Top 10 Janis Joplin Songs

Photo: Elliot Landy [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Our Top 10 Janis Joplin songs list features some of the best material from one of the most magnificent rock and roll artists of the classic rock era. Sadly, Janis Joplin released relatively little material during her short career. Janis Joplin’s life was cut short at the age of 27 when she passed away due to a heroin overdose in 1970. In essence, her career had just begun. At the time of her death, she had only released three studio albums and had just about finished her fourth. The first two were with the band Big Brother and the Holding Company. The first release was entitled Big Brother and the Holding Company. It was released in 1967. The second Big Brother and the Holding Company album, Cheap Thrills, was released in 1968. After releasing both Big Brother and the Holding Company albums, Janis Joplin left the band to begin her solo career.

Janis Joplin’s third studio album would become her first solo studio album. The album was entitled I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! It would be her only solo studio album released during her lifetime. The album was released in 1969. The album featured Sam Andrew on guitar, a founding member of Big Brother and the Holding Company. Joplin assembled the Kozmic Blues Band as her backing group. The album also featured a guest appearance by legendary blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield.

Janis Joplin was unhappy with the sound of the Kozmic Blues Band behind her. She disbanded the group but retained guitarist John Till. Joplin and Till then assembled the Full Tilt Boogie Band. The band went on the road with Janis Joplin and performed a series of concerts while heading into the studio to begin working on Janis Joplin’s second solo album.

Most of the album had been completed before Janis Joplin’s passing. She was due to record the vocals for “Buried Alive in the Blues” when she was found dead in her hotel room by her road manager, John Cooke, who had gone looking for her when she did not show up for the recording session. Columbia Records released the album titled Pearl after her passing. The album was released on January 11, 1971, and went on to spend nine weeks at number one on the Billboard album chart. It became the biggest-selling album of her career. Janis Joplin did not get to enjoy any of the album’s success. It’s such a sad story.

Of course, Columbia Records has released many compilation albums and live sets over the years. For an artist like Janis Joplin, whose career spanned just over three years, she has left behind a remarkable musical legacy. However, it’s not just the music that she left behind, but an image of a woman who overcame all the obstacles most women faced in the music business to eventually lead her own band and make her own decisions based on the power she gained as a rising star that mesmerized the rock and roll world.

Our top 10 Janis Joplin songs list takes material from her two solo albums and the songs she recorded with Big Brother and the Holding Company.

# 10 – Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)

We open our top 10 Janis Joplin songs list with the opening track from Janis Joplin’s first solo album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! The album was released in 1969. The song “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Chip Taylor. Ragovoy was responsible for co-writing the classic Rolling Stones hit “Time Is on My Side.” Taylor had written the legendary classic rock track “Wild Thing.”

# 9 – Ball and Chain

Janis Joplin was not just a great rock and roll singer but also an incredible blues singer. If anyone wants to doubt that statement, listen to the classic track “Ball and Chain.” The song was released on Big Brother and the Holding Company’s second album, Cheap Thrills. The song “Ball and Chain” was the only track on the original album that was actually recorded live in concert. It was the album’s closing cut. The song “Ball and Chain” was written by Big Mama Thornton.

# 8 – Summertime

Janis Joplin gave the classic Gershwin song “Summertime” a treatment like no other singer had ever done before. This will always be one of my favorite Janis Joplin covers. It is a true classic released on the Cheap Thrills album.

# 7 – Move Over

The iconic Janis Joplin song “Move Over” was the opening track to her final album, Pearl. The song “Move Over” was written by Janis Joplin. Even though Columbia Records never released it as an A-side single in the United States, it remains one of the most popular songs from the album. It was the perfect album opener.

# 6 – Down on Me

“Down on Me” was a traditional song recorded by Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Joplin rearranged the song and added extra lyrics. The recording appeared on the band’s 1967 debut album and became one of Joplin’s early signature performances.

# 5 – Kozmic Blues

We love how this one starts with those blues piano licks, setting it all up for Janis. She comes in with a whisper with such extraordinary vocal control. Yet, in a single beat, she explodes with such fierce power, knocking you down in your tracks, only to lend a hand in pulling you right back up. Of course, she delivers a knockout punch halfway through the song while you still beg for more. That’s how good Janis was. The excellent track “Kozmic Blues” was released on the album I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! The song was written by Janis Joplin and Gabriel Mekler, who was also known for his work with Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf.

# 4 – Cry Baby

Sometimes, this one hurts so much to listen to because Janis Joplin is so good at it. The song “Cry Baby” was released on the Pearl album. It was the record’s second track. Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy wrote the song. The song starts out slapping you back and forth across the face, screaming, “Wake up, it’s Janis Time!” Of course, she comes screaming into the mix, making sure you are paying full attention because you don’t want to miss one single note of the jaw-dropping vocal performance she delivers on this song.

# 3 – Piece of My Heart

The following three Janis Joplin songs were challenging to put in any order because they are such classic songs. “Piece of My Heart” was released on the Big Brother and the Holding Company album Cheap Thrills. Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns wrote the song. The song was initially recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Erma was Aretha Franklin’s older sister.

Janis Joplin’s version had far more success than Franklin’s. It was a top 20 hit for Janis Joplin and became one of her signature songs during her short musical career. Over the years, the song has been covered by a diverse segment of musical artists, including Sammy Hagar, Faith Hill, and Melissa Etheridge.

# 2 – Me and Bobby McGee

Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” was the biggest hit of her career. Sadly, she was not around to witness the song’s success. The song was released on the Pearl album and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster wrote it.

# 1 – Mercedes Benz

Our choice for the number one spot on our top 10 Janis Joplin songs list may surprise some people. It was in no way her most popular or successful song. However, “Mercedes Benz” was co-written by Janis Joplin, Michael McClure, and Bob Neuwirth. Her a cappella studio recording, made on October 1, 1970, was one of the final recordings of her life and defined her soul and spirit more than any other recording she ever made. If you want to experience why Janis Joplin was so unique, you can hear it entirely in this fantastic recording.