Piece of My Heart
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Piece of My Heart" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Erma Franklin | ||
| B-side(s) | "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" | |
| Released | 1967 | |
| Recorded | 1967 | |
| Genre | R&B | |
| Length | 2:35 | |
| Label | Shout | |
| Writer(s) | Jerry Ragovoy, Bert Berns | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Erma Franklin singles chronology | ||
| "Big Boss Man" (1967) |
"Piece of My Heart" (1967) |
"Open Up Your Soul" (1967) |
"Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to mainstream attention when Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company performed the song in 1968 on their album Cheap Thrills. The song has been remade by a vast array of singers including Faith Hill and Beverley Knight.
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[edit] Original release
The original version of "Piece of My Heart" was recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma Franklin in 1967. The song was a U.S. top 10 R&B hit and also peaked at number sixty-two on the U.S. pop chart. However, in the UK, the actual single was not released until 1992, where it peaked inside the UK Top 75 Singles at number nine.
[edit] Janis Joplin release
The song became more popular, however, when recorded by Big Brother and the Holding Company in 1968, with lead singer Janis Joplin. The song was taken from the group's album Cheap Thrills, recorded in 1968 and released on Columbia Records. 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.[1]
| "Piece of My Heart" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Beverley Knight | ||
| from the album Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight | ||
| Released | March 13, 2006 | |
| Format | CD single, DVD single, 12" single, digital download | |
| Recorded | 2004 | |
| Genre | R&B/Soul | |
| Length | 3:35 | |
| Label | Parlophone | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Hogarth | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Beverley Knight singles chronology | ||
| "Keep This Fire Burning" (2005) |
"Piece Of My Heart" (2006) |
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| Alternate cover | ||
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| UK DVD single and remix promo single cover | ||
[edit] Beverley Knight release
The most recent remake of "Piece of My Heart" was by English soul singer Beverley Knight in 2006.
On her 2005 Affirmation tour, Beverley performed the song to great critical acclaim and her fans along with Ron Wood, who asked her to perform it with him, encouraged her to make a studio recording of the song. The result was that "Piece of My Heart" became the lead single from her best-of compilation Voice - The Best of Beverley Knight.[2]
Knight's version became one of her biggest hit singles to date, peaking inside the top 10 of the UK radio airplay chart. The physical single was released on 13 March 2006, however, due to a change in UK chart rules allowing singles to chart purely on downloads a week before their physical release, "Piece Of My Heart" became one of the first ever singles to do so, entering the UK charts at number ninety-three on downloads alone before making number sixteen after its physical commercial release. "Piece of My Heart" was also the first Beverley single to be released on a DVD format. Knight's version became her longest running single to date on the UK singles chart, spending eleven weeks inside the top 75. It was her thirteenth top 40 entry and her seventh top 20 hit in the UK singles chart.
[edit] Track listings and formats
- CD single
- "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
- "Keep This Fire Burning" (live)
- DVD single
- "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
- "Let It Be" (live)
- "Come As You Are" (live)
- "Piece of My Heart" (video)
- 12" single
- "Piece of My Heart" (album version)
- "Made It Back" (featuring Redman) (original version)
- Download only versions
- "Piece of My Heart" (radio edit)
- "Piece of My Heart" (live)
[edit] Personnel
- Written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy
- Produced by Jimmy Hogarth
- Engineered by Pom (Pierre-Olivier Magerand)
- Mixed by Phillip Bodger
- Lead vocals by Beverley Knight
- Backing vocals by Bryan Chambers, Billie Godfrey, Louise Marshall
- Wurtilizer & hammond organ by Martin Slatterty
- Bass by Sam Dixon
- Drums by Jeremy Stacey
- Guitars & percussion by Jimmy Hogarth
[edit] Other popular versions
Other popular versions include the 1982 remake by Sammy Hagar, and Faith Hill's number-one country hit from 1994. A "live" medley of this song with Garnett Mimms' 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 after they performed it at the Grammy Awards in 2005, in tribute to Janis Joplin.
A heavy metal version of the song was recorded by American glam metal band Rough Cutt on their self-titled debut album in 1985. The song was subsequently released as the second single.
On the debut season of American Idol (2002), third placer Nikki McKibbin sang it for '60s week and then a studio version was made for the American Idol: Greatest Moments album. The song was also performed in 2005 on American Idol by Carrie Underwood, who eventually won that year's competition. It was also featured on America's Got Talent when eventual winner Bianca Ryan sang the song barefoot. It was also featured on the reality show Rock Star: Supernova, performed by Jill Gioia.
