Poor Poor Pitiful Me: Difference between revisions

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
Single by Terri Clark
from the album Just the Same
B-side	"Something You Should've Said"
Released	September 23, 1996
Genre	Country
Length	3:10
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Warren Zevon
Producer(s)	Keith Stegall; Chris Waters; Terri Clark
Terri Clark singles chronology
Music video
	"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" on YouTube

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
	One of side-A labels of the US single
Single by Linda Ronstadt
from the album Simple Dreams
B-side	"Simple Man Simple Dream" (or "Blue Bayou")
Released	January 10, 1978
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:42
Label	Asylum 45462
Songwriter(s)	Warren Zevon
Producer(s)	Peter Asher
Linda Ronstadt singles chronology
Audio
	"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" by Linda Ronstadt on YouTube

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"
Song by Warren Zevon
from the album Warren Zevon
Released	1976
Genre	Country rock
Length	3:04
Label	Asylum
Songwriter(s)	Warren Zevon
Producer(s)	Jackson Browne
Audio
	"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" by Warren Zevon on YouTube

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"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" is a rock song written and first recorded by American musician Warren Zevon in 1976.

With gender references reversed, it was made a hit twice: first as a top-40 hit for Linda Ronstadt, then almost 2 decades later by Terri Clark, whose version topped the Canadian country charts and reached the country top five in the U.S.

Warren Zevon version

Background

In keeping with Warren Zevon's sardonic lyrical style, the song's verses deal with a suicide attempt, domestic abuse, and a brush with sadomasochism. It is reputed to be a friendly swipe at Jackson Browne; Browne's own songwriting (such as "Here Come Those Tears Again" and "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" from The Pretender) could be quite depressing.

The song "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" was produced by Browne and was featured on Zevon's eponymous 1976 album Warren Zevon with backing vocals by Lindsey Buckingham. The track was later included on his greatest hits compilations A Quiet Normal Life (1986), I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (1996), and Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon (2002). Live versions appeared on 1980s Stand in the Fire and 1993's Learning to Flinch. Alternate studio versions were included in the 2008 reissue of Warren Zevon, as well as the posthumous 2007 compilation Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings.

Linda Ronstadt version

Background

Linda Ronstadt recorded a gender-altered version of the song during 1977. Ronstadt would recall Jackson Browne had pitched "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" to her, teaching it to her in the living room of her Malibu home.^[1] "The verse in “Poor Pitiful Me” was “I met a girl on the Sunset Strip,” I think, “She asked me if I’d beat her / She took me up to her hotel room / And wrecked my mojo heater.” It was really funny, and I'm saying to Jackson, “I can’t sing those words, man! That’s not who I am. . . . I have to leave that part out.”^[2]

With Zevon's blessing, Ronstadt replaced the verse with “Well I met a boy in the Vieux Carré / Down in Yokohama / He picked me up and he threw me down / Saying "Please don't hurt me Mama!".” This verse was also used in Clark's version of the song.

Ronstadt's interpretation was produced by Peter Asher for her multi-platinum album Simple Dreams. Ronstadt's live version appeared on the soundtrack album to the 1978 movie FM, while the studio version was included on her platinum-plus album Greatest Hits, Volume 2.

Reception

Released as a single on the Asylum label at the beginning of 1978, Ronstadt's version was the week's highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of January 28, 1978. It reached number 26 on the Cash Box Top 100^[3] and number 31 in Billboard.

Chart performance

Chart (1978)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	9
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	36
Canadian RPM Top Singles	31
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[4]	46
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening ^[5]	27
US Billboard Hot 100^[6]	31
U.S. Cash Box Top 100^[3]	26

Terri Clark version

Background

Another hit cover version of the song was recorded by Canadian country singer Terri Clark. It was released in September 1996 as the lead single from her second album, 1996's Just the Same. Clark told Billboard magazine that she heard Linda Ronstadt's version of the song in a local gymnasium while she was exercising. She said "and I thought, what a cool song. What a great country record that could make. I started doing it live, and it worked."^[8]

Reception

"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" debuted at number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 12, 1996. Clark's version was a number one hit on the Canadian RPM country charts, and a number five hit on the country charts in the U.S.

Music video

The music video was directed by Deaton Flanigen and premiered in late 1996. It comprises black-and-white tour footage interspersed with Clark being approached by a series of men while her car is being fixed at a full service gas station. Eventually, she realizes the man fixing her car is the one for her. She starts to drive off, before calling him over to get in. The two drive off together, leaving the other two co-workers at the shop surprised.

