View source for Poor Poor Pitiful Me

{{short description|Song}}
{{Infobox song
| name     = Poor Poor Pitiful Me
| cover    =
| alt      =
| type     =
| artist   = [[Warren Zevon]]
| album    = [[Warren Zevon (album)|Warren Zevon]]
| released = 1976
| recorded =
| studio   =
| venue    =
| 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 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 (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]]''.

==Linda Ronstadt version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Poor Poor Pitiful Me
| image      = Poor poor pitiful me by linda ronstadt US single side-A.png
| alt        = side-A label
| caption    = One of side-A labels of the US single
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Linda Ronstadt]]
| album      = [[Simple Dreams]]
| B-side     = "Simple Man Simple Dream" (or "[[Blue Bayou]]")
| released   = January 10, 1978
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Country rock]]
| length     = 3:42
| label      = [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] 45462
| writer     = [[Warren Zevon]]
| producer   = [[Peter Asher]]
| prev_title = [[It's_So_Easy!_(The_Crickets_song)#Linda_Ronstadt_version|It's So Easy]]
| prev_year  = 1977
| 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}}}}
}}

===Background===
[[Linda Ronstadt]] recorded a gender-altered version of the song in 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.<ref>{{cite book
| first=Linda 
| last=Ronstadt
| year=2013
| title=Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir
| edition=1st hardcover
| publisher=Simon & Schuster
| 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 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|date=October 28, 2013|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> 

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. Earlier demo tapes later released on ''[[Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings]]'' show at one point Zevon had intended to use the Vieux Carré verse as the song's opening verse, before scrapping it, then later blessing its use as the song's final verse on Ronstadt's arrangement (an arrangement Zevon would often imitate in live shows such as the version recorded on ''[[Stand in the Fire]]''). 

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]]''.

===Chart performance===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1978)
!align="center"|Peak<br />position
|-
|align="left"|Canadian ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary Tracks
|align="center"|9
|-
|align="left"|Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks
|align="center"|36
|-
|align="left"|Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles
|align="center"|31
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|46|artist=Linda Ronstadt}}
|-
|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
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|31|artist=Linda Ronstadt}}
|-
|align="left"|U.S. ''Cash Box'' Top 100<ref name="cashboxmagazine.com"/>
|align="center"|26
|}

==Terri Clark version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Poor Poor Pitiful Me
| cover      = PPPM_Terri_Clark.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Terri Clark]]
| album      = [[Just the Same]]
| B-side     = "Something You Should've Said"<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|pages=95–96|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}</ref>
| released   = September 23, 1996
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = [[Country music|Country]]
| length     = 3:10
| label      = [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
| writer     = [[Warren Zevon]]
| producer   = {{hlist|[[Keith Stegall]]|[[Chris Waters]]|Terri Clark}}
| prev_title = [[Suddenly Single]]
| prev_year  = 1996
| next_title = [[Emotional Girl]]
| next_year  = 1997
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|T3064dD-qGQ|"Poor Poor Pitiful Me"}}}}
}}

===Background===
Another hit cover version of the song was recorded by Canadian [[country music|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."<ref>''[[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'', October 5, 1996</ref>

===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===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1996)
!align="center"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Canadacountry|1|chartid=9900|publishdate=December 9, 1996|access-date=July 20, 2013}}
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardbubbling100|109|artist=Terri Clark}}
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|5|artist=Terri Clark}}
|}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (1996)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
| Canada Country Tracks (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.9734&type=1&interval=24|title=RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996|work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|date=December 16, 1996|access-date=July 20, 2013}}</ref>
| align="center" | 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==
{{Reflist}}

{{Warren Zevon}}
{{Linda Ronstadt}}
{{Terri Clark}}
{{Authority control}}

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