Sept 25th in Pop History

On this day, September 25th, in:

• 1970 - Janis Joplin recorded Me and Bobby McGee, just 10 days before her tragic death. 

Me and Bobby McGee is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster. The song was originally performed by Roger Miller in 1969, and subsequently by at least a dozen other prominent artists, from Johnny Cash to Dolly. But only this posthumously released version by Janis Joplin in 1970, topped the charts — her record went all the way to # 1 on the U.S. Singles chart in early 1971. That made it only the second posthumously released # 1 single ever in chart history, following after Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay, by Otis Redding. It might be noted that 50s rock and roller Jerry Lee Lewis also released a version of Me and Bobby McGee that reached # 1 in 1971, but that was on the country charts, not the Billboard Pop charts. This song will forever be associated with the much beloved and much played version by Janis Joplin. 

Kristofferson (who wrote the song) did not even know Janis Joplin had recorded it until after her death. The first time he heard her recording of it was the day after she died (she died on Oct. 4th). Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single, and in 2004, her version of this song was ranked # 148 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Billboard ranked Joplin's record as the # 11 song for the year 1971. 

Listen on Spotify (link below):

Me and Bobby McGee by Janis Joplin

And continuing on Sept. 25th…

• 1965 - The Rolling Stones released the single Get Off Of My Cloud 

• 1967 - The Beatles began recording Fool On The Hill at Abbey Road Studios in London

Also, on this day in… 

• 1976 - If You Leave Me Now from Chicago was the new # 1 on the Easy Listening chart 

• 1976 - Frampton Comes Alive!  by Peter Frampton stood alone at the top of the Album chart for the eighth week.  Silk Degrees from Boz Scaggs was a strong second, followed close behind by Linda Ronstadt's Hasten Down the Wind in third