Piece of My Heart


"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic funk/soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967.
The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a much bigger hit with it. The song has since been remade by several singers, including Dusty Springfield also in 1968, Faith Hill in 1994 and duet version by Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone in 2005.
In 2004, the Big Brother and the Holding Company version was ranked No. 353 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is also included among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Erma Franklin's original recording: 1967

The original version of "Piece of My Heart" was recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma in 1967 for producer Bert Berns' Shout label with the same song on both sides of the 7" vinyl single. Bert Berns wanted Van Morrison, who he was producing at the time, to record the song, but Morrison declined, wanting to do his own material instead.
The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States and also peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. In Canada, it reached number three on the CKFH Soul Survey. In the United Kingdom and several other European countries, the single was re-released in 1992 due to being featured in a successful Levi's jeans commercial. The reissue peaked at number five in Denmark, number nine in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and number 10 in Ireland.

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Janis Joplin version

The song became a bigger pop hit when recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968 with lead singer Janis Joplin. The song was taken from the group's album Cheap Thrills, recorded in 1968 and released on Columbia Records. This four-minute, 15-second rendition made it to #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album release was the culmination of a hugely successful year for Joplin with acclaimed performances at the Monterey Pop Festival, Anderson Theater in New York, Wake For Martin Luther King Jr. in New York and on TV's prime-time The Dick Cavett Show.
The song's instrumentation was arranged by Sam Andrew, who also performed three distorted, loud guitar solos giving the song a psychedelic touch. The B-side was "Summertime". Another version had the B-side "Turtle Blues".
Franklin said in an interview that when she first heard Joplin's version on the radio, she didn't recognize it because of the vocal arrangement. Noted cultural writer Ellen Willis wrote of the difference: "When Franklin sings it, it is a challenge: no matter what you do to me, I will not let you destroy my ability to be human, to love. Joplin seems rather to be saying, surely if I keep taking this, if I keep setting an example of love and forgiveness, surely he has to understand, change, give me back what I have given". In such a way, Joplin used blues conventions not to transcend pain, but "to scream it out of existence".
Until her death in 1970, "Piece of My Heart" was Joplin’s biggest chart success and best-known song.. "Piece of My Heart" remains most associated with Joplin and continued to get airplay long after her death. Berns never got to hear Joplin's version, dying of a heart attack on December 30, 1967.

Faith Hill version: 1994

artist Faith Hill included the song on her debut album, Take Me as I Am. It was a number one hit for her in 1994. Hill's version took on a more passive tone coupled with traditional country instrumentation. Prior to recording the track, Hill had never heard Janis Joplin's rendition. Hill's producers refused to allow her to listen to the Joplin version until she had completed her own recording.
Hill re-recorded the track for the soundtrack to the TV series King of the Hill, released in 1999. This edgier version can also be found on the 1998 international pressing of her third album, Faith and 2001 international greatest hits album There You'll Be. Her original version was included in her 2007 greatest hits album The Hits.
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Chart Position
Canada Country Tracks 13
US Country Songs 22

Shaggy version: 1997

artist Shaggy covered the song on his self-produced album, Midnite Lover. The single featuring Marsha was a top 10 hit in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, peaking at Number 6 and Number 7, respectively.

Melissa Etheridge/Joss Stone version: 2005

A live medley of this song with Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band's 1971 song "Cry Baby" became a hit duet for American rock singer Melissa Etheridge and English soul singer Joss Stone when it was released to iTunes Store after they performed it at the 47th Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005, in tribute to Joplin. She had previously sung it at Woodstock '94 as part of a four-song medley of Joplin tunes.
Etheridge's medley with Joss Stone made number 32 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Digital Tracks in April 2005. The performance also signaled Etheridge's first public return from her battle with breast cancer; appearing with her head bald from the effects of chemotherapy. Etheridge also recorded a solo version of "Piece of My Heart" on her 2005 greatest hits album .

Beverley Knight version: 2006

On her 2005 Affirmation Tour, English soul singer Beverley Knight performed the song with Ronnie Wood, which encouraged her to make a studio recording of the song. "Piece of My Heart" was the lead single from her 2006 best-of compilation Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight. It peaked inside the top ten of the UK radio airplay chart. The physical single was released on March 13, 2006.
Due to a change in the UK chart rules which allowed singles to chart purely on downloads a week before their physical release, "Piece of My Heart" entered the UK chart at number ninety-three, becoming one of the first singles to do so. It ranked at number sixteen after its physical commercial release. It was her first single to be released as a DVD. It is her longest-running single to date on the UK Singles Chart, spending eleven weeks inside the top seventy-five. It was her thirteenth top forty entry and her seventh top twenty hit on the UK Singles Chart.

Personnel