Mercedes Benz (song)
1971 single by Janis Joplin
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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]
| "Mercedes Benz" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Janis Joplin | ||||
| from the album Pearl | ||||
| A-side | "Cry Baby" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1970 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 1:45 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriters | Janis Joplin Michael McClure Bob Neuwirth | |||
| Producer | Paul A. Rothchild | |||
| Janis Joplin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song has a strong anti-consumerism message, which was a popular theme in the 1960s counterculture. It opens with Joplin sarcastically announcing "a song of great social and political import", and then satirically depicts an earnest prayer for, amongst other things, luxury material goods.[1]
When the song was later used in an actual Mercedes-Benz commercial, author of the original poem, McClure, said he refused to watch it and would never drive one.[2]
History
The song's lyrics were written down at Vahsen's, a Port Chester, New York bar, on August 8, 1970, during an impromptu poetry jam between Joplin and songwriter Bob Neuwirth.[3] The lyrics are from by a poem written by the San Francisco beat poet Michael McClure, "Mercedes Benz". Joplin heard it sung by friends of McClure's, Rip Torn and Emmett Grogan and she began to sing it too.[4]
In her memoir Just Kids, Patti Smith talked about the famous trip to Vahsen's and revealed that the esteemed group were also joined on the drinking session by Torn's wife Geraldine Page. [5] Smith recalled that Joplin started reciting, “Oh, Lord won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz” – the first line of McClure’s poem. The four others then started banging beer mugs on the table to form a rhythm, and Neuwirth wrote down the lyrics on a napkin, 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.[3] Conversely, Bobby Womack suggests in his autobiography that Joplin was inspired to come up with the song while going for a ride with him in his new Mercedes-Benz 600.[6]
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.
The song was recorded in one take[7] 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 the CD collection The Essential Janis Joplin.
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||