The Story Of Janis Joplin’s Last Recording That Was Sent To John Lennon

Janis Joplin, one of the most prominent figures in ‘60s rock, passed away far too soon. She was a huge lover of the Beatles, and her final song, made only three days before her death, was a homage to John Lennon, which is underrated.

On October 1, 1970, rumor has it that Janis Joplin recorded another record, which was a happy birthday wish to John Lennon. It’s an unverified claim, as other accounts place the date of Janis’s recording of her message to the Beatle on September 26. The truth though, was that “Happy Birthday, John (Happy Entails),” was one of the few songs that the incredible singer recorded before her untimely death.

It is well established that Joplin liked the Beatles, and that Yoko Ono was aware of this fact. For John Lennon’s 30th birthday, October 9, 1970, his wife arranged a recording session with a number of musicians that respected him, including Janis.  And on his interview on The Dick Cavett Show in 1972, Lennon made the confession. “We didn’t meet, but she sent me a birthday tape on my birthday for my last birthday,” Lennon said. “Yoko asked all different people to make a tape for me, and she was one of them, and we got it after she died. It arrived in the post, and she was singing happy birthday to me in the studio.”

Listen to Janis Joplin’s “Happy Birthday, John” below, along with a feature YouTube video from Rock Music Revival.