| "Me and Bobby McGee" | |
|---|---|
 Side A of the US single | |
| Single byJanis Joplin | |
| from the albumPearl | |
| B-side | "Half Moon" |
| Released | January 12, 1971 (1971-01-12) |
| Recorded | September 5 – October 1, 1970 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:09 (single version) 4:28 (album version) |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Paul A. Rothchild |
| Music video | |
| "Me and Bobby McGee" onYouTube | |
"Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriterKris Kristofferson and originally performed byRoger Miller.Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster.[1] A posthumously released version byJanis Joplin topped theBillboard Hot 100 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" byOtis Redding.Gordon Lightfoot had previously released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970.Jerry Lee Lewis 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 theNo. 11 song for 1971.
In 2002, the 1971 version of the song byJanis Joplin onColumbia Records was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.[2]
The suggestion for the title was a cordial challenge from producer andMonument Records founderFred Foster 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 ofFederico Fellini'sLa Strada in which a broken, war-torn, inebriated man (played byAnthony Quinn) stares up from the beach at the night's stars, and breaks down sobbing.[3]
The song is the story of two drifters, the narrator and Bobby McGee. The pairhitch a ride from a truck driver and sing as they drive through theAmerican South before making their way westward. They visitCalifornia and then part ways somewhere nearSalinas, 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 the US), the song has been recorded by both male and female singers as a heterosexual love song with only minor differences in the lyrical content.
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.[4]Kenny Rogers and the First Edition recorded the song in May/June 1969, and released it on their albumRuby, Don't Take Your Love To Town in 1969. On the Canadian charts,Gordon Lightfoot'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 1970Statler Brothers' albumBed of Rose's, but was not released as a single.
Kristofferson recorded his own version of the song on his debut albumKristofferson in 1970. Later that year, his version of the song appeared inMonte Hellman'spsychedelicroad movieTwo-Lane Blacktop. Kristofferson also appears briefly singing the song in the 1971Dennis Hopper filmThe Last Movie.
Janis Joplin recorded the song for inclusion on herPearl album only a few days before her death in October 1970. SingerBob Neuwirth taught it to her while Kristofferson was in Peru filmingThe Last Movie with Dennis Hopper.[5] 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.[6]Record World called it a "perfect matching of performer and material".[7] Joplin's version topped the charts to become her only number one single; her version was later ranked No. 148 onRolling Stone's 2004 list ofThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[8]
Pink performed a cover of the song on January 30, 2025 atKia Forum inInglewood, California forFireAid to help with relief efforts for theJanuary 2025 Southern California wildfires.
TheGrateful Dead included this song in many of their live performances, withBob Weir on the vocals.
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S.Billboard Hot Country Singles[9] | 12 |
| U.S.Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[10] | 22 |
| CanadianRPM Country Tracks[11] | 3 |
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaRPM Country Tracks[12] | 1 |
| CanadaRPM Top Singles[13] | 13 |
| South Africa (Springbok)[14] | 7 |
Charley Pride version[edit]
Jerry Lee Lewis version[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
