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Big Brother & the Holding Company — I Need A Man To Love
Album: Cheap Thrills
Avg rating:
6.9

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1141









Released: 1968
Length: 4:49
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Whoa, I need a man to love me.
Don't you understand me, baby ?
Why, I need a man to love.
I gotta find him, I gotta have him like the air I breathe.
One lovin' man to understand can't be too much to need.

You know it
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be this loneliness
Baby, surrounding me.

No, no, know it just can't be
No it just can't be
There's got to be some kind of answer.
No it just can't be
And everywhere I look, there's none around
No it just can't be
Whoa, it can't be
No it just can't be, oh no!
Whoa, hear me now.

Whoa, won't you let me hold you ?
Honey, just close your eyes.
Whoa, won't you let me hold you, dear ?
I want to just put my arms around ya, like the circles going 'round the sun.
Let me hold you daddy, at least until the morning comes.

Because it
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be now
Oh no
Can't be this loneliness
Baby, surrounding me.
No, no, no it just can't be.
No it just can't be
Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby, just can't be.
No, no, no
No it just can't be

And why can't anyone ever tell me, now ?
No it just can't be
I wake up one morning, I realize
No it just can't be
Whoa, it can't be.
No it just can't be
Now go!

Whoa, I need a man to love me
Oh, maybe you can help me, please.
Why, I need a man to love.
But I believe that someday and somehow it's bound to come along
Because when all my dreams and all my plans just cannot turn out wrong.

You know it
Can't be now Oh no
Can't be now Oh no
Can't be now Oh no
Can't be now Oh no
Can't be now Oh no
Can't be just loneliness
Baby, surrounding me

No, no, no, it just can't be
No it just can't be
Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby, it just can't be
No it just can't be
And who could be foolin' me ?
No it just can't be
I've got all this happiness
No it just can't be
Come, come, come on, come on, come on, and help me now.
No it just can't be
Please, can't you hear my cry ?
No it just can't be
Whoa, help ...
Comments (150)add comment
I was completely unaware of this song until now and yet I instantly recognized that voice. What a voice.
meh, not a fan
I love this entire album!!  Thank You RP!
 thewiseking wrote:

After Robert Crumb did this cover he was approached to do an upcoming cover for the Stones. "I can't stand those poseurs" he said and not too politely declined. I would imagine they next approached Andy Warhol who likely replied "Great!" and never turned down a cash commission. The rest, as they say, is history. 


Well there may be no accounting for taste, but Mr. Crumb sure could draw a nice comic.  Gilbert Shelton did the style better with the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Fat Freddy's Cat, IMO.

As for Warhol, he did an iconic job with the Sticky Fingers cover so... win/win for everyone involved.


Oh, and Janis is amazing!
what a great voice Gänsehautfeeling
René
Isn't this a Patty (or Selma) cover version?
 Queue wrote:


Thanks for that link.  Janis is something where the visual is definitely a large part of the complete package.

...but somebody needs to tune their guitar.   :(


I saw BB & Holding co in Sheffield in the 2000's (without Janice of course). You'll be happy to hear that they'd got the guitars all in tune by then.
What a voice. Janis Joplin was a special woman!
 FlatCat wrote:

But the raw voice itself really does hurt. Like fingernails on the blackboard.



You say that like it's a bad thing.  Art isn't always pretty and comforting.  Janis was the 60's version of Billie Holiday.
 RabbitEars wrote:


This brilliantly directed clip (D.A.Pennebaker) captures it. I love the cutaways of Cass Elliot. 

I miss this kind of filmmaking when it comes to performances. And performances like this where the energy fills the frame instead of being provided by fast cuts and swooping cameras on cranes. Raw.


Thanks for that link.  Janis is something where the visual is definitely a large part of the complete package.

...but somebody needs to tune their guitar.   :(
This represents the all encompassing passion and sound of a certain generation, lord luv 'em.  'Cause nobody else will.  

Juuust funnin'....🤣

Highlow
American Net'Zen
I'm not the biggest Janice fan.  This one I like.  Lots of changes in the dynamics, and she's expressing several different aspects of her voice.
 RabbitEars wrote:


This brilliantly directed clip (D.A.Pennebaker) captures it. I love the cutaways of Cass Elliot. 

