Mercedes Benz (song)
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"Mercedes Benz", also known as "The Politician", is an a cappella song sung by Janis Joplin, in which she asks the "Lord" to buy her a Mercedes-Benz, a color TV, and a "night on the town".
Joplin wrote "Mercedes Benz" together with the poet Michael McClure and Bob Neuwirth, as a social commentary on how people relate happiness to money and material possessions. In the song she asks God to give her the things she has "earned". The song was recorded in one-take[1].
Note that the song title, as listed on the album Pearl (1971), contains no hyphen; the automobile brand name is hyphenated.
[edit] Background
The song references "Dialing for Dollars", which refers to an old segment carried on many local TV shows, which required one to be watching the show in order to win.
"Mercedes Benz" (along with a couple rowdy verses of "Happy Birthday", sung for John Lennon) were recorded on October 1, 1970, and were the last songs Joplin ever recorded; she died on October 4th.
[edit] Use in the media
The song has been used a couple of times in car adverts. Mercedes-Benz used the song in commercials for their cars [2], creating irony. The song was originally written as something of a negative commentary about materialistic individuals who place too much value on items like a Mercedes-Benz. The song heavily reflects Joplin's view of what she saw as a materialistic world.
Joplin's sister owned the rights to the song and allowed Mercedes to use it. In 2007, Mercedes-Benz once again used this song in a commercial.
In addition, a commercial for the BMW Z3 had the driver listening to the tape, frowning after Mercedes-Benz was mentioned, and throwing the tape out of the car after the Porsche quote.
Also, the legendary pianist Glenn Gould used the song prominently in the third and final radio documentary he made for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This documentary, The Quiet In The Land, is part of what is often referred to as Gould's Solitude Trilogy.
[edit] Cover versions
- In 1972, the song was covered by the Goose Creek Symphony, which became their most well-known hit.
- In 1992, French Canadian pop star Mitsou recorded a dance-pop cover version of the song on her EP Heading West.
- In 1995 a cover was made by a Dutch pop/dance band T-Spoon.
- In 1998 former Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke included a version of the song on his album Rubber.
- In 2000 a remix was made and included on Greatest Hits collections of Joplin. While the original song was a cappella, the remix added a beat. Joplin's singing voice was left untouched, played against a background melody.
- In 2001, the key line was interpolated into the opera Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy
- In 2008, a translated version in Dutch was recorded by Jan Rot & Marjolein Meijers on their album "An + Jan gaan landelijk.
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