The world of music mourns the death, at the age of 88, of Kris Kristoffersoncountry music star. The news of his death was confirmed by his family, according to which the American artist passed away peacefully at his home in Maui, Hawaii, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones. Kristofferson, born on June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas, as well as being one of the most influential American singer-songwriters of his time (Bob Dylan said of him: «You can look at a pre-Kris and a post-Kris Nashville, because he changed everything”), he was also a successful actor: his acting in the film was unforgettableA Star is Born from 1976 together with Barbra Streisand, of which a remake was filmed a few years ago with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. “The first time I saw Kris perform at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles, I knew she was special,” Streisand wrote on her social media pages. «Barefoot and with the guitar, he seemed like the perfect choice for a screenplay I was developing, which it ended up being A Star Is Born». We want to remember the great Texan singer-songwriter through his five unforgettable songs, among the numerous gems he left us as a legacy.
1) Me and Bobby McGee (1970)
Like many Kristofferson songs, also the unforgettable Me and Bobby McGee has had countless versions: Roger Miller entered the charts for the first time with his recording in 1969 and Kristofferson included it in his eponymous debut album in 1970. However, Janis Joplin’s poignant recording remains engraved in the collective memory , which reversed the gender of the titular Bobby from female to male. Kristofferson, who, at the suggestion of producer Fred Foster, explained to Joplin how to sing it in the studio, discovered the recording of the song only after the premature death of the great singer and was moved to tears by her interpretation, which forever gave prestige to the his song.
2) Help Me Make It Through the Night (1970)
One of the most beautiful and exciting songs ever written on the theme of one-night casual sex, Help Me Make It Through the Night it first found success when Sammi Smith took it to the top of the charts in 1970, winning a Grammy for Best Female Country Performance. The lyrics “Tonight I need a friend, it’s sad to be alone” are unforgettable, a warm request for company in the hours that divide the night from the morning. Among the numerous versions of the song, those by Gladys Knight, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tina Turner, Willie Nelson and Mariah Carey stand out.
3) For the Good Times (1970)
A wonderful bittersweet song about the end of a love story, For the Good Times it became a worldwide success in Ray Price’s 1970 version. It too, needless to say, had numerous covers, among which those by Al Green, Dolly Parton and The Little Willies stand out. What makes the song so special, in addition to the beautiful melody, is the lyrics full of comfort and empathy, simple and profound at the same time: a balm for the soul of broken hearts.
4) Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) (1971)
If you’ve never listened before Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) in Kristofferson’s version, we recommend keeping a pack of tissues handy. Originally written for Waylon Jennings, the song became the great Texan singer-songwriter’s first charting single in 1971 and one of only two Top 40 pop hits. In it, Kristofferson fondly and without remorse recalls a past love story, suggesting that it is always better to have loved and then suffered than to have never truly loved someone. Roger Miller, Willie Nelson and Nana Mouskouri also recorded their own versions of the song.
5) Why me (1972)
Great artists are united by the precious ability to transform pain into art. Kristofferson was in a difficult moment in his life when he found himself attending a religious service, which inspired this moving song that straddles gospel and country, steeped in faith, in which the singer addresses Jesus directly, asking him to help him change life: “Lord help me Jesus, I wasted it”. Why me it became, in the summer of 1973, his only number one country hit on the charts. Elvis Presley loved that song so much that it became a regular presence in his concert set list until his death in 1977.