11. Janis Joplin, The First Queen Of Rock & Roll And Prominent Music And Protest Figure Of The 1960s, Has A Mercedes Benz Song.

On August 8, 1970, Janis Joplin was sitting at Vahsen’s Bar (later Little Dick’s Bar) before a gig with a few friends in Port Chester, north of New York City. Suddenly, she sang a song with the words Come on God and Buy Me a Mercedes Benz by poet Michael McLure. The others started to tap their glasses on the bar to the rhythm.

Janis and her songwriter friend Bob Neuwirth improvised a new version of the song and wrote the lyrics on bar napkins. Hours later, Janis Joplin was on stage at the famous Capitol Theatre. She told her fans about the afternoon at the bar next to the concert hall and started singing Mercedes Benz song.

The song was well received. The message was clear to everyone: Personal happiness and self-esteem had nothing to do with consumption, possessions, and wealth.

Months after the concert, the legendary American singer was in the studio to record songs for her next album, Pearl. (Her friends called her Pearl). Joplin did not see the completion of the album.

Janis sang Mercedes Benz exactly once, and it was perfect. It was her last recording. Three days later, she died in Landmark Motor hotel (now the Highland Gardens Hotel). The autopsy later classified her death as a consequence of a heroin overdose.

Janis Joplin never had a Mercedes. She drove a 1964 Porsche 356 convertible brightly painted with psychedelic patterns by her friend Dave Richards for $500. After 20 years in the exhibition of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Joplin family had the Porsche with hippie art auctioned in New York, and a female fan aged 60 bought it for 1.76 million dollars.

Her musician friend Bobby Womack wrote in his autobiography that he gave Janis a ride in his new Mercedes-Benz 600, which tempted her to write the lyrics.

Mercedes used this song in TV commercials several times, such as 2011 Super Bowl broadcast.

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me
I wait for delivery each day until three
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down
Prove that you love me and buy the next round
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town?

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?