Piece of My Heart

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. The song reached number 10 on the R&B charts in the U.S., and also peaked at number sixty-two on the U.S. Pop Singles chart. In the UK, the single was re-released in 1992, due to a successful Levi's jeans commercial ("Cinderella" AKA "Night and Day" directed by Tarsem Singh), when it peaked inside the UK Singles Chart at number nine.

Overview

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 rendition made it to number twelve on the U.S. pop chart. The song's instrumentation was arranged by Sam Andrew, who also performed three distorted, loud guitar solos giving the song a psychedelic touch.

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".

Overview

Country artist Faith Hill included the song on her debut album, Take Me as I Am (1993). 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 1998. This edgier version can also be found on the 1998 international pressing of her third album, Faith (re-titled "Love Will Always Win" outside the U.S.) and 2001 international greatest hits album There You'll Be. Her original version was included in her 2007 greatest hits album The Hits.

Melissa Etheridge/Joss Stone version: 2005

A live medley of this song with Janis Joplin & 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. The lively event reached number thirty-two on 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 Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled.

Overview

The most recent remake of "Piece of My Heart" to chart was by English soul singer Beverley Knight in 2006.

On her 2005 Affirmation Tour, Beverley performed the song to great critical acclaim and her fans along 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.

Other Versions

The song appeared on "Home," the debut album of Delaney & Bonnie, released in 1969, with Bonnie Bramlett on lead vocals and backing musicians including Booker T. & the MGs.

The song was featured in an episode of Parenthood (2010 TV series) offering some music history in the process. Guest star CeeLo Green and band were portrayed recording 2 versions as part of a tribute to co-composer Ragovoy who had recently died. The musicians returned to the studio (owned by 2 of the show's main characters) because Green said he realized he wasn't doing the song justice by trying the emulate Janis Joplin's arrangement, and choosing to record a more soulful rendition in the style of Erma Franklin.

Track listings and formats

1. "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
2. "Keep This Fire Burning" (live)

1. "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
2. "Let It Be" (live)
3. "Come as You Are" (live)
4. "Piece of My Heart" (video)

1. "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
2. "Made It Back" (featuring Redman) (original version)

Personnel

Other notable cover versions