"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul love song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin on lead vocals) covered the song in 1968 and had a much bigger hit with it, after which Franklin's version was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song has since been remade by several singers, including Dusty Springfield also in 1968, Faith Hill in 1994 and duet version by Melissa Etheridge and Joss Stone in 2005. In 2004, the Big Brother and the Holding Company version was ranked No. 353 on Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is also included among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Erma Franklin's original recording The original version of "Piece of My Heart" was recorded by Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma in 1967 for producer Bert Berns' Shout label with the same song on both sides of the 7-inch vinyl single. Bert Berns wanted Van Morrison, whom he was producing at the time, to record the song, but Morrison declined, wanting to do his own material instead. The song reached number 10 in December 1967 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States and also peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. In Canada, it reached number three on the CKFH Soul Survey. Cash Box said that it "starts with less volume than might be expected, which only emphasizes the build that follows." Franklin's single was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, the winner to be revealed in March 1969 at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards. The award went to Franklin's sister Aretha for the song "Chain of Fools". In the United Kingdom and several other European countries, the single was re-released in 1992 due to being featured in a popular Levi's jeans commercial ("Cinderella" a.k.a. "Night and Day" directed by Tarsem Singh). The reissue peaked at number 5 in Denmark, number 9 in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and number 10 in Ireland. Charts Weekly