Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
"La Strada", Frederico Fellini's 1954 film, tells the story of Zampano, a travelling circus strongman played by Anthony Quinn, and his assistant, the charming, clownish Gelsomina, played by the wonderful Giullietta Masina. Having mistreated her for most of the film, he eventually abandons her. Years later, by chance, hearing a woman singing the tune that Gelsomina used to play on her trumpet, he learns that after he left her, she literally pined away, and died. The final scene shows Zampano on his knees in the night on a sandy beach, weeping, drunk, alone, in despair. Gelsomina is one of the greatest characters in all cinema, charming, funny, quirky, brim-full of energy and creativity, impossible to tear your eyes away from, show-stealing.
This final scene was the inspiration for folk and country singer songwriter Kris Kristofferson's song "Me and Bobby McGee", the tale of two vagabonds' adventures on the road, the memories, the loss.
In Spring 1970, hearing that she wanted to record the song, Kristofferson visited rock singer Janis Joplin at her home in Larkspur, California. They "hit it off" and he stayed for six weeks. Later that year, just a few days after Joplin had been found dead after a heroine overdose, Kristofferson received a call from his producer, asking him to come to the studio. When he got there, the producer played him the tape of "Me and Bobby McGee", recorded by Janis just a few days before her death as the last track for her new album "Pearl". Kristofferson didn't know Joplin had recorded the song so it hit him pretty hard, à "La Strada", a strange case of life imitating art.
Joplin's version of the song reached number 1 in the US charts early the following year, perhaps not only because of her tremendous vocal, simultaneously tender and powerful, but because of its shiveringly valedictory tone.
Kristofferson died on September 28th. Joplin's version of "Me and Bobby McGee" was easily his greatest hit.
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