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin′ for a train
When I’s feelin′ near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
And rode us all the way into New Orleans
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS SONGS also from the Pearl album
Mercedes Benz and Cry Baby were released as a Double-A side single in Australia, which entered the Kent charts on 19 July 1971 and peaked at #76.
Janis wrote the lyrics for Mercedes Benz at a bar in New York during an impromptu poetry jam between her and songwriter Bob Neuwirth. The lyrics are from a poem written by San Francisco beat poet Michael McClure.
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