Janis Joplin's 10 greatest songs, ranked

26 March 2026, 11:13

Janis Joplin possessed one of the all-time great voices in rock music. Picture: Getty

By Thomas Edward

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She had one of the most powerful voices in rock history.

Whenever you hear Janis Joplin wail, you simply cannot mistake it for anybody else's voice being belted through the microphone.

Her distinct rasp symbolised Joplin's life and career – bundles of charm, organic and authentic, joyous, but plenty of pain that simmered beneath the surface.

Joplin's story is well documented, her rise and tragic fall having become a cautionary tale for a troubled soul that belied her on stage presence.

Famously, or perhaps infamously, Joplin became one of the earliest members of the doomed '27 Club' before the likes of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix joined her.

Still, despite her relatively short career in the grand scheme of things, there's no denying Janis Joplin's rightful place in music history.

Bursting onto the hippie scene with Big Brother & the Holding Company, Joplin stood out as a singular and bluesy star with a character as unique as her voice.

With a mooted biopic in the works, Joplin's story is set to be told again. But all you need to know is chronicled in her incredible records.

That said, we've ranked the ten very best Janis Joplin songs. Read on to see which tops the list:

'Kozmic Blues'

Kozmic Blues

Joplin's debut solo album after parting company with Big Brother & the Holding Company didn't quite fare as well as she'd hoped.
Distancing herself from the psychedelia-tinged rock that helped establish her, 1969's I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! did have some epic highlights, despite the album not being the show-stopping breakthrough many expected it to be.
'Kozmic Blues' is one such highlight, with a chorus that soars straight into the stars.
'Get It While You Can'

Janis Joplin - Get It While You Can (Official Lyric Video)

The final song from her final album, Pearl, 'Get It While You Can' could be regarded as her requiem if you listened to her albums back-to-back chronologically, as she died three months before the album was even released.
A song about never passing on a chance for love and happiness, the song's theme encompassed Joplin's frame of mind.
Originally recorded by soul singer Howard Tate a few years prior, Joplin's cover typifies her ability to pluck out a relatively obscure song and transform it into something timeless and tailor-made for her.
'Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)'

Try Just A Little Bit Harder - Janis Joplin | The Midnight Special

Janis Joplin split from her band Big Brother and the Holding Company shortly after she became a bona fide breakthrough sensation.
Stylistically, her debut solo album didn't sound too different to the rugged, gut-wrenching blues rock of her former band – though she was in the driving seat creatively.
Brimming with renewed confidence and swagger, the brass horn bombast and skintight groove of 'Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)' saw Joplin channel James Brown.
'Move Over'

Janis Joplin - Move Over (Official Lyric Video)

Pearl is widely regarded as a generational album, and the opening track, 'Move Over', sets the precedent for what follows.
Supposedly writing the song in just one day, Joplin revealed that the song, like many of her compositions, was about being on the end of doomed love.
'Move Over' sees Janis lament a lover telling her it's over yet keeping her at arm's length as he hasn't moved on yet. Likely written from personal experience, it adds that extra tug on the heartstrings.
'Mercedes Benz'

Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz (Official Audio)

A social commentary on how people equate meaning and success in their lives with possessions, 'Mercedes Benz' has become one of Janis Joplin's most enduring songs.
Ironically, it likely did the German automobile brand the world of good – they even featured the song in a 1995 advert.
The song itself was fairly impromptu, however, composed alongside actor Rip Torn in a New York City bar after Joplin riffed off a poem she saw performed by beat poet Michael McClure.
Recording the song acapella, her gritty charm truly shines through, though it was left in this natural state due to Joplin dying shortly after this rough recording.
'Ball And Chain'

Janis Joplin - Ball & Chain - Monterey Pop

Joplin's interpretation of the blues classic 'Ball And Chain' established her as an icon of the countercultural movement – particularly after her show-stopping performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, which ushered in many new rock acts into the cultural consciousness.
Written and originally recorded by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (who also recorded the original version of 'Hound Dog' made famous by Elvis Presley), the 'Ball And Chain' evidently refers to the shackles kept on prisoners to keep them from escaping, though Thornton used the reference to suggest a lover keeping her tied down.
As a lady who was unlucky in love seemingly always, Janis of course lapped up this reference. She was a true blues artist, after all.
'Summertime'

Janis Joplin "Summertime" (Live -1969)

A bona fide staple of the Great American Songbook, the sumptuous 'Summertime' drips with the sweat and simplicity of the American South.
Conceived by George Gershwin in 1935 for the original stage production of Porgy and Bess, 'Summertime' is one of the most covered songs in history, with over 2000 official recordings registered.
Despite the esteemed likes of Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Frank Sinatra having covered it, it's Janis Joplin's rendition which is undoubtedly the most memorable.
The unfiltered pain and emotion she pours into the song lifts it to celestial heights, like few others were capable of.
'Cry Baby'

Janis Joplin - Cry Baby (Live)

'Cry Baby' was yet another R&B deep cut that Janis Joplin cleverly plucked from relative obscurity and transformed into a major hit.
Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters' original 1963 song was a moderate hit itself, paving the way for soul music's mainstream success with Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding later that decade.
But Joplin brought the best of her full-throated anguish to the song, with producer Paul Rothchild's blues-rock arrangement reaching anthemic territory at times.
One of the centrepieces of Joplin's posthumous opus Pearl, it proved her taste in music was just as impressive as her talent.
'Me And Bobby McGee'

Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee (Official Music Video)

Joplin's awesome cover of 'Me and Bobby McGee' was a posthumous success, released soon after she died of a heroin overdose.
In turn, her untimely death sharpened focus on the song, seeing it top the charts along with her album Pearl. It was only the second song to do so at the time, after 'Sitting On A Dock Of A Bay' by Otis Redding.
Originally penned by Kris Kristofferson, it was Janis' heartfelt and joyous cover that helped transform his career.
"'Bobby McGee' was the song that made the difference for me," he admitted in a 2015 interview. "Every time I sing it, I still think of Janis."
'Piece Of My Heart'

Janis Joplin - Piece Of My Heart

A song about a lovelorn woman so dazed and confused by the affections of her man, that she'll break off yet another piece of her heart (and break herself down) she to keep him. It was tailor-made for Janis Joplin.
In 1968, after Janis lent her extraordinary vocal talent to 'Piece Of My Heart', the song became an instant classic.
That, and the fact that she implanted herself into that lauded canon of music icons who have bared their soul by doing exactly that, even though it was ultimately to her detriment.
Originally written for Erma Franklin in 1967 by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, 'Piece Of My Heart' was a success for Aretha's little sister and sometime backing singer. But Janis took it to completely new places.
After hearing Joplin's version, Erma revealed in a 1973 interview: "Her version is so different from mine that I really don't resent it too much."
Singing the song as part of her encore at her iconic Woodstock performance in 1969 only embedded Janis further in the countercultural zeitgeist.
Credited to Big Brother & the Holding Company, it's safe to say that 'Piece Of My Heart' is nothing but a Janis Joplin song.
It was an early taste of her unique talent and singular attitude, one that was tragically cut short but remains the pinnacle of lovesick musical performance even to this day.