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The Story Behind Janis Joplin’s ‘Mercedes Benz’
The songwriters, musicians and producers behind ‘Mercedes Benz’ recall how Janis Joplin recorded the hit song three days before she died of a drug overdose
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stor...enz-1436282817
"Paul Rothchild told me later the problem was with his 2-inch tape recorder. The heads shifted or something and needed to be readjusted. Paul had a ¼-inch safety reel going that ran all the time as a backup in case there was an idea he missed in between takes when the 2-inch main recorder was off. While Paul worked to fix the 2-inch tape recorder, Janis sang “Mercedes Benz” on a whim. Fortunately, the safety tape caught it. "