Resurrection Jukebox 2015 Day 2 Janis

Sometimes I wish for a magic fix to a problem. I look at the artists we write about for this jukebox, and see so much death. Yes, people die, but the quantity of these singers and songwriters causing their own deaths saddens me. I cannot accept that it was simply time for these artists. Jimi Hendrix. Kurt Cobain. Amy Winehouse. Gone now, all gone.

Are singers more fragile than other performers? A band seems to force people together, with less respite than other arts. Television shows go on hiatus. Movies are made and the actors disperse to work somewhere else with other actors. What steam valve do musicians have, and how does it work? Fame gets in the way of a normal life; with an absence of ordinariness, what acts as a restraint?

Soloists have it worse. The spotlight is on that lone person, and the pressure must be enormous. Sappy as it sounds, one good friend is a godsend for someone so alone. One person to say what no one else will. "You're acting like an idiot," "Don't put that garbage into your body," "He's lying to you." I wish Jimi, Kurt, Amy, and Janis had possessed such a friend.




JANIS JOPLIN LYRICS
"Mercedes Benz"

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 ?

Everybody!
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 ?

That's it!