Chart performance

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[9]	1
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)^[10]	109
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[11]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[12]	43

Other versions

In 1986, SNFU did a hardcore punk cover of the song on the compilation It Came from the Pit. Lead singer Mr. Chi Pig sang the Linda Ronstadt lyrics with a few changes, but kept it as being about men he had encountered.
Vitamin String Quartet recorded an instrumental version of the song on Dad Get Me Out of This: The String Quartet Tribute to Warren Zevon in 2003.
In 2004 Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt covered it on Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon.

References

^ Ronstadt, Linda (2013). Simple Dreams: a musical memoir (1st hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4516-6872-8.
^ Maiscott, Mary Lyn. "Linda Ronstadt: I Know When Parkinson's Hit from Listening to My Own Singing". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
^ ^a ^b "Top 100 1978-03-18". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
^ "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "Adult Contemporary: Linda Ronstadt". Billboard. 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
^ "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
^ Billboard, October 5, 1996
^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9900." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 9, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
^ "Terri Clark Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Terri Clark Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.

[1] Ronstadt, Linda (2013). Simple Dreams: a musical memoir (1st hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-4516-6872-8.

[2] Maiscott, Mary Lyn. "Linda Ronstadt: I Know When Parkinson's Hit from Listening to My Own Singing". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2018-03-26.

[cashboxmagazine.com-3] "Top 100 1978-03-18". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-05-25.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Linda_Ronstadt-4] "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[AC-5] "Adult Contemporary: Linda Ronstadt". Billboard. 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Linda_Ronstadt-6] "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[whitburn-7] Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.

[8] Billboard, October 5, 1996

[sc_Canadacountry_-9] "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9900." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 9, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.

[sc_Billboardbubbling100_Terri_Clark-10] "Terri Clark Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Terri_Clark-11] "Terri Clark Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

[12] "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.

