Janis Joplin was a whirlwind of life and energy, a beacon of wild freedom in the counterculture scene of late 1960s San Francisco. She found her place amid the seething world of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, living that life with unrestrained zeal and passion.
Into her electric orbit entered Todd, a young producer sent by Bearsville Records chief Albert Grossman, tasked with overseeing the recording preparations for her next album. At this point, Janis Joplin had shed her role as lead singer of Big Brother & the Holding Company—a band which had skyrocketed to instant fame with their #1 album Cheap Thrills. From that record emerged the iconic single “Piece of My Heart,” clinching the #12 spot on Billboard Hot 100 and cementing Janis’s status as a bona fide star. This stardom brought with it all the flamboyant perks and heavy burdens one could imagine.
Young and ambitious, 22-year-old Todd was eager to prove himself as Bearsville’s “boy wonder,” rushing to expedite the album’s creation. But Janis had other priorities entirely.
“Daily I would make my way to Janis’ house where a cavalcade of songwriting suitors would pitch tunes to her when they could get her attention. Maybe day three and there are players and songsmiths waiting to present to her when I get a phone call from Janis saying she’s at the police station and will be a couple hours late. Shortly thereafter someone accidentally leaves her bedroom door open revealing Janis still abed with a young partner and nowhere near the cop station.”
Reflecting later, Todd admitted,
“I was still pretty young and inexperienced… I hadn’t previously worked with someone who really had no interest in the process of making records. The live performance came so naturally that the details of making a record made everything seem tedious… she was already a force unto herself.”
Todd returned to New York, leaving behind the chaotic yet spellbinding world that Janis inhabited. The recording sessions for what would become her fourth and final album, Pearl, began in early September. On October 1st, just three days before her tragic and accidental death from a heroin overdose, Janis recorded the hauntingly powerful a cappella track “Mercedes Benz.”
Released posthumously the following January, Pearl soared, hitting 4x platinum status, while the single “Me and Bobby McGee” climbed to #1 on the charts.
The legacy of “Piece of My Heart” remains immortal. In 2004, Big Brother and the Holding Company’s version was ranked No. 353 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, a testimony to its enduring power and impact.
The lyrics themselves – raw, defiant, filled with yearning and heartache – echo Janis’s fierce spirit:
Oh, come on, come on, come on, come on
Didn’t I make you feel like you were the only man? Yeah
And didn’t I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can?
Honey, you know I did
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I’ve had enough
But I’m gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough
I want you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it if it makes you feel good
Oh, yes indeed
You’re out on the streets looking good
And baby, deep down in your heart, I guess you know that it ain’t right
Never, never, never, never, never, never hear me when I cry at night
Babe, and I cry all the time
But each time I tell myself that I, well I can’t stand the pain
But when you hold me in your arms, I’ll sing it once again
I said come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby
Break another little bit of my heart now, darling, yeah
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
Well, you know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
I need you to come on, come on, come on, come on and take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, c’mon now (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby
You know you got it, whoa
Take it
Take another little piece of my heart now, baby (whoa, break it)
Break another little bit of my heart, now darling, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (whoa, have a)
Have another little piece of my heart now, baby, hey
You know you got it, child, if it makes you feel good
