"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

and originally performed by

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country and pop hits " King of the Road", " Dang Me", and "Eng ...

Fred Foster Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbison, and was also ...

shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posthumously released version by

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence. ...

topped the U.S. singles chart in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "

(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was recorded by Redding twice in 1967, including once just three days before his death in a plane crash on December 10, 1967. Th ...

" by

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1 ...

released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970.

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance On Me." ''Billboard'' ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.

History

The suggestion for the title was a cordial challenge from producer and Monument Records founder

to Kris Kristofferson. The titular character was named for a studio secretary, Barbara "Bobbie" McKee, but Kristofferson had misheard her surname. He explained that he was trying to convey the despair of the last scene of

Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most ...

’s ''

La Strada ''La strada'' () is a 1954 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini and co-written by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano. The film tells the story of Gelsomina, a simple-minded young woman (Giulietta Masina) bought from her mother ...

'' in which a broken, war-torn, inebriated man (played by

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental v ...

) stares up from the beach at the night's stars, and breaks down sobbing.

Narrative

The song is the story of two drifters, the narrator and Bobby McGee. The pair hitch a ride from a truck driver and sing as they drive through the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

before making their way westward to California. They visit California and then part ways, with the song's narrator expressing sadness afterwards. Due to the singer's name never being mentioned and the name "Bobby" being gender-neutral (especially in America), the song has been recorded by both male and female singers with only minor differences in the lyrical content.

Recordings and notable performances

Roger Miller was the first artist to record the song (in May 1969), and it appeared at No. 12 on the U.S. country chart in 1969. Kenny Rogers and The First Edition recorded the song in May/June 1969, and released it on their album ''

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife "paints erselfup" to go out for the evening without him; he believes she is going in search of a lover. As he hears the ...

'' in 1969. On the Canadian charts,

's version (recorded in November 1969) hit No. 13 on the pop music chart and No. 1 on the country music chart in 1970. The song was included on the 1970 Statler Brothers album '' Bed of Rose's'', but was not released as a single. Kris Kristofferson recorded his own version of the song on his debut album '' Kristofferson'' in 1970. Later that year, his version of the song appeared in

Monte Hellman Monte Hellman (; born Monte Jay Himmelbaum; July 12, 1929 – April 20, 2021) was an American film director, producer, writer, and editor. Hellman began his career as an editor's apprentice at ABC TV, and made his directorial debut with the ho ...

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...

road movie ''

Two-Lane Blacktop ''Two-Lane Blacktop'' is a 1971 American road movie directed by Monte Hellman, written by Rudy Wurlitzer and starring songwriter James Taylor, the Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird. Plot Two street racers, t ...

''. Kristofferson also appears briefly singing the song in the 1971

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in '' Giant'' (1956). In the next ten year ...

film ''

The Last Movie ''The Last Movie'' is a 1971 metafictional drama film directed and edited by Dennis Hopper, who also stars in the leading role as a horse wrangler named after the state of Kansas. It is written by Stewart Stern, based on a story by Hopper and Ste ...

''. Janis Joplin recorded the song for inclusion on her ''

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

'' album only a few days before her death in October 1970. Kris Kristofferson had sung the song for her, and singer

Bob Neuwirth Robert John Neuwirth (June 20, 1939May 18, 2022) was an American folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and visual artist. He was noted for being the road manager and associate of Bob Dylan, as well as the co-writer of Janis Joplin's hit ...

taught it to her. Kris Kristofferson did not know she had recorded the song until after her death. The first time he heard her recording of it was the day after she died. Janis Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single and was ranked later No. 148 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of

the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

Roger Miller version

Gordon Lightfoot version

Janis Joplin version

Charley Pride version

Jerry Lee Lewis version

Year-end charts

Certifications

Janis Joplin's version

Selected list of recorded versions

*1969

- album ''Roger Miller'' *1969

Roy Clark Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted '' Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influe ...

- album ''The Everlovin' Soul of Roy Clark'' *1969

The Stonemans Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade. Biography Born in a log cabin in Monarat (Iron Ridge), Carroll Coun ...

- album ''Dawn of the Stonemans' Age'' *1969 Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - album ''

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife "paints erselfup" to go out for the evening without him; he believes she is going in search of a lover. As he hears the ...

'' *1970 Charley Pride - album '' Just Plain Charley'' *1970

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

- album '' Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks'' *1970

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers ...

- album '' Bed of Rose's'' *1970

- album ''

Sit Down Young Stranger ''Sit Down Young Stranger'' is Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot's fifth studio album and his best-selling original album. Shortly after its 1970 release on the Reprise Records label, it was renamed ''If You Could Read My Mind'' when the song of t ...

'' *1970

- album '' Kristofferson'', this version also appears in the film ''

'' *1970

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

- album ''Rock Around the Country'' *1970 Sam The Sham - single "Me And Bobby McGee/Key To The Highway" (Atlantic #2757) *1971

Dave Dudley Dave Dudley (born David Darwin Pedruska; May 3, 1928 – December 22, 2003) was an American country music singer best known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s and his semi-slurred bass. His signature song was " Six Day ...

- album ''Will the Real Dave Dudley Please Sing'' *1971 John Mogensen as "Carsten Levin" _Danish - single, featured on the album ''John'' (1973) *1971

U.S. number-one single, from the album ''

'' *1971 & 1972

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of "Would You Take Another Chance on Me" / album ''The Killer Rocks On'' *1971

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most i ...

