"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" is a rock 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 Th ...

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. The song first appeared on Zevon's 1976 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'') 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'' 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 Jackson Browne 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,” 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, 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 T ...

/ 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 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'' Top 100 and number 31 in '' Billboard''.

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 ...

singer

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

'' 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."'' Billboard'', 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 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 p ...

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 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 inst ...

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

{{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