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@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 | studio   =
 | venue    =
-| genre    = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[Country rock]]
+| genre    = [[Country rock]]
 | length   = 3:04
 | label    = [[Asylum Records|Asylum]]
 | writer   = [[Warren Zevon]]
 | producer = [[Jackson Browne]]
+| misc     = {{External music video|type=song|header=Audio|{{YouTube|ehYvseT27c4|"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" by Warren Zevon}}}}
 }}
 "'''Poor Poor Pitiful Me'''" is a [[rock and roll|rock]] song written and first recorded by American musician [[Warren Zevon]] in 1976.
-With sexes reversed, it was made a hit twice: first as a top-40 hit for [[Linda Ronstadt]], then over a decade later by [[Terri Clark]], whose version topped the Canadian country charts and reached the country top five in the U.S.
+With gender references reversed, it was made a hit twice: first as a top-40 hit for [[Linda Ronstadt]], then almost 2 decades later by [[Terri Clark]], whose version topped the Canadian country charts and reached the country top five in the U.S.
 ==Warren Zevon version==
 ===Background===
-In keeping with Warren Zevon's sardonic lyrical style, the song's verses deal with a suicide attempt, domestic abuse, and a brush with [[sadomasochism]]. The song first appeared on Zevon's 1976 [[Warren Zevon (album)|self-titled solo album]]. It is reputed to be a friendly swipe at [[Jackson Browne]]; Browne's own songwriting (such as "Here Come Those Tears Again" and "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" from ''[[The Pretender (album)|The Pretender]]'') could be quite depressing.
+In keeping with Warren Zevon's sardonic lyrical style, the song's verses deal with a suicide attempt, domestic abuse, and a brush with [[sadomasochism]]. It is reputed to be a friendly swipe at [[Jackson Browne]]; Browne's own songwriting (such as "Here Come Those Tears Again" and "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" from ''[[The Pretender (album)|The Pretender]]'') could be quite depressing.
 The song "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" was produced by Browne and was featured on Zevon's eponymous 1976 album ''[[Warren Zevon (album)|Warren Zevon]]'' with backing vocals by [[Lindsey Buckingham]].  The track was later included on his greatest hits compilations ''[[A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon|A Quiet Normal Life]]'' (1986), ''[[I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology)|I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead]]'' (1996), and ''[[Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon]]'' (2002).  Live versions appeared on 1980s ''[[Stand in the Fire]]'' and 1993's ''[[Learning to Flinch]]''.  Alternate studio versions were included in the 2008 reissue of ''[[Warren Zevon (album)|Warren Zevon]]'', as well as the posthumous 2007 compilation ''[[Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings]]''.
@@ Line 32: / Line 33: @@
 {{Infobox song
 | name       = Poor Poor Pitiful Me
+| image      = Poor poor pitiful me by linda ronstadt US single side-A.png
-| cover      = Poor_Poor_Pitiful_Me_-_Linda_Ronstadt.jpg
-| alt        =
+| alt        = side-A label
+| caption    = One of side-A labels of the US single
 | type       = single
 | artist     = [[Linda Ronstadt]]
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 | studio     =
 | venue      =
-| genre      = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[country rock]]
+| genre      = [[Country rock]]
 | length     = 3:42
 | label      = [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] 45462
@@ Line 51: / Line 53: @@
 | next_title = [[Tumbling Dice#Linda_Ronstadt_version|Tumbling Dice]]
 | next_year  = 1978
+| misc       = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|9No14pP_IKY|"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" by Linda Ronstadt}}}}
 }}
@@ Line 63: / Line 66: @@
 | location= New York
 | pages=63
-| isbn=978-1-4516-6872-8}}</ref> "The verse in “Poor Pitiful Me” was “I met a girl on the Sunset Strip,” I think, “She asked me if I’d beat her / She took me up to her hotel room / And wrecked my mojo heater.” It was really funny, and I'm saying to Jackson, “I can’t sing those words, man! That’s not who I am. . . . I have to leave that part out.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/linda-ronstadt-parkinsons-listening-singing|title=Linda Ronstadt: I Know When Parkinson's Hit from Listening to My Own Singing|last=Maiscott|first=Mary Lyn|website=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>
+| isbn=978-1-4516-6872-8}}</ref> "The verse in “Poor Pitiful Me” was “I met a girl on the [[Sunset Strip]],” I think, “She asked me if I’d beat her / She took me up to her hotel room / And wrecked my mojo heater.” It was really funny, and I'm saying to Jackson, “I can’t sing those words, man! That’s not who I am. . . . I have to leave that part out.”<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/linda-ronstadt-parkinsons-listening-singing|title=Linda Ronstadt: I Know When Parkinson's Hit from Listening to My Own Singing|last=Maiscott|first=Mary Lyn|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=2018-03-26}}</ref>
-With Zevon's blessing, Ronstadt replaced the verse with “Well I met a boy / In the Veaux-Carres, down in Yokohama / He picked me up and he threw me down / Saying "Please don't hurt me Mama!".” This verse was also used in Clark's version of the song.
+With Zevon's blessing, Ronstadt replaced the verse with “Well I met a boy in the [[Vieux Carré]] / Down in [[Yokohama]] / He picked me up and he threw me down / Saying "Please don't hurt me Mama!".” This verse was also used in Clark's version of the song.
 Ronstadt's interpretation was produced by [[Peter Asher]] for her multi-platinum album ''[[Simple Dreams]].'' Ronstadt's live version appeared on the [[soundtrack album]] to the 1978 movie ''[[FM (soundtrack)|FM]]'', while the studio version was included on her platinum-plus album ''[[Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (Linda Ronstadt album)|Greatest Hits, Volume 2]]''.
 ===Reception===
-Released as a single (on the [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] label at the beginning of 1978, Ronstadt's version was the week's highest debut on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart the week of January 28, 1978.  It reached number 26 on the ''[[Cash Box]]'' Top 100<ref name="cashboxmagazine.com">{{cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19780318.html |title=Top 100 1978-03-18 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox Magazine]] |access-date=2015-05-25 }}</ref> and number 31 in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''.
+Released as a single on the [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] label at the beginning of 1978, Ronstadt's version was the week's highest debut on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart the week of January 28, 1978.  It reached number 26 on the ''[[Cash Box]]'' Top 100<ref name="cashboxmagazine.com">{{cite web|url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19780318.html |title=Top 100 1978-03-18 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox Magazine]] |access-date=2015-05-25 }}</ref> and number 31 in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''.
 ===Chart performance===
@@ Line 88: / Line 91: @@
 {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|46|artist=Linda Ronstadt}}
 |-
-|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' Easy Listening <ref name="AC">{{Cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/linda-ronstadt/chart-history/adult-contemporary/3 |title=Adult Contemporary: Linda Ronstadt |date=2019 |website=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref>
+|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' Easy Listening <ref name="AC">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/linda-ronstadt/chart-history/asi/ |title=Adult Contemporary: Linda Ronstadt |date=2019 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=9 May 2019}}</ref>
 |align="center"|27
 |-
@@ Line 100: / Line 103: @@
 {{Infobox song
 | name       = Poor Poor Pitiful Me
-| cover      =
+| cover      = PPPM_Terri_Clark.jpg
 | alt        =
 | type       = single
@@ Line 161: / Line 164: @@
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
-==External links==
-* {{MetroLyrics song|linda-ronstadt|poor-poor-pitiful-me}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider --> (Linda Ronstadt version)
-* {{MetroLyrics song|warren-zevon|poor-poor-pitiful-me}} (Warren Zevon version)
 {{Warren Zevon}}
@@ Line 188: / Line 187: @@
 [[Category:Songs about BDSM]]
 [[Category:Songs about domestic violence]]
+[[Category:Song recordings produced by Jackson Browne]]

