"Piece of My Heart" by Faith Hill

    Hi everyone, thanks for checking out the Radio Dial today, the first day of December! The featured track that we are cueing up on our CD Walkman right now is a mid ‘90s country rendition of a classic blues rock tune, which served as one of the first hits for a future superstar of her genre. It’s time to put on your cowboy boots and leather fringe jackets for Faith Hill and “Piece of my Heart”!

“Didn’t I make you feel… like you were the only man…”

Most famously associated with Janis Joplin and her band Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joplin’s screaming blues version from 1968 hit US #12 on the pop charts and has gone on to be recognized as a highly influential classic. What many folks don’t realize though, is how many times the song has charted in the US by different artists of disparate genres.

The original was recorded by soul singer Erma Franklin (Aretha’s sister) and predated Joplin’s hit by one year in 1967, peaking at #62 pop and #10 R&B.

Then as the years rolled on, additional artists followed Erma and Janis attempting to strike gold with the track. This included Etta James’ 1978 soulful take, followed by Sammy “The Red Rocker” Hagar in 1982 (whom hit #73 on the hot 100 with his hard rock interpretation), “mall reggae” artist Shaggy’s 1997 version, and the most recent version, a live medley coupled with Joplin’s “Cry Baby”, as recorded by Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone, a US #32 in 2005.

“Each time I tell myself I think I’ve had enough… well I’m gonna show you baby that a woman can be tough.”

But the most successful modern version following Janis came courtesy of Miss Faith Hill! Taken from her 1993 debut Take Me as I Am, the album introduced us to the sweet angelic nature of this “Mississippi Girl” (see what I did there?), and the future Mrs. Tim McGraw. Faith scored four top 40 country hits from this debut LP, including “Piece”, and “Wild One”, both of which topped the country singles charts, though neither track crossed over to pop. Faith would experience her much deserved pop breakthrough with 1998’s “This Kiss”, a US Pop #7, US Country #1, and even a UK #13, a rare feat for an American country artist to chart that highly in the UK.

I had always wished that “Piece...” would've been pushed to top 40 radio, provided that it received more of a pop radio remix, of course. Country crossover was really starting to come back into vogue then (Shania was on the verge of hitting it big), and maybe if done right, “Piece…” could have been the song to kickstart Faith’s pop music career.

“You’re out on the street lookin’ good… baby deep down in your heart you know that it ain’t right.”

The music video shows Faith catching her boyfriend flirting with another girl, causing her and her friends to leave angrily, only to frequently cross paths at various locals with the boyfriend and his douchey pals. Especially that jerk with the baseball cap. What a dillweed. You'll see what I mean. You’ll hate him too.

Eventually this leads to a confrontation where Faith stands up to the guy, seemingly asserting her frustration to him, although at this point in the song, she is actually telling him to break another little piece of her heart, because in the words of the song… “you know you got it, if it makes you feel good.”

Seems like mixed signals to me. Is she mad, and fed up with his behavior, finally giving him an ultimatum that his loyalties better stay with her, or else? Or is she resigned to her fate of staying with this jerk, but is dealing with it light-heartedly as best she can? Perhaps she isn’t sure herself… Faith… why are you so conflicted????

Now, it’s a little unfair to compare her sunny version of the tune to the legendary earlier versions. Faith’s rendition doesn't have Erma's pained soulful delivery, or Janis' bluesy gut wrenching grit... but it is a worthwhile cover that interprets a more playful lean into the lyrics (with just a hint of bubblegum pop), which fits quite nicely with Faith's style.

“Each time I tell myself that I can’t stand the pain… you hold me in your arms and I start singin’ once again”

So click on the video below and settle in for a very different take on an old classic. We have Faith (yeah, I know…) that you’ll be bopping along by the time the second verse begins. But…it’s okay if you want to smack "baseball cap guy". I understand.

“So come on… come on… come on and take it.

Take another little piece of my heart now baby.”