History Music / JanisJoplin

Janis was a huge fan of blues singer [[https://youtu.be/e3W0AUgWBl0 Bessie Smith]], the "Empress of the Blues." She identified so powerfully with her that she suspected she was Bessie's reincarnation. Bessie was buried in Philadelphia in an unmarked grave, so Janis, along with Bessie's former housekeeper Juanita Green, designed and paid for a beautiful stone inscribed "The Greatest Blues Singer in the World Will Never Stop Singing."

* IAmNotShazam: Before she made it big, people assumed that ''she'' was the "Big Brother" of Big Brother and the Holding company.

* TheBandMinusTheFace: Believe it or not, Big Brother and the Holding Company still exists today, with two members of the ''Cheap Thrills'' lineup, no less..

* ACappella: "Mercedes Benz" is an a cappella song written by singer Janis Joplin with the poets Michael [=McClure=] and Bob Neuwirth. In the song, the singer asks the Lord to buy her a Mercedes-Benz, a color TV, and a "night on the town."

* MetalScream: Very often, most famously in "Piece of My Heart." This is arguably the vocal style she is most famous for performing.

* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: The [[https://www.rocksoffmag.com/janis-joplin-nude-portrait/ story]] behind the iconic photo of Joplin in the nude is that she showed up for a 1967 photo session with photographer Bob Seidemann, in which the idea was that she'd be topless but wearing a cape and some beads, and would be shot from the waist up only. But after shooting a few rolls of film, Joplin exclaimed "Oh, motherf***er! I want to take my f***ing clothes off!" and started undressing. Seidemann tried to stop her, but she stripped off and he went on to take pictures of her. They weren't released until 1972, but soon become among the most memorable photos of the era.

* ACappella: "Mercedes Benz" is an a cappella song written by singer Janis Joplin with the poets Michael [=McClure=] and Bob Neuwirth. In the song, the singer asks the Lord to buy her a Mercedes-Benz, a color TV, and a "night on the town".

* ACappella: "Mercedes Benz". It is an a cappella song written by singer Janis Joplin with the poets Michael [=McClure=] and Bob Neuwirth. In the song, the singer asks the Lord to buy her a Mercedes-Benz, a color TV, and a "night on the town".
* TheBandMinusTheFace: Believe it or not, Big Brother and the Holding Company still exists today (with two members of the ''Cheap Thrills'' lineup, no less).
* BiTheWay: She had romantic and sexual relationships with both men and women.
* BrokenBird: This poor woman had a tough life.
* CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven: "Rock and Roll Heaven" by the Righteous Brothers imagines [[CelebrityElegy Joplin with several deceased other musicians]] -- including Music/JimiHendrix, Music/OtisRedding, Music/JimMorrison, Music/JimCroce, and Music/BobbyDarin -- in Heaven together forming a hell of a band, band, band!
** She also appears in the Creator/StephenKing short story "[[Literature/NightmaresAndDreamscapes You Know They Got a Hell of a Band]]", which (unsurprisingly) puts a very dark spin on this idea.
* TheCoverChangesTheGender: In the original version of "Me and Bobby [=McGee=]" Bobby was a woman.
* CoverVersion: Most (though not all) of her material. In many cases, her songs are the most famous versions. Some of these songs, such as Bobby Womack's "Trust Me", were written for her specifically.
* DrowningMySorrows: Although her public persona was very much that of a HardDrinkingPartyGirl, it's not implausible to read her alcohol and drug use as her way of attempting to cope with her awful life.
* DueToTheDead: Early blues singer Bessie Smith was Janis' idol. When Janis discovered that Smith was buried in an unmarked grave, she got together with Smith's old housekeeper and paid for a proper tombstone to be put up.
* EpicRocking: Her songs could get pretty long, especially when she was fronting Big Brother and the Holding Company. "Ball and Chain", running at more than nine minutes, is probably the most famous example on record (and possibly also the longest).
* TheFunInFuneral: She left her friends $2,500 in her will to "have a ball after I'm gone."
* GoingCommando: Reportedly, she stopped wearing undergarments once she became famous.
* GrievousBottleyHarm: Once hit a drunk [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]] with a beer bottle.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Famously had a bottle of Southern Comfort with her at all times.

* IWantSong: "Mercedes Benz"
* [[KavorkaMan Kavorka Woman]]: Possibly an example of this trope, since she wasn't considered particularly beautiful in her time, but still managed to have quite a lot of romantic and sexual relationships. On the other hand, she may also be an example of HollywoodHomely to some.
* KidsAreCruel: She was bullied relentlessly as a child (to the point that she didn't make any friends until high-school, and even then, there were only a few) simply because she didn't hate black people.
** Didn't help she wasn't a conventional beauty or mind; in college, she was voted "Ugliest Man".
* LadyDrunk: Southern Comfort was her drink of choice.

* OneManSong: "Me And Bobby [=McGee=]".
* OneSteveLimit: Averted, as she and a then-teenage Music/JanisIan (of "At Seventeen" and "Society's Child" fame) were friends for a time. In her autobiography, ''Society's Child'', Janis Ian recalls that when the two of them were in public, Janis Joplin would often introduce ''herself'' as "The Other Janis," although it was Joplin who was the bigger star. However, she would not allow the younger Janis to see her doing heroin, sending her away with a "Kid, it's time for you to go now."
* TheOneThatGotAway: Apparently [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]] was in love with her, even (no, especially) after the GrievousBottleyHarm incident above. As you can probably guess, Janis didn't return those feelings, and Jim was crushed.

* ReallyGetsAround: Her sexual appetite was substantial, and she was arguably the first female rock star to be completely unashamed of her sexuality.

* ShoutOut: The line ''I met a girl who sang the blues'' in Music/DonMcLean's ''Music/AmericanPie'' is supposedly about her.

* [[SirSwearsALot Lady Swears-a-Lot]]: She swore like a sailor, particularly once she became famous. Examples can be found on this very page.
* SmokyVoice: Downplayed example, since she didn't really live long enough for this trope to affect her voice. (On the other hand, you can ''hear'' the Southern Comfort in her vocals.)
* SomethingBlues: "Turtle Blues" and her album ''I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!'' (with the Kozmic Blues Band)
* UnkemptBeauty: Her hair is iconic.

** Music/LeonardCohen's "Chelsea Hotel #2" from ''Music/NewSkinForTheOldCeremony'' is ''definitely'' about her. (Cohen later expressed regret for some of the song's IntercourseWithYou lyrics.)
** And ironically, "Me And Bobby [=McGee=]" may well have been written about her.