I miss this kind of filmmaking when it comes to performances. And performances like this where the energy fills the frame instead of being provided by fast cuts and swooping cameras on cranes. Raw.
 
I love the close up shots of her feet. Yes, and the slack-jawed Mama Cass.
 ExploitingChaos wrote:
Dont mind the haters - Just set the volume to 'unreasonable' and rock out!!!
 

A 10 for my Janis,let’s roll one and enjoy😊
 Andybob wrote:
I never did get Janis Joplin. Her voice grates like no other sound I've ever heard. Badly tuned and played violins, things scraped down blackboards, The Portsmouth Sinfonia... I'll take any one or all of them before subjecting myself to her visceral screeching. Needless to say it got a rating of 1 - sucko barfo and I skipped to the next song.
 
I can understand she's not for everyone. However, check out one her live performance videos and you will realize she's the real thing and you may at least appreciate what she
could do.
speak up, who are the assholes that rate this 1?

i wanna see what you rate as a 10!
Janis was surely a force of nature, but does Big Brother get the credit they deserve? Dammit! They were great.
I never did get Janis Joplin. Her voice grates like no other sound I've ever heard. Badly tuned and played violins, things scraped down blackboards, The Portsmouth Sinfonia... I'll take any one or all of them before subjecting myself to her visceral screeching. Needless to say it got a rating of 1 - sucko barfo and I skipped to the next song.
Gosh, I have great memories of cranking up some Janis and cleaning house, back in the day.  I love her and her energy!
 AC wrote:
--sigh-- Reviewing the comments, I can only say: "Well, either you get it or you don't." Frankly, it's hard for me to be sure if it would actually be possible to "get it" if you weren't there. Watching Janis front Big Brother wasn't "going to a show". It was a visceral sweating, screaming, sighing, crying, jumping up and down experience. There are hundreds (thousands?) of vocal artists around with "better" instruments, superior skills, etc., etc. But, in my lifetime, I have never seen anyone else commit to a song the way she did, and don't expect I ever will. It was a Force of Nature and a Thing to See. I feel privileged to have witnessed that brief, unsustainable moment which was her career.
 

This brilliantly directed clip (D.A.Pennebaker) captures it. I love the cutaways of Cass Elliot. 

I miss this kind of filmmaking when it comes to performances. And performances like this where the energy fills the frame instead of being provided by fast cuts and swooping cameras on cranes. Raw.
This woman is a perfect example of a female in complete touch with her primal sexual nature.  As a consequence; back in the day, she scared the shit (can I say that on RP) out of more than a few males didn't she? 

With Janis it was never a case of "I am woman, hear me roar." 

It was more a case of "I am WOMAN.  Now you sit down, shut up and listen to me HOWL!"

Ohhh baby.....her like only comes along about once a generation.  A good thing, too.  I don't think the species could survive too many of 'em all living at the same time.  

No criticism meant.  Juuuust sayin'...

HIghlow
American Net'Zen
If you don't think she deserves her acclaim:

google janis joplin monterey ball and chain
Love Janis. Ain’t no one like her Please play more
After Robert Crumb did this cover he was approached to do an upcoming cover for the Stones. "I can't stand those poseurs" he said and not too politely declined. I would imagine they next approached Andy Warhol who likely replied "Great!" and never turned down a cash commission. The rest, as they say, is history. 
Dont mind the haters - Just set the volume to 'unreasonable' and rock out!!!
 WBOB wrote:
Was in Haight Ashbury, walked into a store and a t-shirt with this classic album cover jumped of the rack, great album cover art daze.
 

When was this? I thought SFers prefer to call the neighborhood "The Haight" these days...

I think people either love or hate Janis's singing. She puts it all on the table which most singers won't do these days. Detached cool is in. Case in point: right after this song finished, RP is playing "This Mess We're In" with Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey. Talk about a study in contrasts: one minute Janis is screaming and growling, the next Thom is quavering and warbling and singing off-key.

Remember Michael Bolton and how many people really hated him? Another forceful singer who sang like he was trying to over-emote. But he never really sounded sincere while Janis was all in.
So iconic. 

