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"Mercedes Benz" | ||||
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Single by Janis Joplin | ||||
from the album Pearl | ||||
A-side | "Cry Baby" | |||
Released | 1971 | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 1:45 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Janis Joplin Michael McClure Bob Neuwirth | |||
Producer(s) | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
Janis Joplin singles chronology | ||||
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"Mercedes Benz" is an a cappella song written by the American singer Janis Joplin with Bob Neuwirth and the poet Michael McClure. The song was originally recorded by Joplin. [1] A straightforward reading of the song lyrics indicate that the song is about the desire for possessions and pleasure, but at least one writer considers it to be a rejection of consumerism. [1]
The song's lyrics were written at Vahsen's, a Port Chester, New York bar, on August 8, 1970, during an impromptu poetry jam between Joplin and songwriter Bob Neuwirth. [2] The lyrics were inspired by the first line of a song written by the San Francisco beat poet Michael McClure, "Come on, God, and buy me a Mercedes Benz." Joplin heard it sung by a friend of McClure's, and she began to sing it too.
At the Port Chester bar, Joplin sang the line a few times and began riffing on McClure lyrics, while Neuwirth copied the new lyrics onto bar napkins, which he kept for years afterwards. She sang the new version for the first time that night at her concert at Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. [2] Bobby Womack asserts in his autobiography that Joplin was inspired to come up with the lyrics after going for a ride with him in his new Mercedes-Benz 600. [3]
In the song, Joplin asks God to prove his love for her by buying her a Mercedes-Benz automobile, a color TV (then a luxury item), and a "night on the town." There is also a reference to Dialing for Dollars , a franchised format local television program, which required a person to be watching the show to win a prize when the show called the person’s phone number, hence the singer's need for a TV. It was the last song Joplin recorded before her death.
The song was recorded in one take [4] during a recording session on October 1, 1970. These were the last tracks Joplin ever recorded as she died three days later, on October 4. The song appeared on the album Pearl, released in 1971. The song title, as listed on that album, contains no hyphen although the actual automobile brand name is hyphenated as Mercedes-Benz.
In 2003, Joplin's recording was remixed, adding a beat and a background melody. The remixed version was included on collections of Joplin's greatest hits.
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [14] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
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We rode a couple of blocks while she fixed a tune in her head and then started singing. A line just spilled out. 'Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz. 'My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.'