# I don't love Janis Joplin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2019, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104 "2019-07-15T03:03:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/41 "2019-07-15T20:12:10Z")
I love Janis. As an artist and a person. She could belt the blues raw enough to strip paint but was also intelligent, perceptive and wholly unpretentious. (Her appearances on the Dick Cavett show are among the most compelling artifacts of the time, two people who come from different worlds yet sharing an obvious mutual affection and respect.) That sensitivity comes through in her work loud and clear, at least to these ears. “Me and Bobby McGee” is Exhibit A. I guess you either hear it or you don’t. I would concur that as a recording artist, she never lived to make her masterpiece. _Pearl_ comes close and _Cheap Thrills_ is really good. I remember hearing an anecdote from Paul Rothchild (her final record producer) that always made me sad: he said Joplin told him her ambition was to bank enough money as a singer to open a saloon by the time she blew her voice out for good. Rothchild replied that he wanted to help her care for her voice so that “in twenty years, you’ll make your best album, and I want to be there to produce it.” What might have been … ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/42 "2019-07-15T20:16:30Z")
**Jaycat** Here ya go [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BYT_51J-m2g/hqdefault.jpg "WILSON PICKETT HEY JUDE HQ") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYT_51J-m2g) Perfect example, for the first part of the song he sings pretty much straightforward soul, but the long lead out he goes way over the top, and for me it just does not work. He just keeps going just over the edge, the scream takes precedence over the note, either make the scream or make the note, not struggle and produce a poor result which is neither one nor the other. In this one he does not give it everything and the song is so much better for it [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2-A8N63ARck/hqdefault.jpg "Wilson Pickett - In The Midnight Hour") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-A8N63ARck) There is nothing wrong with a raw sound - he just takes it beyond the needs of the song and I say this as someone who listens quite a bit to Chester Burnett ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/43 "2019-07-15T20:57:48Z")
damn I hate heroin. Opiates are just trouble. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/44 "2019-07-15T21:16:53Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Old. > > Actually, underground cartoonist Justin Green used to do one-pagers called “Musical Legends” for a record-shop magazine, and portrayed her as a wooly-haired hipster grandmother driving the kids to a soccer game and entertaining them by singing “Mercedes Benz.” Jeez, I’m old Janis Joplin…except it was a baseball game. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/45 "2019-07-15T21:33:51Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > **Jaycat** Here ya go Thanks for the links. I guess we hear things a little differently (and I was only thinking of studio recordings). In any event, The Wicked One had a depth to his voice that Janis didn’t, and was thus able to pull it off without his voice cracking (which you can often hear hers do). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/46 "2019-07-15T21:35:58Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > @\*\*pulykamell \*\*: personally, I put people who dislike _Piece of my Heart_ in the same box as them who don’t like Eminem’s \*Kim \*on a “for fuck’s sake, can’t you grok just how hard these people deeply \*feel \*their lyrics ?!” level. Even if I know it’s all pretend. As George Burns once said: when you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made. I like it, but I can certainly also see the opinion that the interpretation is too over-the-top, and _doesn’t_ feel sincere for those reasons. It really is just the ear of the beholder. I happen to like it, but I can’t make a judgment about people who hate it, because I can totally understand where they’re coming from. I happen to like that kind of theatre in my music. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/47 "2019-07-15T21:55:24Z")
Mike Mabes: Don’t feel bad. I don’t like her music either. What she does to “Summertime” should be a felony in all 50 states. I also like Shakespeare, Prince, _To Kill a Mockingbird_, “Stairway to Heaven,” Dylan, and Firefly. Take that! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/48 "2019-07-16T00:37:59Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Grace Slick Old. Gracie looks fine for her age (she’ll be 80 this fall). She’s still got those fashion model cheekbones. She let her figure go sometime during her fifties, but then so did I. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/49 "2019-07-16T02:43:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I like it, but I can certainly also see the opinion that the interpretation is too over-the-top, and _doesn’t_ feel sincere for those reasons. It really is just the ear of the beholder. I happen to like it, but I can’t make a judgment about people who hate it, because I can totally understand where they’re coming from. I happen to like that kind of theatre in my music. Yeah–the vocal and theatrical and emotional qualities that aren’t working for other people just work for me. I’m fine with it being idiosyncratic. (Speaking of idiosyncratic, as cold as Prince leaves me, Janelle Monae’s [Make Me Feel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGRzz0oqgUE) comes across as a total Prince homage to me, and I freakin LOVE it. I have no explanation.) (edit: I mean beyond the obvious) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2019, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/50 "2019-07-16T02:49:52Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Old. > > Actually, underground cartoonist Justin Green used to do one-pagers called “Musical Legends” for a record-shop magazine, and portrayed her as a wooly-haired hipster grandmother driving the kids to a soccer game and entertaining them by singing “Mercedes Benz.” “Is it really true that your grandma is Janis Joplin?” I have a FOAF who saw Ms. Joplin. When asked about the show, she said, “Neither she nor I remembered much about it.” ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/51 "2019-07-17T01:14:47Z")
I loved her in [The Rose](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079826/?ref_=nv_sr_3?ref_=nv_sr_3). 😃 Never cottoned to Janis. I completely get what she was doing with her voice and her music. It’s the Blues. It’s not The Magic Flute. You want crystal clear with firm even vibrato? Hike on down to The Met. So, I get it. But I sure never liked it. Always enjoyed Mercedes Benz- but then, it’s the lyrics not her performance that tickles me. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/52 "2019-07-17T13:27:34Z")
I’m not really a fan but I saw the 2015 film [Janis: Little Girl Blue](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3707114/) in the cinema when it came out and thought it was quite fascinating and very watchable. A real insight into her life and music. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/53 "2019-07-17T14:31:16Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > Always enjoyed Mercedes Benz- but then, it’s the lyrics not her performance that tickles me. Mercedes Benz makes me think f the little kid singing My baloney has a first name It’s O-S-C-A-R… It’s not the lyrics, it’s the performance. 🙂 I expect Janis to go “How’s that?” at the finish. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/54 "2019-07-17T22:20:14Z")
Janis Joplin got dragged down by a bad band and lifted up by a good one. Listen to _Big Brother and the Holding Company, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!_, and\* Pearl\*. Three different bands, three different styles. not to mention Janis’ various bouts with addiction and hard living interfering with all three albums. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/55 "2019-07-18T07:16:20Z")
I love her passion, but can understand your opposition. Me? I don’t like The Doors. I don’t like Morrison’s vocals or the imposing keyboard. To each his own. ---
**Author:** ![LaughingSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/laughingsnowman/32/422_2.png) [@LaughingSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaughingSnowman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/56 "2019-07-18T13:12:04Z")
I’m not necessarily a fan, but I can’t deny that she had an original voice. I respect her for the impact and influence she brought to the era/culture even if I don’t willingly seek her music out. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/57 "2019-07-18T19:10:18Z")
I like Janis in small doses, the best two being “Ball and Chain” and “Summertime” off of _Cheap Thrills_. I have to add I like those more for the instrumental bits than the singing. These threads are kind of fun because others’ unexpected viewpoints can be interesting (or not). Take Joni Mitchell for example- some idolize her, but I find when she gets into that affected voice of hers, she sounds like Julia Child after she dropped a 20 pound frozen turkey on her toe. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/58 "2019-07-18T19:48:23Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I love her passion, but can understand your opposition. > > Me? I don’t like The Doors. I don’t like Morrison’s vocals or the imposing keyboard. > > To each his own. [an open letter to 17-year-old boys who just discovered The Doors](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/an-open-letter-to-17-year-old-boys-who-just-discovered-the-doors) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104/59 "2019-07-18T19:50:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s a shame there’s no recordings of her singing in Texas before moving to San Francisco. Next best thing, perhaps? Janis and Jorma K. recorded in his house, June 1964. \*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr2AS3qDR3A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr2AS3qDR3A) \* > [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I like Janis in small doses, the best two being “Ball and Chain” and “Summertime” off of _Cheap Thrills_. Agreed. I kind of liked her at the time, but for me her recordings haven’t aged well. “Summertime” being the shining exception, still a lovely understated performance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-love-janis-joplin/837104.md?page=2)