Half a century after the death of the big star, the songs that remained after her are no less popular than they were during her life, and the social criticism woven into recognizable verses about freedom or "Mercedes" has not lost its force.
Five decades ago, the world lost Janice Joplin and gained a legend. This is not a column about the musical legacy of the famous rock and blues rebel, but a short dedication to her symbolic legacy. Half a century after the death of the great star, the songs that remained for her are no less popular than they were during her life, and the social criticism woven into recognizable verses about freedom or "Mercedes" has not lost its force. On the contrary, her feminist agitation and prophetic critique of consumerism seem to be tailored to fit perfectly with the spirit of today.
At a time when the war in Vietnam was raging, and the streets of Paris were burning with social unrest, the American countercultural scene was ruled by Janice Joplin. It was an icon of moving the established rules and the boundaries of "nice" behavior. With her attitude, appearance and texts, she offered a different model of gender identity. If we look carefully at the special expression she had, we will see that many elements of the so-called The second wave of feminism, which came into force in the 1970s (the first wave of feminism was a struggle for legal and political equality, and the second involved a broader social, economic and cultural struggle). But there is one catch.
When you read the texts that have been written about her (and there are an incredible number of them), you will come across the assessment that it is a paradox - that Joplin was remembered as a symbol of feminism, and that she never actually fought for it with concrete statements or activism. The answer to such criticism could be that she may not have been a women’s rights activist in the sense that some other women of the time were, but she did live a different, unconventional gender model. She was not humble, feminine, submissive, she was wild, free, emancipated and independent.
Even on the rock and roll scene, which was usually subversive, women before Joplin did not have a prominent position (remember only the girls who went with the "Beatles" or some other group - it was always women in the background, "behind" the men the stars they admired, adored and followed). Joplin, on the other hand, although even shy in everyday life, instantly became the brightest star on the stage lights. She has never been in the shadow of male performers, neither at Woodstock, nor at any other musical event.
Another social aspect related to the work of Janice Joplin has remained relevant to this day. We remember her most famous song ("Mercedes Benz") and satirical verses in which she criticized consumerism and hunger for various status symbols of that time (color TV, "Mercedes" ...). Insisting on post-material values as opposed to materialistic ones was one of the basic features of the hippie movement, which today seems to us not only as a relic of the past, but also as a kind of utopia.
In today's time of the harsh imperative of economic achievement, which goes "hand in hand" with various "companions", such as perfect physical appearance, imposed visual norms on social networks, with a value system conditioned by brands - the idea that a musician of that reputation and cultural influence (especially if it is a female artist) sharply opposes the existing order is almost unimaginable.
On the other hand, as ridiculous as it may seem today that the greatest wish only half a century ago was to have a color TV, criticism of the consumer mentality and affirmation of intangible values is even more relevant today, and criticism in the lyrics of the song "Mercedes Benz" is still quite deadly.
Without going into whether someone loves the music of Janice Joplin or not, and whether he is a fan of her legacy, it is indisputable that he is one of the most authentic personalities on the world cultural scene. She was a true representative of the hippie movement - both visually and artistically and in terms of values - and she pushed the boundaries of established norms. She died young, at the age of only 27, and thus became part of the "Club 27" (it is a rather morbid cultural phenomenon that many music stars passed away at the age of 27 - Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain) .
Thinking these days about how some topics have remained relevant even after 50 years, what the hippie movement has changed, what were the misconceptions of the sexual revolution and (especially) anti-war ideals, I come up with the verses (perhaps the best, but certainly my favorite) of the song Janice Joplin: "Freedom is just another word for having nothing to lose" (song "Me and Bobby McGee").
Freedom was a key term that marked the generations of the hippie movement, but the deep human and collective dilemma contained in these verses has survived for half a century and has remained a legacy to today's generations.
She was a big star, a divine and unique musician.