Happy Bday Janis – Just Jot It January

Current Events, Just Jot It January, Music, , , , ,

Yes, as customary for me lately, I am a day late and probably a dollar short, too – if we were to count and get technical 🙂

Yesterday, January 19, was the birthday of Janis Joplin. I was just an elementary school kid when she was making a name for herself and then burnt up in a star’s cosmic tale tragically dying.

Between Janis, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Duane Allman, Jim Croce, Mama Cass Elliot, and a few others – there was this group of trail blazing musicians/poets/storytellers/performers that graced our presence for a short time, but left us with music and legends that hopefully will live on forever! They will for me, anyway – as I have so many memories connected to their songs.

When my husband and I moved into our first apartment, we didn’t have a lot of money – I was several weeks from turning 18, and he had just tuned 19 several weeks before – so money was tight, and decorating was, well let’s say that of young people. We had two LARGE silk screen prints – one of Janis Joplin and one of Jim Morrison that graced the walls of our living and dining area.

The CD had not been invented yet, and though cassettes existed, albums were still quite desirable. I hit a well known local record store typically once a week for new albums, though some really were old, and other “things” – sometimes the first expenditure from my just received paycheck. (Yes, this was a paper check, as direct deposit didn’t exist back then either – yes now I am laughing, as well!). Damn, times were good back then 🙂

Anyway – realizing it was her birthday brought back some wonderful memories, and since I have been such a slacker lately about writing anything of real substance (this is a blog that is intended to make people think about their world and what’s going on around them after all) – thought I might share a little more about myself and my influences and experiences. At least I am writing 🙂 I’ve been working on the novel a bit, but then got stuck again. It’s a personal thing and I’m working on it.

Here’s a couple videos I hope you will enjoy. Hard choice, as I really love Janis – she speaks to me. I have actually been compared to her a few times, mostly because my voice is deep and raspy – though we really sound nothing alike.

 

And the one me and my “peeps” know and love, and one I’ve been singing, even
a cappella, since high school . . .

 

And of course, the ever-famous and another we sang all the words to 🙂

Hope you enjoy ❤

Just something I was thinking about  . . .

[Also, written in response to Linda Hill’s Just Jot It January Prompt :-)]

jjj-2015

16 thoughts on “Happy Bday Janis – Just Jot It January”

  2. Awesome – it’s 1:45 am here as I read this and I plugged in the headphones and floated away with Janis. She was one of my favs when I was tricking – i could belt it out with Janis as good as anyone. Thanks so much for the memories Sadie. I can certainly see you as a Janis fan. Ha!

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    2. Hi Paul!! For some reason, not surprised you are a Janis fan, either 🙂 So glad it brought back fond memories for you, as well ❤

      I did laugh when I read tricking, but knew what you meant 😉

      You write any new posts lately??

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      1. Yes Ma’am. i do dialysis 3 evenings a week and get used to sleeping evenings and then being up until about 5 am. it works. I’ve done a couple of posts recently. Last Sunday i did a guest post (as usual) over at Willowdot21 https://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/if-we-were-having-coffee-jan-182015-guest-post/ It’s an “If we were having coffee” theme. Last week I did a guest over at Cordelia’s Mom http://cordeliasmomstill.com/2015/01/08/holy-rollers-guest-post-by-paul-curran/ Both are kind of fun (at least to write if not read – Ha!) thanks for asking.

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        1. I didn’t realize you were in dialysis. I’m sorry to hear that & will keep you in my prayers ❤ I'll have to start following willowdot. I follow Cordelia's Mom & thought I had it set up for email notifications – I'll have to check that, 'cause I didn't get an email about it. And for some reason I had to approve this comment – I haven't approved one of your comments since the first one since that's how I set it up – if approved once, no more approvals needed. I've been reading there's been some wanky stuff going on with WP lately. Anyway – going to check out your posts, want to try to read them both before I go to bed, though starting to get sleepy now. Just as a reminder, you know if you ever want to guest post with me, you are certainly welcome. I love your stories (as well as your comments on mine and other's blogs), & your style & it's not like you'd be impeding on my prolific budget of posts 😉 Take care, Paul!

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  6. You hit my sensibilities dead-on with “Mercedes Benz,” Sadie, because Janis let herself show her playful side in the studio on that one, and I felt like she was laughing with us at the rich class we weren’t at the end of it.

    And, yes, like Distant Ships above, “Cry Baby” is another of my favorites, for its wail and sail.

    She did take another little piece of our hearts when she left so young, you got that right, my friend. Our generation had to suffer so much of that with our musicians, as you noted. Thanks for this tribute to your fellow raspy-voiced free spirit.

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  7. I used to hear this woman sing as a little kid and still do, my mother….great fan of Joplin, won´t even ask her what she was doing while listening to her…..
    A great voice for sure lost in drug addiction

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  8. enjoyed this – and these kind of posts break up some of the heavier thinking ones – kinda like a salad with steak! 🙂
    and you know we were just talking about some of the voices like Stevie Nicks and Janis – because sadly I think today woman with voices like that do not really have a chance like they did back then. Now it seems like maya singers perform in studios without any musicians – ha!
    but truly a fun share and someone else mentioned the benz song last week and well, might be cos it was the bdya – and lastly, you and your hubs have been together a long time. congrtas!

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  9. Her version of Me and Bobby McGee is in my list of Top Ten Favorite Tunes of All Time! The funny thing is that the tune, as written, is fairly boring. The melody is a super-snoozer (almost a lullaby), and the chord pattern very simple.

    And Janis and company totally, absolutely, completely blow its doors off! It’s a tune I never get tired of listening to.

    The Dead also have a version that’s really tasty (and musically even a little more intense). I think it’s on the “Skull and Roses” album.

    I sometimes wonder about artists like Janis and Jimi… what would have happened had they lasted longer? Would we remember them the way we do? Would they have gone on to do even greater things, or would they have sunk into repetition and mediocrity? Did part of their magic come from being bright, burning meteors who flamed out?

    (Actually, Jimi was a guitar genius, and I’m pretty sure he would have gone on to even greater heights. Janis was more a very damaged burning soul of pure passion. I suspect her ending was inevitable.)

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