Let’s go back to the night of August 8, 970 when Janis Joplin is due to sing at the Capital Theater in Port Chester New York. She’s getting ready for the show at a bar next door with some friends: Geraldine Page Rip Horn and Bobby Neuwirth. They’re having a grand old time and Joplin gets in her head a line from a poem by Michael McClure. She starts singing, “Come on God and buy me a Mercedes-Benz.”
Egged on by her friends, she turns that line into a verse with Neuwirth helping out with the word or two and serving as the scribe, writing the lines down on a bar napkin. Soon enough, Joplin crafts the second verse about buying a color TV. She and Neuwirth are having a blast and now the whole bar is entertained. Neuwirth comes up with the lines for that third verse because of course they want another round.
Joplin had an exuberant personality. She hits the Capital Theatre stage and, much to the surprise of her band, midway through the show, she takes to the microphone by herself holding a guitar. She tells the audience she has a new song she wants to sing for them and she breaks out Mercedes-Benz. She never did play the guitar, sticking to an acapella version. A week later, she sang it again at a concert at Harvard Stadium and then brought it with her to Los Angeles for recording session for the album that would be called Pearl. She recorded “Mercedes Benz” on October 1. It would be the last song she ever recorded.
On October 4, she failed to show up for a recording session. Her manager, John Cook, went looking for her as he had done many times before. He found her dead of an overdose at the Landmark Motor Hotel
“Mercedes Benz” is best sung loud, late at night, with friends much like it started. The lines ae memorable enough, give it a try. Don’t worry if you need some liquid courage to give it all the gusto the song deserves.
A note on Bob Neuwirth: he’s one of those behind the scene guys who, in addition to his own albums and paintings, helped other artists. He introduced Kris Kristofferson to Janis Joplin and got her to sing, “Me and Bobby McGee.” He was a friend and confident of Bob Dylan and served as his first road manager. He was a Dylan’s side through the raucous tours of the mid-60’s and again on the Rolling Thunder Revue. He collaborated on an album with John Cale. His own albums are worth checking out.
#Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness #janisjoplin #bobneuwirth
YouTube: https://youtu.be/-H7YULkiLIA?si=maqKjwQmQU7MLnwa
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1MntHPLU1T7a9W4tojbg8g?si=99f8726d42f84d60