by Kris Kristofferson, who has died aged 88, was one of the most prolific artists of his generation. In a career that spanned decades, he released 18 studio albums as well as compilation records, live albums and collaborative works.
A well-known country singer, he was highly regarded for the rawness and vulnerability of his singing, perhaps most notably in his soulful 1972 tune “Why Me”, which topped the country charts in the United States.
In addition to a successful music career, Kristofferson won critical acclaim and several awards for his work as an actor. He received a Golden Globe for Best Actor when he starred in the 1976 film a star was born, opposite Barbra Streisand, two years after working with Martin Scorsese on the romcom Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
But Kristofferson always saw himself first and foremost as a composer, as he said The Guardian in an interview in 2008: “Nothing else would have ever happened if it wasn’t for the singing.
“I’ve realized how special a song is compared to other art forms, because you can carry it around in your head and in your heart and it stays a part of you.”
He added: “It comes as naturally as a bird to me, always has. That’s how singer-songwriters make sense of our lives.”
Here are five songs you didn’t realize were written by Kristofferson.
Another Time to Feel (1969)
Written by Kristofferson with writer and musician Shel Silverstein, this track was originally recorded by rock’n’roll star Jerry Lee Lewis and appeared on his 13th album, She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye.
Released as a single, it topped the Cash Box Country Singles chart in 1970 and reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart. Almost ten years later, Kristofferson recorded himself for his ninth album, 1979’s Shake Hands with the Devil.
The lyrics are: “We’re just going through the motions/ Of the parts we’ve learned to play/ Never seemed together before/ But somehow darlin’ something good/ Getting lost along the way/ And our song is nothing/Special anymore.”
Sunday Morning ‘Comin’ Down (1970)
Legend has it that Kristofferson was so desperate to catch the attention of his hero, Johnny Cash, that he landed a helicopter on their lawn, beer in hand, to give him the demo tape.
The singer-songwriter would later tell journalists that although a helicopter landed at the Man in Black’s house, he wasn’t home at the time, the demo tape was actually a song that wasn’t cut on anyone, and he certainly wouldn’t be able to fly a helicopter with a beer.
Regardless, Cash recorded “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”, which topped the country charts and won the CMA Song of the Year award.
“I’m really grateful for that song because it opened a lot of doors for me,” Kristofferson told NPR in an interview in 2013. “So many people I admired, I admired him. In fact, it was the song that gave me the opportunity to quit working for a living.”
For Good Times (1970)
The track that established Kristofferson as one of the most popular songwriters of his generation, “For the Good Times” has been the subject of numerous interpretations by Bill Nash, Perry Como, Al Green, Dolly Parton and, perhaps most famously , Ray. Price – who turned the heartbreaking tune into a No. 1 win. 1 in 1970.
Kristofferson’s lyrics were very poignant: “Don’t look so sad / I know it’s over / But life goes on / This old world will keep turning / Be happy / We had time to spend together / No need to watch the bridges / that were burning.”
Help Me Make It Through the Night (1970)
One of Kristofferson’s most famous songs, “Help Me Make It Through the Night” began when Sammi Smith’s version hit No. ) and inspired many other greats to release their own interpretations, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Gladys Knight, Tammy Wynette and Joan Baez.
When he came up with the idea for the song, Kristofferson was working as a helicopter pilot (which meant he could go in and hand-deliver songs to Johnny Cash). It was reportedly inspired by an interview with Frank Sinatra in 1963 playboy, in which the crooner said: “I’m getting rid of anything that bothers you during the night, whether it’s a prayer, a tranquilizer or a bottle of John Daniel.”
Me and Bobby McGee (1970)
Kristofferson usually wrote when the mood struck, but he eventually answered a call from Monument Records founder Fred Foster, who suggested a song title named after a secretary he knew. “I avoided it for three or four months because I just had thoughts running through my head,” Kristofferson said in 1973. “I was driving back to New Orleans one night, the windshield wipers were going, and started it’s falling together.”
His lyrics were influenced by the Fellini film La Strada (The Road) and two lovers who went out continued to travel together only to drift apart. It was first recorded by honky tonk singer Roger Miller in 1968, before Janis Joplin, who Kristofferson briefly dated, recorded the final version for her second posthumous album, 1971. Pearl.
Kristofferson had no idea that Joplin had recorded it until it was released: “After that, I walked all over LA, just in tears,” he told Performers years later. “I couldn’t listen to the song without actually breaking up.” The song became Joplin’s biggest hit and was later covered by stars including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton and Olivia Newton-John.
