Kris Kristofferson Opens Up About The “Profound Religious Experience” That Inspired “Why Me”
on Sep 30, 2024
Legendary singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson passed away on September 28th at the age of 88
The country music community is mourning the loss of beloved musician Kris Kristofferson, who died on Saturday, September 28th, at his home in Maui. He was 88 years old.
The family shared the heartbreaking news in an online statement:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28, at home. We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
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The biggest song of Kris Kristofferson’s career was arguably his most emotional
In 1973, Kris Kristofferson released his emotionally raw song “Why Me.” The single topped the US Hot Country Songs chart and spent 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 cross-genre chart.
The song featured vocals by Kris’ to-be-wife Rita Coolidge and was released in 1973 on the album Jesus Was a Capricorn. Since the song’s release, many iconic artists have covered “Why Me” (sometimes called “Why Me Lord“), including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Merle Haggard, and more.
Listen to “Why Me” by Kris Kristofferson below.
Kris Kristofferson shares the experience that moved him to write “Why Me”
During an interview with country DJ Ralph Emery, Kris revealed that the story behind “Why Me” began with a song he heard in church. He shared that fellow country artist Connie Smith brought him to church one Sunday morning in the early 70s after performing together at a benefit concert the night before.
The church service was led by Rev. Jimmie Rogers Snow. Kris admitted that he did not go to church often, but during the service, he found himself so moved by the song “Help Me” that his life would never be the same. He added:
“I had a profound religious experience during the session. Something that had never happened to me before. And ‘Why Me’ came out of it.”
Hear Kris Kristofferson talk about the experience in the video below!