Do I really enjoy the piece or do I simply revel in the iconic aura?  
Was in Haight Ashbury, walked into a store and a t-shirt with this classic album cover jumped of the rack, great album cover art daze.
This is another reason why I love PSD: it brought me here, a place a little further than just a Saturday morning in Beijing.
And as I'm writing, back to live stream with Harry Manx.
Promising weekend
 hatechris wrote:
Her voice is like a spike being nailed into my ear.

 
You could nail one into the other ear so they match! {#Rolleyes}
Her voice is like a spike being nailed into my ear.
Always good to hear any obscure and therefore non-overplayed Janis, but would REALLY love to hear on RP the fabulous 1970 gem "Ego Rock" where she does a racy, daring, tasty improv back and forth with Nick Gravenites that gets so fresh, so seemingly full of real in-your-face tension, and so nearly out of hand and then back down again that it can bring chills and thrills to any rock'n'roll heart...add to it her amazing bluesy vocal talent and blistering, innuendo-filled lyrics, and you've got a real classic...
"Well, I dealt an Ace to the Queen...and I played Scrabble with LBJ...I don't care what the name of the game is...I always seem to get my way..."


appreciate the emotion she brings to a song, and i respect all those here who like her, but... i turn down the sound whenever she comes on.
Why do I suddenly have a sore throat?
First time I've heard this. where has it been the last 40 years? 8.

 More_Cowbell wrote:
I don't get it
 

I didn't get Janis when I was younger.  But the older I get, the more I get it.
GREAT  great segway, Bill!   Pickin up my morning.
Woo hoo is right.

This is when they made music.
Good to hear more from Janis than Bobbie McGee. She had so many great songs, it's sad that only two get played over and over. Thanks, Bill!
 Jungle_Jim wrote:
Haven't heard Janis for years - the raw emotion in her voice almost hurts. Was there ever a better blues singer?
 
Only Howlin' Wolf.

It must have been amazing to see a live show of Janice and Big Brother!  Every time she does one of those "WOOHOO's, my eyes pop out and steam comes out of my ears!  {#Fire}
Tolerance is a good thing.
I just wanted to punch a guy I worked with once who insulted Janis as no talent.
 casey1024 wrote:
My 5 year old daughter named her kitten "Pearl" after watching a documentary about Janis w/her favorite uncle.

 
Update: Just had to say goodbye to that loyal and loving Pearl - after 17 years of friendship. I will miss her.


Yup, what you said

 
old_shep wrote:
If this does't grab you, you better check yourself for a pulse.  Sounds better now than it did back then....
 


I don't get it
Bill, you always pick the best Janis to play.......
Never cared for Janis' singing, but always enjoyed her band. 
Ugh.
 parrothead wrote:


Duane Allman is my pick on the view of ''what if ''
 
Hmmmm
How about Lowell George, Paul Kossoff, Tommy Bolin, Clarence White and Stevie Ray to name a few.


An absolute classic. Not one I care to hear more than evey 7.2 years, but a classic all the same.
 nigelr wrote:


Probably not amongst young white females...........
 
Beat me to the punch!{#Lol} Janis did have serious chops though, not on Bessie's, Mahalia or Aretha's level, but certainly in the conversation.{#Yes}

The release date needs changing.  I thinks it's 1968.

Her voice hurtses me, precious. Nasty, mean Texas lady...{#Grumpy}
 unclelonghair wrote:
Like Kurt Cobain, I really wish Janis Joplin had had a chance to grow and develop as a musician, the emotion in her performances is unmistakable, but she's definitely rough around the edges... and needs a better backing band... you wonder what she would have produced if she'd lived 5-10 more years.

Same for Cobain incidentally, he was just starting to be able to actually play his guitar and sing...
 

Duane Allman is my pick on the view of ''what if ''
I often think that..... If  I was 'reborn'.... I would want to be a Steely Dan back-up singer (Black Crowes would do) but what about a Janice lead guitar??  yummmmmm
 Jungle_Jim wrote:
Haven't heard Janis for years - the raw emotion in her voice almost hurts. Was there ever a better blues singer?
 

All I can say is no... Janis is right on top..
Like Kurt Cobain, I really wish Janis Joplin had had a chance to grow and develop as a musician, the emotion in her performances is unmistakable, but she's definitely rough around the edges... and needs a better backing band... you wonder what she would have produced if she'd lived 5-10 more years.