- album ''Have You Heard...'' *1971

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

- album '' Skull & Roses'' *1971 Loretta Lynn - album '' I Wanna Be Free'' *1971

Lalla Hansson Lars Erik "Lalla" Hansson (born 10 June 1944, in Stockholm) is a Swedish progg, pop and rock singer. He participates/has participated in the music groups Fabulous Four and Idolerna, and as solo singer he has had great prosperities with hits as ...

as "Anna & mej" _Swedish - album '' Upp till Ragvaldsträsk'' scoring a ''

Tio i Topp ''Tio i Topp'' (English: ''Ten At The Top'') was a Swedish record chart and radio program broadcast by Sveriges Radio P3 between the years of 1961 and 1974. It was launched to combat pirate radio charts and was the first official Swedish record ...

'' hit. *1972

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...

- album ''

På Österåker ''Johnny Cash på Österåker'' () is a live album by country singer Johnny Cash released on Columbia Records in 1973, making it his 43rd overall release. The album features Cash's concert at the Österåker Prison in Sweden held on October 3, ...

'' *1972 Charlie McCoy - album ''Charlie McCoy'' *1972

Jeannie C. Riley Jeannie C. Riley (born Jeanne Carolyn Stephenson; October 19, 1945) is an American country music and gospel singer. She is best known for her 1968 country and pop hit "Harper Valley PTA", which missed by one week simultaneously becoming the ''B ...

- album ''Give Myself a Party'' *1973

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

- album ''

Lonesome, On'ry and Mean ''Lonesome, On'ry and Mean'' is an album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1973. It was, after '' Good Hearted Woman'' and '' Ladies Love Outlaws'', the third in a series of albums which were to establish ...

'' *1973 Chet Atkins - album '' Alone'' *1973

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Gramm ...

- album ''

'' *1973

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

- album ''

Let Me Be There "Let Me Be There" is a popular song written by John Rostill. It was first recorded by Olivia Newton-John and released in September 1973 as the second single from her studio album of the same name. The country-influenced song was Newton-John's fir ...

'' *1974

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scot ...

- album ''Lonnie Donegan Meets Leinemann'' *1974

Cornelis Vreeswijk Cornelis Vreeswijk (; ; 8 August 1937 – 12 November 1987) was a Dutch-born Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor. He emigrated to Sweden with his parents in 1949 at the age of twelve. He was educated as a social worker and hoped to becom ...

as "Jag och Bosse Lidén" _Swedish - album ''Getinghonung'' *1979

Gianna Nannini Gianna Nannini (; born 14 June 1954Who Is Who
''Bello e possibile'' ...

as "Io e Bobby McGee" _Italian - album ''

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

'' *1984

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

- album '' Live Europe '83'' album *1990 The Highwaymen - Live: American Outlaws *1994 Melissa Etheridge - album ''Acoustic'' *1997 Loquillo - album ''Compañeros de viaje'' *1999

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chri ...

- album ''

'' *1999

Barb Jungr Barb Jungr (born 9 May 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and theatre writer, who has recorded versions of songs by Bob Dylan, Sting, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen and Leonard Cohen. Career Barb Jungr was born in Rochdale, Lancashi ...

- album '' Bare'' *2002

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

- album '' Country Croonin''' *2002

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series '' Kids I ...

- album '' Bare Naked'' *2002 Waterloo & Robinson as "Ich und BobbyMcGee" _German - album ''Marianne'' *2003 Jerry Jeff Walker - album ''Too Old To Change'' *2004

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

- album ''Live in Europe'' *2005

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...

- album ''

Those Were The Days Those Were the Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''Those Were the Days'' (Johnny Mathis album) (1968) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Cream album) (1997) * ''Those Were the Days'' (Dolly Parton album) (2005) * '' Those Were the Days – The Best of L ...

'' *2005

Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gu ...

- album ''Live In Sydney'' *2006 Dale Ann Bradley - album ''Catch Tomorrow'' *2007 Angela Kalule - ''The Last King of Scotland'' soundtrack *2007

Caroline af Ugglas Caroline Thérese af Ugglas Liljedahl (born 7 April 1972) is a Swedish singer, artist and chorister. Af Ugglas created the format for a televised choir contest, which was picked up by NBC in the United States as the show ''Clash of the Choirs' ...

- album ''Joplin på Svenska'' *2008 Amanda Strydom - album ''kerse teen die donker'' *2010

Crystal Bowersox Crystal Lynn Bowersox (born August 4, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and actress who was the runner-up on the ninth season of ''American Idol''. She was the first female finalist in three years. Bowersox's debut album, ''Farmer's Daug ...

on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

release of studio version from Top 11 week, and Final 2 week, of season 9 *2016 Matt Doyle - album ''Uncontrolled''

References

External links

''New Yorker'' cartoon quoting the song

A SecondHandSongs list of selected artists who covered "Me and Bobby McGee"

FILM:ACOUSTIC - Kris Kristofferson performs "Me and Bobby McGee" and relates ''La Strada''
b
The Modern School of Film
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ArcLight Presents...The Epic Story Behind Janis Joplin’s "Me and Bobby McGee"
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