John Lennon’s Connection To Janis Joplin’s Last Recording
Listen to the heartfelt relic of rock ‘n’ roll history.
By Andy Kahn Oct 4, 2023 • 8:09 am PDT
Janis Joplin was like a fireworks display. Brilliantly explosive, colorful and stunning, bombastic and captivating, a kaleidoscopic wonder burning loud and brightly that ends nearly as soon as it starts. Like far too many others in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, Joplin’s legacy is one of admiration and contemplation.
The question of “what if?” lingers.
Age 27 at the time of her tragic death, Joplin released only three albums in her lifetime. A fourth, Pearl, was posthumously released the year after her death.
Advertisement
Joplin’s two albums with Big Brother & The Holding Company, 1967’s self-titled debut and 1968’s Cheap Thrills, immediately established the Port Arthur, Texas native as one of the all-time iconic voices in rock ‘n’ roll. Incorporating influences from pioneering Black musicians like Big Mama Thornton, Bessie Smith and Leadbelly, Joplin’s unparalleled vocal delivery and thrilling stage performances put her in the center of the late-1960s counter-cultural movement.
Released as a solo album, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! was delivered in 1969 and featured a new backing group, the the Kozmic Blues Band. In 1970, Joplin’s career evolved again as she formed a new supporting group called the Full Tilt Boogie Band. The same year, Joplin toured Canada on the Festival Express train tour with the likes of the Grateful Dead and The Band.
According to the bio on www.janisjoplin.com, around that same time period:
“[Joplin’s] musical evolution followed the earthier, rootsier direction of the new decade, as reflected in her final studio album, the landmark Pearl. Embracing material such as Kris Kristofferson’s gorgeous country ballad “Me And Bobby McGee” and her own a cappella plaint, “Mercedes Benz,” the disc showcased Joplin’s mastery of virtually all pop genres.
The latter song was, along with a phone-message birthday greeting for John Lennon, the last thing she recorded; she died in October of 1970, and Pearl was released posthumously the following year.
Advertisement
Recorded on October 1, 1970, just days before Lennon’s 30th birthday on October 9, Joplin’s celebratory message to The Beatles guitarist was the final time her voice was recorded in a studio. Sadly, on October 4, Joplin died of an accidental drug overdose cutting short her life at just 27 years old.
Joplin was prompted to record the message to Lennon, which included a bit of the song “Happy Trails,” at the request of Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono. One of several people asked by Ono to share a message for John’s 30th birthday, Joplin recorded the endearing “until we meet again” message without having met Lennon before.
In 1971, Lennon and Ono appeared on an episode of The Dick Cavett Show and the subject of Joplin’s final recording came up during his interview with host Dick Cavett. Lennon explained to Cavett:
“We [he and Joplin] didn’t meet, but she sent me a birthday tape on my birthday. Last birthday, Yoko asked all different people to make a tape for me, and she was one of them. And we got it after she died. It arrived in the post, and she was singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me in the studio.”
Listen to Janis Joplin’s final recording, a birthday message to The Beatles’ John Lennon, below:
