Piece of My Heart

The original version of "Piece of My Heart" was recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma in 1967 for producer Bert Berns' Shout label with the same song on both sides of the 7" vinyl single.[1] Bert Berns wanted Van Morrison, who he was producing at the time, to record the song, but Morrison declined, wanting to do his own material instead.

The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States and also peaked at number sixty-two on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. In Canada, it reached number three on the CKFH Soul Survey. In the United Kingdom and several other European countries, the single was re-released in 1992 due to being featured in a successful Levi's jeans commercial ("Cinderella" AKA "Night and Day" directed by Tarsem Singh). The reissue peaked at number five in Denmark, number nine in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and number 10 in Ireland.

"Piece of My Heart"
Cover of the 1968 Dutch single
Single by Big Brother and the Holding Company
from the album Cheap Thrills
B-side	"Turtle Blues"
Released	August 1968 (1968-08)
Recorded	March 2 – May 20, 1968
Genre	Psychedelic rock[13] blues rock[14]
Length	4:15
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Ragovoy Bert Berns
Producer(s)	John Simon

The song became a bigger pop hit when recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968 with lead singer Janis Joplin.[15][16] The song was taken from the group's album Cheap Thrills, recorded in 1968 and released on Columbia Records. This four-minute, 15-second rendition made it to #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album release was the culmination of a hugely successful year for Joplin with acclaimed performances at the Monterey Pop Festival, Anderson Theater in New York, Wake For Martin Luther King Jr. (with Jimi Hendrix) in New York and on TV's prime-time The Dick Cavett Show.

The song's instrumentation was arranged by Sam Andrew, who also performed three distorted, loud guitar solos giving the song a psychedelic touch. The B-side was "Summertime". Another version had the B-side "Turtle Blues".

Franklin said in an interview that when she first heard Joplin's version on the radio, she didn't recognize it because of the vocal arrangement.[17] Noted cultural writer Ellen Willis wrote of the difference: "When Franklin sings it, it is a challenge: no matter what you do to me, I will not let you destroy my ability to be human, to love. Joplin seems rather to be saying, surely if I keep taking this, if I keep setting an example of love and forgiveness, surely he has to understand, change, give me back what I have given". In such a way, Joplin used blues conventions not to transcend pain, but "to scream it out of existence".[18]

Until her death in 1970, "Piece of My Heart" was Joplin's biggest chart success and best-known song. ("Me and Bobby McGee”, which Kris Kristofferson wrote, eclipsed "Piece of My Heart" when it appeared after her death in 1970. It went to #1 in 1971). "Piece of My Heart" remains most associated with Joplin and continued to get airplay long after her death. Berns never got to hear Joplin's version, dying of a heart attack on December 30, 1967.[19]

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[20]	Gold	25,000
United States (RIAA)[21]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

"Piece of My Heart"
Single by Faith Hill
from the album Take Me as I Am
B-side	"I Would Be Stronger Than That"
Released	January 13, 1994[22]
Recorded	1993
Genre	Country
Length	4:01
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Ragovoy, Bert Berns
Producer(s)	Scott Hendricks
Faith Hill singles chronology
"Wild One" (1993) "Piece of My Heart" (1994) "But I Will" (1994)

Country artist Faith Hill included the song on her debut album, Take Me as I Am (1993). It was a number one hit for her in 1994. Hill's version took on a more passive tone coupled with traditional country instrumentation. Prior to recording the track, Hill had never heard Janis Joplin's rendition. Hill's producers refused to allow her to listen to the Joplin version until she had completed her own recording.

Hill re-recorded the track for the soundtrack to the TV series King of the Hill, released in 1999. This edgier version can also be found on the 1998 international pressing of her third album, Faith (re-titled "Love Will Always Win" outside the U.S.) and 2001 international greatest hits album There You'll Be. Her original version was included in her 2007 greatest hits album The Hits.

Reggae artist Shaggy covered the song on his self-produced album, Midnite Lover (1997). The single featuring Marsha was a top 10 hit in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, peaking at Number 6 and Number 7, respectively.[28]

A live medley of this song with Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band's 1971 song "Cry Baby" became a hit duet for American rock singer Melissa Etheridge and English soul singer Joss Stone when it was released to iTunes Store after they performed it at the 47th Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005, in tribute to Joplin. She had previously sung it at Woodstock '94 as part of a four-song medley of Joplin tunes.[19]

Etheridge's medley with Joss Stone made number 32 in the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Digital Tracks in April 2005. The performance also signaled Etheridge's first public return from her battle with breast cancer; appearing with her head bald from the effects of chemotherapy.[29] Etheridge also recorded a solo version of "Piece of My Heart" on her 2005 greatest hits album Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled.

"Piece of My Heart"
CD single cover
Single by Beverley Knight
from the album Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight
Released	March 13, 2006
Recorded	2004
Genre	R&B, soul
Length	4:17 (album version) 3:36 (radio edit)
Label	Parlophone
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Ragovoy, Bert Berns
Producer(s)	Jimmy Hogarth
Beverley Knight singles chronology
"Keep This Fire Burning" (2005) "Piece of My Heart" (2006) "No Man's Land" (2007)

On her 2005 Affirmation Tour, English soul singer Beverley Knight performed the song with Ronnie Wood, which encouraged her to make a studio recording of the song. "Piece of My Heart" was the lead single from her 2006 best-of compilation Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight.[30] It peaked inside the top ten of the UK radio airplay chart. The physical single was released on March 13, 2006.

Due to a change in the UK chart rules which allowed singles to chart purely on downloads a week before their physical release, "Piece of My Heart" entered the UK chart at number ninety-three, becoming one of the first singles to do so. It ranked at number sixteen after its physical commercial release. It was her first single to be released as a DVD. It is her longest-running single to date on the UK Singles Chart, spending eleven weeks inside the top seventy-five. It was her thirteenth top forty entry and her seventh top twenty hit on the UK Singles Chart.

• Etta James, on her 1978 album Deep in the Night. Released as a single, it reached #93 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.
• Sammy Hagar, on his 1982 album Standing Hampton. Released as a single, it became a minor hit, reaching #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #67 on the UK Singles Chart.
• Rough Cutt, on their 1985 self-titled debut album. It was released as a single accompanied with a music video.
• Scottish hard rock band Nazareth recorded the song on their 1989 album Snakes 'n' Ladders.

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics