Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes Benz

My brother, Joe, called me last week and invited me to ride shotgun on his latest adventure. After a second of contemplation, I readily accepted. It seems that Gordy, my sister's husband, had decided to part with his 1971 Mercedes Benz 250C. Gordy had purchased this car a couple of years ago from a friend of his. According to records, the car was originally white and was painted silver a few years ago. The car has about 66,000 original miles on it and sports a relatively new silver paint job. The car is beautiful inside and out and has been lovingly tended since Gordy purchased it. The only flaws are simply age-related issues. The back right window has a defective power mechanism. The A/C is missing a belt, rendering it neutered. The radio is missing a vital antenna link, making it virtually useless. Finally, the front bucket seats are suffering from seat sag. Mechanically, the machine is awesome. Joe reports that the machine was built to run on the Auto-bohn. Late this morning, Joe drove the Mercedes back to Virginia from my sister's home in Lexington, KY. This 6 hour drive went off without a hitch with me following behind Joe as he easily cruised in the machine across the great mountain state of West Virginia.

But that's not the complete story. There's another story here; a story buried in time, history, and musical reference. According to official company records, 42,379 250C's were produced from 1968 until the model was replaced in 1974. That's approximately 6,000 cars a year. With that in mind, this particular Mercedes has a potential history in rock n' roll. Based on documentation that comes with this car and based on a dealer sticker on the car, Gordy's 250C was first purchased in Beverly Hills, CA. Remember, only 6,000 or so 250 C's were made each production year; world-wide, and production years tended to begin in early Fall of the year prior to the year with which a car is labeled. Hence the production year for this 1971 Mercedes most likely ran from August 1970 until July 1971. How many of these 1971 Mercedes Benz 250 C's do you suspect were sold in Beverly Hills, California between August 1970 and July 1971? Less than 100? Wait for it....Wait for it...

Janis Joplin was rapidly gaining rock n' roll fame when she met her untimely death in 1970. With her band, "Big Brother and the Holding Company," Janis rocketed to fame at the Monterey Pop Festival (Summer of Love) in 1967 with her mega hit "Ball and Chain." Over the next few years, her band mutated with players moving in and out. In 1969, she created her final band, "Full Tilt Boogie Band." Together, they recorded several songs for the album "Pearl." One of the famous cuts was "Me and Bobby McGee" while the other future mega hit was "Mercedes Benz."

"While recording her next album 'Pearl,' she chanced into using heroin again. Obtaining a dose more pure than usual, she accidentally overdosed in a motel in Los Angeles at the age of 27. Her third album was released posthumously to wide acclaim, launching the popular songs 'Me and Bobby McGee' and 'Mercedes Benz.' " (http://www.officialjanis.com/bio2.html)

Janis died on October 4, 1970. Janis Joplin died of a heroin overdose in the neighborhood of Beverly Hills within the production window of Gordy's 1971 Mercedes-Benz 250 C just before her mega-hit "Mercedes Benz" was released. Did Janis ever purchase a Mercedes-Benz? Did she ever go to the Beverly Hills Mercedes-Benz dealer to look at cars? Given the limited release of these cars, did she actually own Gordy's Benz? If she didn't purchase it, did she float through the dealership and consider this car? It's possible.

Rock n' Roll exploded in the 1960's. The Beatles did their part as did other great bands of the sixties. However, artists like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are generally credited with spawning the sound of pure, driving rock. Joe's Mercedes might actually be the true heart of Rock n' Roll.

Side Note: Janis never bought a Mercedes-Benz...she bought a Porsche...oh well, it was an interesting thought..

Meet Dave Richards, Porsche artist

Really, the car was perfect. It was head-turning, low-slung sexy, and it fit Janis like a tattoo. If Janis' voice was her soul, her psychedelic car was the banner she waved as she careened around the streets of San Francisco. In 1968, with the first real money she made, Janis chose--not a Mercedes--but a used Porsche. Its sensuous lines and aerodynamic elegance were tasteful, but altogether too spare for her flamboyant tastes. The queen of rock needed a car more in tune with her befeathered, bracelet-jangling style. Big Brother roadie and friend Dave Richards turned his multi-faceted talents to the project.

"She just gave me the car and said paint it," Richards remembers. "She pretty much left it up to me, but she wanted her sign on it somewhere." Janis was a Capricorn and very much identified with her astrological sign--she and a couple of her friends were known by their crowd as "the Capricorn ladies." Richards describes his design as "what was going on in all our heads at the time; influenced by a lot of LSD and lot of marijuana and the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement." Painted in rivers of orange, pink, yellow, and turquoise, the car's hood featured the gods-eye symbol identified with the band, and a '60s-style assortment of flowers and butterflies. On the front left fender was a portrait of the band. On the back, Richards painted a sun face with a Capricorn symbol on it. It was a traffic-stopping sight and Janis loved it immediately. "She was overjoyed," said Richards. His psychedelic artistry netted him about $500, a lot of money by the standards of the time.

"Mercedes Benz"

Oh Lord, won'’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won'’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

Oh Lord, won'’t you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won'’t you buy me a color TV ?

Oh Lord, wonÂ't you buy me a night on the town ?
IÂ’m counting on you, Lord, please don't let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won'’t you buy me a night on the town ?

Everybody!
Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?

That's it!

That's it, baby.
Dig it.

Groovy
"Hey babe, come on in and dig your mother."