Janis Joplin – To Love Somebody
Out of all the songs about love that have been spinning around on my turntable or my hard-drive over the past weekend (many of which I played during yesterday’s edition of Melting Pot), this song from Janis Joplin has been stuck in my mind the most. “To Love Somebody” starts off the second side of what was essentially her debut solo release, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, which featured Janis with a more soulful group and perhaps because of that it seems this record doesn’t get the acclaim of Pearl, or the Big Brother records that Janis sang on. This one though remains my favorite, and especially this track. It’s just so massively soulful, every single element, the drums, the understated guitar, the periodic washes of organ, the bass that is up front through most of the verses and those great horns. I just love how all the elements get stripped down for the verses and then everything rushes back for the chorus and the bridge. Pure magic. On this Valentine’s Day, I hope sincerely that your love life is better than Janis Joplin’s was reported to be, and certainly better than the unrequited love she singing about in this song, but even if you’ve got it worse, I do hope you appreciate this soulful track.