Katie Melua first covered Janis Joplin's Kozmic Blues during her Pictures 2008 Tour.

Originally released in 1969 with a newly formed band, The Kozmic Blues Band, the song/album met with tepid reception. Janis Joplin's change in musical style towards bluesy soul alienated fans who adored her rockier style in her previous album, Cheap Thrills. Janis leaned towards a moodier singing style, which is emulated in Katie's performance, although based on watching the videos, I prefer Katie's rendition as it is more refined and in control.


Katie Melua - Kozmic Blues (Live in Ljubljana 2008)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlXZHd_gLaU


Janis Joplin - Kozmic Blues (Live, 1970)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TwYkgBqd1uQ


Lyrics:
Time keeps movin' on,
Friends they turn away, no no no
But I keep on movin' on
But I never found out why
I keep pushing so hard the dream,
I keep tryin' to make it right
Through another lonely day.

Dawn has come at last,
Twenty-five years, honey just in one night, oh yeah.
Well, I'm twenty-five years older now
And I know it can't be right
So you'd better take it,
No, oh, no... I guess no
Ohhhh... just a girl.

Chorus:
Don't make no difference, baby,
And I know that I could always try.
There's a fire inside of everyone of us,
I better hold it now,
I better need it, now,
I better use it till the day that I die.

Don't expect any answers, dear,
For I know that they don't come with age, no, no, no.
Well, I ain't never gonna love you any better, baby.
And I'm never never gonna love you right,
So you'd better take it right now, take it right now.

<Chorus> x 3


Written by Janis Joplin & Gabriel Mekler
Originally published by Columbia Records
From the album 'I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!'

I just can't like it.

I prefere much more when Katie is almost shouting Kozmic Blues (like in Zurich) than follow the original.
Which interpretation of the song do you like more?

I just love it

Never heard of that song before, went searching for the original later...

It would be wonderful to have this added onto the next single

cool cover

katie has a great music taste

barbara i'm thinking now how to convince you towards this song maybe just consider it more like a kind of expressing feelings and not pure singing, forget about rythm and focus on the experience that it brings to you, don't think about this song, just feel it...

Keep trying girl

I still love it.
It’s on my top spot for wanted b-sides..

Good the first time, wonderful the second! It made me shiver and feel that my legs wouldn't hold me anymore (I hope that makes sense )

When I first saw it on Youtube, I couldn't belive the energy she was giving to her performance!!! WOW!!!! It was mesmerizing and intense.
However, nothing beats hearing it live: the experience is breathtaking and worth the ticket. This song proofs that Katie can rock and bee cool with out jepardizing her tastes and personality.

Awesome!!!

that song kills me in the moment. Katie really rocks. Just unbelievable, how she sings it. For me, this could be a tour classic as OTRA or Mockingbird song

And a tour classic has got to be released!

exactly! The song and Katie's version of it deserves to be released..

Hopefully soon on a live album or a Live double DVD or both!!!!!

I second that. It would be absolutely wonderful if she'd add it to her next single.

I love this cover!!!
I agree Lucinde, I hope we could listen it soon on cd!!

Can I join in?
It should definitely be the next b side.

I prefer this performance:
Kozmic Blues (Live in Montpellier)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhRcfwXBH8U


That was a bigger surprise to me than the IOP video had been before.
Katie is full of fabulous surprises.

It says that video is no longer available But I watched it before from Motpellier performance and it was excellent.

This is now one of my very favourite covers/versions by Katie - it has real energy and intensity/passion to it.

I don't suppose anyone has a link to a high-quality MP3? Audio only, ideally, not video...

This youtube link works, the video is available.

This is my favorite.

I do hope, Katie is considering to release it on the next single as this brilliant Live Version

Unbelievable
What a performance. You can see how she is exhausted at the end of this. Absolutely brilliant. Sorry Barbara, you're
not allowed not to like this!

That's from Warschau, right? At least I remember that I found one from Warschau on youtube where the audience was clapping a few times in between (which I find a bit disturbing, actually) and at one point in between, a few seconds seem to be missing (around 3:00). Reminds me very much of the Hannover performance, which was as intense as that, whereas those from Montpeiller and other French concerts are not that good.

I'm pretty sure it was from Poland somewhere. It's not my video, I just found it on Youtube. I do find the clapping a little disturbing as well, but I just love this version the most, so it's alright.

And yes, it seems like the video has been cut in two and then put back together, which is why there are a few seconds missing. Too bad Cause it's so good.