Same for Cobain incidentally, he was just starting to be able to actually play his guitar and sing...
 Stefen wrote:
RIP band member whose name I can't recall.  Sorry.
 
Jim Gurley

My 5 year old daughter named her kitten "Pearl" after watching a documentary about Janis w/her favorite uncle.

 Jungle_Jim wrote:
Haven't heard Janis for years - the raw emotion in her voice almost hurts. Was there ever a better blues singer?
 
But the raw voice itself really does hurt. Like fingernails on the blackboard.

it just can't be{#Angel}
RIP band member whose name I can't recall.  Sorry.
Listen to this while reading the "Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers".
If this does't grab you, you better check yourself for a pulse.  Sounds better now than it did back then....
 romeotuma wrote:

This song is so good for the ears...

 
How so? {#Think}
 Jungle_Jim wrote:
Haven't heard Janis for years - the raw emotion in her voice almost hurts. Was there ever a better blues singer?
 

Probably not amongst young white females...........
Haven't heard Janis for years - the raw emotion in her voice almost hurts. Was there ever a better blues singer?
Watched the Woodstock movie recently and caught a Biography channel piece on Janis.

She definitely gave it her all when she sang - you could see it!

Just what i need for a Monday afternoon!!! thanks {#Bananapiano}


Ohhhhh, I give up .... Just give me the ribbed 20 pack, a box o' tic-tacs, and a $2 bottle of dumb-parrot-onion ....


 Carl wrote:
To all those who don't get it: you had to be there...

 

For sure.  If you weren't, I can completely understand why you'd be saying "W ... T ... F ..."?

I was there, and I'm a fan.  She was one of a kind.
This is such an incredible album it's unfair to pick one song or another and say it's the best, worst, or what have you. For my money, Janis could do no wrong—she sang with fire, passion, and southeastern Texas grit. My lord, what a woman; what a voice. Big Brother gets a lot of (occasionally deserved) brickbats for their performance on Cheap Thrills, but try and imagine the album without them.

BTW, in the Bay Area Crumb was an institution by the time this album came out.
I'm usually not too big on Janis Joplin but the song is awful niiiice.
AHHHHH YES!  BB&THC  back when the love was free, the acid was good and Janis' voice ROCKED the planet.

{#Beat} Please make it stop!  Maybe you have to be seriously f'd up to listen to this.{#Drunk}
Whatever became of Jim Gurley (the lead guitarist on this)?
texas musicians in the house!!!  Thanks Bill

{#Motor}
No lie, I just heard part of this from a distance and came running to my computer - I thought my cat was just crushed or something. 

To me, the best thing about this song is the R.Crumb album cover.
I came in to the middle of this, between lyrics, and initially thought it was a Cream song based on the bass line. Still an excellent track after all these years, even if it isn't Bruce, Baker, and that other guy... {#Bananajam}
Well, this is definitely one of those artists that confuses me.  She gets lots of respect from people whose opinions I value, but... I actively dislike most things I ever hear of hers.  So that makes me guess she is alot like Neil Young in that regard (i.e. polarizing).

Normally though I find it hard to low rate things... I know that sort of defeats the point of a continuous rating curve, but its a habit created by the "if you don't have anything nice to say" school of comments.

 lixy wrote:
That's a most abnormal distribution of ratings.
 

This album art is a 10 by itself. Sorry K-M I think you are crap.
Wow, this almost sounds like a live version. Could it be that CD quality makes it sound so much more live?

On a different note, I pity the poor fool who can't appreciate the Janis blues factor. 
 markmreadr wrote:
Almost every song on "Cheap Thrills" is a 10.
  Same here. To all those who don't get it: you had to be there...

Not the best cut off the album for Janis or Big Brother but nonetheless a groundbreaking album. Janis didn't have a great voice but sang with her heart and soul, some of ya'll don't like her, ck'd a playlist, not mentioning names and there was no Hendrix,SRV or Beatles  rated higher than  5 , I can understand somebody not caring for Janis tho she influenced many artists but if ya don't find anything the others did worth a 5 then I hope as you grow older your appreciation for music grows. There are lots of songs that I may not care for but I just won't give a 1 as it may grow on me later
Cool... didn't know the band and Janis' involvement with them. Score ten for RP and the art they expose to me. Thanx D & R
I gave it a Sucko Bufo because the intro sounds so much like Pink Floyd....I was disappointed.  Also the song sucks.
That's a most abnormal distribution of ratings.
I'm always amazed that one person's Sucko-Barfo can be anothers Godlike...

