Song Lyric Sunday | “Mercedes Benz” – Janis Joplin

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Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.

The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “drive/driving.” 

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Still going my own way with this week’s theme to post this Janis Joplin classic which has been a part of pop culture for almost five decades.
Mercedes Benz was written by Joplin and the poets Michael McClure and Bob Neuwirth at Vahsen’s, a Port Chester, New York bar, on August 8, 1970 during an impromptu poetry jam.  The lyrics were inspired by the first line of a song written by McClure, “Come on, God, and buy me a Mercedes Benz.”  Janis would sing the song for the first time at a concert later that same night.
The song is about the search for happiness by the pursuit of worldly goods. It’s a classic hippie rejection of the consumerism that was already a big part of American society.
Recorded in one take two months later, Mercedes Benz  would also be Joplin’s last recorded song.  She died three days later on October 4, 1970 of a heroin overdose. Janis was just twenty-seven-years old.
The song has been covered dozens of times by artists and groups around the world including Elton John, Taj Mahal, and Pink, and used in countless movies and advertising campaigns. Many may be unfamiliar with Joplin and her music but most have heard this song at least once since its release.

Enjoy!

See my Song Lyric Sunday selection on Nesie’s Place.

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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.

Mercedes Benz

by Janis Joplin

Written by Janis Joplin, Michael McClure, & Bob Neuwirth

Intro]
I’d like to do a song
Of great social and political import
It goes like this

[Verse 1]
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz

[Verse 2]
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me
I wait for delivery each day until three
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV

[Verse 3]
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down
Prove that you love me and buy the next round
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town

[Verse 1]
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz

Compiled from SongFacts.com,  Genius Lyrics, YouTube, Wikipedia, and Google.

9 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday | “Mercedes Benz” – Janis Joplin”

  1. Pingback: Song Lyric Sunday | “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” by Billy Ocean | Nesie's Place

  5. This song has so many memories for me! I literally grew up with Janis because my much older sister and her husband loved her. This was one of the first Janis songs I heard and I can still remember the three of us in their house overlooking the beach cranking up the record player, singing, and dancing. Thanks for the memories…and the fact that it is going to stay in my brain for forever! 😉

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