Mercedes Benz, also known as The Politician, is an a cappella song by Janis Joplin, in which she asks the "Lord" to buy her a night on the town, a color television and a Mercedes-Benz. A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ... Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter with a highly distinctive voice. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ...

Note that the song title, as listed on the album Pearl, contains no hyphen; the automobile brand name is hyphenated. Pearl is an album by Janis Joplin, released in January 1971 just four months after her death from a heroin overdose. ...

Joplin wrote Mercedes Benz together with the poet Michael McClure and Bob Neuwirth, as a social commentary on how people relate happiness to money and material possessions. In the song she asks God to give her the things she has "earned". Michael McClure, an American poet and playwright, was born in Marysville, Kansas on (October 20, 1932). ... Bob Neuwirth is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and visual artist. ...

In the 1990s, Mercedes-Benz used the song in commercials for their cars. Joplin's step-sister owned the rights to the song and allowed Mercedes to use it. See also 1990s, the band Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ...

In addition, a commercial for the BMW Z3 had the driver listening to the tape, frowning after Mercedes-Benz was mentioned, and throwing the tape out of the car after the Porsche quote. The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first BMW model assembled in the United States. ... Dr. Ing. ...

In 1992, French Canadian pop star Mitsou recorded a dance-pop cover version of the song on her EP Heading West. See also: 1991 in music, other events of 1992, 1993 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music // Events 1992 was a pivotal year in the development of music. ... Mitsou-Miel Rioux-Gélinas (born September 1, 1970) is a Canadian pop singer, businesswoman, television and radio host, and actress. ... In pop music a cover version is a new rendition of a previously recorded song. ...

In 2000 a remix was made and included on Greatest Hits collections of Joplin. While the original song was a cappella, the remix added a beat. Joplin's singing voice was left untouched, played against a background melody. This article is about the year 2000. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ...

The song references "Dialing for Dollars", which refers to an old segment carried on many local TV shows, which required one to be watching the show in order to win. Dialing for Dollars was a segment on local television shows especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s though still seen in some markets. ...

See: Song sellout.