From Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash to The Grateful Dead and Olivia Newton-John, the story of Bobby McGee has continued to live on in music history. The song has become a beloved classic, covered by over 50 artists over the years. "Me and Bobby McGee" became Joplin's only number one hit and is widely considered one of the greatest songs of all time. Numerous artists including Gordon Lightfoot, Charley Pride and Kenny Rogers, covered the song before Janis Joplin's version, which was posthumously released on her 1971 album Pearl. Miller's recording led to a huge influx of interest from other singers of all different genres. In 1969, Roger Miller first recorded the song, which peaked at number 12 on the country charts. It could tell a completely different story depending on who is singing it. He has also recorded many songs and appeared in several movies. This was written by Kris Kristofferson, who has written hundreds of songs for a wide variety of artists. Kacey wrote Merry Go ‘Round, a song illustrating the vicious cycle of keeping up appearances in impoverished, conservative, rural areas. Kristofferson changed the details, mentioning California and Kentucky to focus on the American experience, but that same raw emotion is evident in the lyrics.ĭue to the gender-neutral name of "Bobby" male and female artists gravitated to cover the song. Me And Bobby McGee was Joplin's only top 10 hit. the World: the Defense Exclusive white men, Isaiah Berlin, and a weak (but a laborious) defense for country music, and how its better than you think it is. The emotional feeling at the end of the film dictated the lyrics and overall mood of the song. He's drunk and ends up howling at the stars on the beach." That night, Quinn goes to a bar and gets in a fight. He asks, 'Where did you hear that song?' And she tells him it was this little girl who had showed up in town, and nobody knew where she was from, and later she died. "Later in the film, he sees this woman hanging out the wash and singing the melody that the girl used to play on the trombone. He got to the point where he couldn't put up with her anymore and left her by the side of the road while she was sleeping," Kristofferson told Performing Songwriter. For some reason, I thought of 'La Strada,' this Fellini film, and a scene where Anthony Quinn is going around on this motorcycle and Giulietta Masina is the feeble-minded girl with him, playing the trombone. "There was a Mickey Newbury song that was going through my mind-'Why You Been Gone So Long?' It had a rhythm that I really liked. Kristofferson found inspiration for his lyrics from a film, as he explained to Performing Songwriter: When he pitched the title to Kristofferson, he misheard the name as "Me and Bobby McGee," and the name stuck. Co-written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, this iconic song was first conceptualized with just a title - inspired by a real person.įoster had a bit of a crush on Barbara "Bobbie" McKee who was a secretary on Nashville's music row. "Me and Bobby McGee" has become a rock classic over the years.