"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy, credited with the music and words, and Bert Berns, credited as Bert Russell in some listings. Erma Franklin, the older sister of Aretha Franklin, recorded the original version in August 1967. It was released as a Shout Records single that October, with "Baby, What You Want Me to Do" on the B-side. Running 2:35, Franklin's single peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and number 62 on the Pop chart in December 1967, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Berns died on 30 December 1967 and never heard Janis Joplin's version.
Big Brother and the Holding Company, with Janis Joplin on lead vocals, recorded their version in 1968 for the album Cheap Thrills on Columbia. Their 4:15 recording reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Joplin's biggest chart success. Other covers include versions by Dusty Springfield (1968), Faith Hill (1994), and Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone (2005). Erma Franklin's recording was re-released in 1992 after its use in a Levi's jeans commercial, reaching the UK top ten. The song is ranked 353 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
