"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" is a

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

song written and first recorded by American musician

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (; January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Zevon's most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money", and " Roland the Headless Tho ...

in 1976. With gender references reversed, it was made a hit twice: first as a top-40 hit for

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

, then over a decade later by

Terri Clark Terri Lynn Sauson, known professionally as Terri Clark, born August 5, 1968, is a Canadian country music singer who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that ...

, 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 Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

. The song first appeared on Zevon's 1976 self-titled solo album. It is reputed to be a friendly swipe at

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

; 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 ''

'' with backing vocals by

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist and male lead vocalist of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fl ...

. 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 ''Stand in the Fire'' is a live album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, released December 26, 1980. It was recorded in August 1980 during a five-night residency at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California and featured two new ori ...

'' and 1993's '' Learning to Flinch''. Alternate studio versions were included in the 2008 reissue of ''

'', as well as the posthumous 2007 compilation '' Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings''.

Linda Ronstadt version

Background

recorded a gender-altered version of the song during 1977. Ronstadt would recall

had pitched "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" to her, teaching it to her in the living room of her Malibu home. "The verse in “Poor Pitiful Me” was “I met a girl on the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly H ...

,” 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.” With Zevon's blessing, Ronstadt replaced the verse with “Well I met a boy / In the

Vieux Carré The French Quarter, also known as the , is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans (french: La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Sq ...

, down in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

/ 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 Peter Asher, (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and r ...

for her multi-platinum album '' Simple Dreams.'' Ronstadt's live version appeared on the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

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 Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

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 ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Top 100 and number 31 in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''.

Chart performance

Terri Clark version

Background

Another hit cover version of the song was recorded by Canadian

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

. It was released in September 1996 as the lead single from her second album, 1996's ''

Just the Same ''Just the Same'' is the second studio album by Canadian country music singer Terri Clark. It was released in late 1996 on Mercury Records. In the U.S., this album produced the singles "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (a cover of a Warren Zevon song which ...

''. Clark told ''

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' that she heard

'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."''

'', October 5, 1996

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

Year-end charts

Other versions

*In 1986,

SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...

did a

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

cover of the song on the compilation ''It Came from the Pit''. Lead singer

Mr. Chi Pig Kendall Steven Chinn (October 19, 1962 – July 16, 2020), known under the stage name Mr. Chi Pig, was a Canadian punk rock vocalist and artist born in Edmonton and long residing in Vancouver. He fronted the hardcore punk band SNFU from 1981 unti ...

sang the Linda Ronstadt lyrics with a few changes, but kept it as being about men he had encountered. *

Vitamin String Quartet Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) is an American musical group from Los Angeles known for its series of tribute albums to rock and pop acts. VSQ is a series of string quartet projects developed and produced by CMH Label Group, an independent reco ...

recorded an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

version of the song on ''Dad Get Me Out of This: The String Quartet Tribute to Warren Zevon'' in 2003. *In 2004

and

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

covered it on '' Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon''.

References

{{Authority control 1978 singles 1996 singles 1976 songs Songs about suicide Warren Zevon songs Linda Ronstadt songs Terri Clark songs Jackson Browne songs Bonnie Raitt songs Songs written by Warren Zevon Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall Asylum Records singles Mercury Records singles Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Songs about trains Songs about BDSM Songs about domestic violence