Phenomenal. Every once in a while RP hit's some combination perfect, and this was one. Keep it up.
thewiseking wrote:
best thing about this band, R. Crumb's album cover artwork other than that, just a crummy blues band backing a white girl doing an Otis Redding impersonation
More like a Big Mama Thornton impersonation. Of course, Crumb's drawings are brilliant and profound.
I got crucified the last time a said anything bad about janis,,,,you know what,,,she still makes me ill.
KSTrillian wrote:
Ok, all the comments in here are referencing Janis...but I'm hearing some obnoxious screechy guy...that CAN'T be Janis, right?
You would be incorrect in assuming it's not the patron saint of the art of wailing like an eight year old with their arms cut off.
thewiseking wrote:
(...) white girl (...)
Wait, what? .oO("This is Janis Joplin, right?") < google query > Janis Joplin is white!
KevinM wrote:
Utter CRAP
Is that your new username? Works for me!
really really funky........ luv it
Ok, all the comments in here are referencing Janis...but I'm hearing some obnoxious screechy guy...that CAN'T be Janis, right?
I absolutely can not stand Janis Joplin. Kudos to those who can withstand her howling but I hear nothing redeeming about her.
Janis always sang from deep in her soul, might not have fit everyone's taste, but it was real. RIP
best thing about this band, R. Crumb's album cover artwork other than that, just a crummy blues band backing a white girl doing an Otis Redding impersonation
KevinM wrote:
Utter CRAP
GREAT cover.
big_gare wrote:
Clearly some listeners just don't "get" Janis. You'd better rent some DVDs and watch her performances at Monterey or Woodstock before you offer your obviously uninformed and lame comments! Janis was the original Soul Rocker Goddess and maybe she even made possible the careers of artists like Gwen Stefani, Pink & Christina. Wake up you cretins and expand your musical consciousness! Otherwise . . . Peace!
Wait, are you saying that enabling the careers of Gwen Stefani (No Doubt was acceptable, everything after is trash), Pink, and Christina is a good thing? I'm confused. :p
KevinM wrote:
Utter CRAP
Besides the fact that taste cannot be judged and everybody has the right to have his own: given this statement of yours, I seriously worry about your mental health.
How have I never heard this before?? Love it!
The Lp is also notable for introducing R. Crumb to the general populace
Love Janis, but a never really cared for the tone of that guys SG...and I like SGs.
Kaisersosay wrote:
Preference, like opinion is quite a diverse thing. I was unaware that your opinon and preference rules the day. I have watched Janis in those environments, I simply don't approve.
You don't approve? Somehow I don't think Janis Joplin would've cared whether you approve or not. No offense intended, I just thought saying you don't approve was an odd way of describing your view on a song... most people just say they don't like it.
Preference, like opinion is quite a diverse thing. I was unaware that your opinon and preference rules the day. I have watched Janis in those environments, I simply don't approve.
Clearly some listeners just don't "get" Janis. You'd better rent some DVDs and watch her performances at Monterey or Woodstock before you offer your obviously uninformed and lame comments! Janis was the original Soul Rocker Goddess and maybe she even made possible the careers of artists like Gwen Stefani, Pink & Christina. Wake up you cretins and expand your musical consciousness! Otherwise . . . Peace!
It sucked, anything by her or them rots my ears
OOHMYGOSH! I had this in original vinyl (and still do in fact). Does that mean I'm getting old? This may be an old tune but it's still got soul and class.
Ando wrote:
Thanks for going a little deeper to find this cut.
I second that motion!
KevinM wrote:
Utter CRAP
DITTO
I'd better sit down for this one............. couldnt' ever be less than a 10!
KevinM wrote:
Utter CRAP
FUNNY, that is what i think of your opinion... I have one word for you: SOUL!
It's GREAT to hear this again! Thanks Bill.
Thanks for going a little deeper to find this cut.
passsion8 wrote:
Time and a place for everything. Had its time and this ain't the place.
Too bad, and I'm not all that on Janis ya know, but this came along at just the right time and the right place.
Nice nod to The Summer of Love, Bill. Thanks.