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Me and Bobby McGee
Posted on 2/2/16 at 2:36 pm
Posted on 2/2/16 at 2:36 pm
This is one of my favorite songs of all time (and not just because it mentions Baton Rouge in the first line.)
We all know Kris Kristofferson wrote it (and BTW, I think he ended up being by far the wealthiest Highwayman).
I definitely prefer Janis' version to any other. It just has a better feel and execution - and Big Brother and the Holding Company are absolutely on fire.
I have a question pertaining to the lyrics. I'm going to assume that the "original" lyrics are the ones that appeared in the Roger Miller version, which was the first to be released. Specifically:
Contrast that with Janis' slightly different take:
Which do you prefer? How much difference (if any) in meaning would you say there is due to the seemingly small shift?
My interpretation of the original is "someone who has chosen an itinerant existence like the narrator takes what they can get. He/she understands that freedom is probably an over-rated code word for someone that could have made different decisions, buy they need to rationalize those choices".
My interpretation of Janis' is from the viewpoint of someone who is admitting outright that supposed freedom has been over-rated and that the costs of such "freedom" are often high.
I only ever noticed the difference when I was listening to Willie's version: LINK It's got some really good pickin' at the beginning.
We all know Kris Kristofferson wrote it (and BTW, I think he ended up being by far the wealthiest Highwayman).
I definitely prefer Janis' version to any other. It just has a better feel and execution - and Big Brother and the Holding Company are absolutely on fire.
I have a question pertaining to the lyrics. I'm going to assume that the "original" lyrics are the ones that appeared in the Roger Miller version, which was the first to be released. Specifically:
quote:
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free
Contrast that with Janis' slightly different take:
quote:
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose, Nothing don't mean nothing honey if it ain't free
Which do you prefer? How much difference (if any) in meaning would you say there is due to the seemingly small shift?
My interpretation of the original is "someone who has chosen an itinerant existence like the narrator takes what they can get. He/she understands that freedom is probably an over-rated code word for someone that could have made different decisions, buy they need to rationalize those choices".
My interpretation of Janis' is from the viewpoint of someone who is admitting outright that supposed freedom has been over-rated and that the costs of such "freedom" are often high.
I only ever noticed the difference when I was listening to Willie's version: LINK It's got some really good pickin' at the beginning.
5
Posted on 2/2/16 at 2:50 pm to BrotherEsau
quote:
Grateful Dead
That version literally took everything that made the song great and just shite on it. It's void of it's nostalgic property and why the song is a classic in the first place. It sounds like something Jimmy Buffet would do.
Posted on 2/2/16 at 2:56 pm to dnm3305
quote:
That version literally took everything that made the song great and just shite on it. It's void of it's nostalgic property and why the song is a classic in the first place. It sounds like something Jimmy Buffet would do.
It's closer to straight country than anything else. I don't mind it, but certainly nowhere near as good as the more iconic renditions.
Posted on 2/2/16 at 4:56 pm to Big Scrub TX
The first one.
How could hippies even talk and write about freedom,then get it published,if they didn't already have it?
Can't put a value on something that we are all born with. We always have it,some of us trade it off cheaply though.
How could hippies even talk and write about freedom,then get it published,if they didn't already have it?
Can't put a value on something that we are all born with. We always have it,some of us trade it off cheaply though.
This post was edited on 2/2/16 at 5:07 pm
Posted on 2/2/16 at 7:06 pm to auggie
quote:
How could hippies even talk and write about freedom,then get it published,if they didn't already have it?
Can't put a value on something that we are all born with. We always have it,some of us trade it off cheaply though.
Dafuq?
Posted on 2/2/16 at 7:23 pm to Big Scrub TX
quote:
and BTW, I think he ended up being by far the wealthiest Highwayman).
Wow. This is wrong. Actually he ranks 4 out of the 4 Highwayman. Where did you get this information?
quote:
I definitely prefer Janis' version to any other.
Kris gave it to her. And he agrees her version is awesome.
quote:--- I like this version.
Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free
Kris worked off coast of Louisiana in the oil rigs. he wrote that song during that time.
Posted on 2/2/16 at 7:43 pm to Nativebullet
quote:
Wow. This is wrong. Actually he ranks 4 out of the 4 Highwayman. Where did you get this information?
Well, it would be my guess to start off with because he wrote so many songs and had a Hollywood career also and because he is notably intelligent (Rhodes Scholar). Also, I know that Jesse Colter auctioned off all of Waylon's stuff in 2014, which certainly can't bode well for the size of the estate he left.
Some simple googling around for net worth yields the following:
Kris - $160 million
Willie - $25 Million
As a comparison, Hank Jr. (often thought to be "the 5th highwayman") is listed at $45 Million.
LINK
Johnny - Hard to tell, but looks like 100-150 million when he died
Waylon - Hard to know exactly what they mean, but estimates $7M when he died
Posted on 2/3/16 at 6:20 am to Big Scrub TX
i see what you are saying. i was figuring in their "estates" and current value even after their death.
Posted on 2/3/16 at 7:04 am to auggie
quote:
Me and Bobby McGee by auggie
The first one.
How could hippies even talk and write about freedom,then get it published,if they didn't already have it?
Can't put a value on something that we are all born with. We always have it,some of us trade it off cheaply though.
I have no idea what's going on.
Posted on 2/3/16 at 7:50 am to Big Scrub TX
Kris' version was always my favorite. There is something about the energy of a song being sung by the author that feels different. Loved Janis' version too...but Kris' is the best to me.
Posted on 2/3/16 at 7:56 am to Big Scrub TX
This is one of those songs that I can sort of appreciate in theory but I've heard it far too many times to not be more than a little annoyed when I hear it this far down the road.
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