v t e Warren Zevon
Studio albums	Wanted Dead or Alive Warren Zevon Excitable Boy Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School The Envoy Sentimental Hygiene Transverse City Hindu Love Gods Mr. Bad Example Mutineer Life'll Kill Ya My Ride's Here The Wind
Live albums	Stand in the Fire Learning to Flinch
Compilations	A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (An Anthology) Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon The First Sessions Reconsider Me: The Love Songs Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings
Tribute albums	Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon
Songs	"Carmelita" "Desperados Under the Eaves" "Hasten Down the Wind" "Lawyers, Guns and Money" "Mohammed's Radio" "Mr. Bad Example" "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" "Werewolves of London" "A Certain Girl" "Reconsider Me"
Related articles	Discography I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon Jordan Zevon (son) Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead Hindu Love Gods Hindu Love Gods Action Appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2002
Category

v t e Linda Ronstadt
Albums Singles Performances
Stone Poneys albums	The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt Evergreen, Volume 2 Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III
Studio albums	Hand Sown ... Home Grown Silk Purse Linda Ronstadt Don't Cry Now Heart Like a Wheel Prisoner in Disguise Hasten Down the Wind Simple Dreams Living in the USA Mad Love Get Closer What's New Lush Life For Sentimental Reasons Canciones de Mi Padre Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind Mas Canciones Frenesí Winter Light Feels Like Home Dedicated to the One I Love We Ran A Merry Little Christmas Hummin' to Myself
Collaborations	Trio Santiago Trio II Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions Adieu False Heart The Complete Trio Collection
Compilations	Different Drum Greatest Hits Greatest Hits, Volume 2 The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt Mi Jardin Azul: Las Canciones Favoritas Duets
Live Albums	Live in Hollywood
Hit singles	"Different Drum" "Long, Long Time" "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" "You're No Good"/"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" "When Will I Be Loved"/"It Doesn't Matter Anymore" "Heat Wave"/"Love Is a Rose" "The Tracks of My Tears" "That'll Be the Day" "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me" "Lose Again" "Crazy" "Blue Bayou" "It's So Easy" "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" "Tumbling Dice" "Back in the U.S.A." "Ooo Baby Baby" "Just One Look" "Love Me Tender" "Alison" "How Do I Make You" "Hurt So Bad" "I Can't Let Go" "I Knew You When" "What's New?" "Somewhere Out There" "Don't Know Much" "All My Life" "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" "Close Your Eyes" "Walk On"
Other songs	"Carmelita" "Desperado" "Mr. Sandman"
Related topics	"Mr. Plow" FM (film) The Pirates of Penzance (1983 film) An American Tail (soundtrack)
Category

v t e Terri Clark
Discography
Studio albums	Terri Clark Just the Same How I Feel Fearless Pain to Kill Life Goes On The Long Way Home Roots and Wings Classic Some Songs Raising the Bar
Live albums	Terri Clark Live: Road Rage
Compilation albums	Greatest Hits 1994–2004
Notable singles	"Better Things to Do" "When Boy Meets Girl" "If I Were You" "Suddenly Single" "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" "Emotional Girl" "Now That I Found You" "You're Easy on the Eyes" "Everytime I Cry" "A Little Gasoline" "No Fear" "I Just Wanna Be Mad" "Three Mississippi" "I Wanna Do It All" "Girls Lie Too" "The World Needs a Drink" "She Didn't Have Time" "Dirty Girl" "In My Next Life" "A Million Ways to Run" "Northern Girl" "Love Is a Rose" "I'm Movin' On" "One Drink Ago"