“Mercedes Benz” started as a joke. Janis Joplin came up with the idea in a bar in Port Chester, New York, in 1970 while talking with her friend Bob Neuwirth. They were riffing on a poem by Michael McClure that poked fun at materialism, and Joplin turning the lines into a playful, bluesy prayer for a fancy car and a color TV.
Within minutes, she had shaped it into a rough song, and reportedly made a spontaneous performance of the song that very night, August 8, 1970, at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. The crowd was so excited that she decided to record the song on her upcoming album, Pearl.
She later recorded the a capella track in one take during the Pearl sessions, which turned out to be her final recording.
The whole thing was meant to be a humorous poke at consumer culture, and it became one of the most memorable moments she ever put on tape.
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Here’s Janis Joplin’s Mercedes Benz on YouTube
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