Photo: Elliot Landy [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
. After the release of both Big Brother and the Holding Company albums, Janis Joplin left the band to begin her solo career.Janis Joplin’s third studio recording would become her first studio album. The album was entitled I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! 
Janis Joplin was not happy with the sound of the Kozmic Blues Band behind her. She fired all the members except guitarist Richard Till. Joplin and Till than recruited the musicians from Tills earlier band named the Full Tillt Boogie Band. The band went on the road with Janis Joplin and performed a series of concerts while also heading into the studio to begin work on Janis Joplin’s second solo album. Most of the album had been completed before Janis Joplin’s passing. She was actually due to complete the vocals on the album’s last track 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 after her passing and entitled the album Pearl. The album went straight to number one on the Billboard album charts in 1970. It stayed in the number one position for over 2 months. It’s sold over 4 million copies. Janis Joplin did not get to enjoy any of the album success. Such a sad story.
Of course, over the years Columbia records has released many compilation albums and live sets. For an artist such as Janis Joplin whose career lasted just a little over three years, she has left behind an amazing legacy of music. 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 take material form 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 up our top 10 Janis Joplin songs list with the opening track from Janis Joplin’s first solo album entitled I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
# 9 – Ball and Chain
Janis Joplin was not just a great rock and roll singer, she was also an incredible blues singer. If anyone would like to doubt that statement, just take a listen to the classic track “Ball and Chain.” The song was released on Big Brother and the Holding Company’s second album entitled Cheap Thrills. The song “Ball and Chain.” was the only actual live track on the record. 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. 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 a single, 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 to it. The song was released multiple times by Columbia Records in various versions.
# 5 – Kozmic Blues
Th great 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 also was known for his work with Three Dog Night and Steppenwolf.
# 4 – Cry Baby
Sometimes this one hurts so much to listen too because Janis Joplin is just so good on it. The song “Cry Baby,” was released on the Pearl album. It was the record’s second track. The song was written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy.
# 3 – Piece of My Heart
The next three Janis Joplin songs were hard to put in any sort of order because they are such classic songs. “Piece of My Heart,” was released on the Big Brother and the Holding Company album Cheap Thrills. The song was written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns. The song was originally recorded by Emma Franklin in 1967. Emma was Aretha Franklin’s older sister. Janis Joplin’s version had far more success than Franklins. 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 Janis Joplin biggest hit of her career. Sadly, she was not around to witness the song’s success. “Me and Bobby McGee,” was released on the Pearl album. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster.
# 1 – Mercedes Benz
Our choice for the number one spot on our top 10 Janis Joplin songs list may come as a surprise to some people. It was in no way her most popular or successful song. However, “Mercedes Benz,” was a song written by Janis Joplin. Her acappella recording of the song defined her soul and her spirit more than any other recording she ever made. If you want to experience why Janis Joplin was so special, you can hear it entirely in this amazing recording.
