3 Songs Kris Kristofferson Wrote That Changed Other Artists’ Careers

Kris Kristofferson enjoyed a lush and successful career as a singer-songwriter in country music. However, he also wrote a few songs that were recorded by other artists with substantial success. Let’s look at just a few tunes penned by Kris Kristofferson that might always be known for being recorded by other talented musicians.

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“Me And Bobby McGee”

When one thinks of this blues country rock song, one thinks of Janis Joplin. That’s because she recorded “Me And Bobby McGee” for her final album, Pearl, out in 1971. The song was a massive hit that topped the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of Joplin’s most enduring hits. And the song itself was originally written by Kris Kristofferson.

While this song had a huge impact on Joplin’s career, that impact was unfortunately posthumous. Pearl was released after Joplin had passed away the year prior from an overdose. Kristofferson did not know she even recorded the song until after her passing was announced.

“Once More With Feeling”

The title of this song has become a pop culture staple, and the song itself was a No. 1 hit for country star Jerry Lee Lewis. It was far from Lewis’ first No. 1 hit on the US Country Singles chart, but the song helped buoy his career at the top at the time, following a string of Top 10 hits in the late 1960s. A solid track from She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye, “Once More With Feeling” was a co-written effort between Kris Kristofferson and, surprisingly, children’s author Shel Silverstein. The song also went on to reach No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

“Something They Can’t Take Away”

Roy Orbison had been around for quite a while before “Something They Can’t Take Away” hit the airwaves in 1976. His career was as rich as they come. But Orbison’s Regeneration and this song, written by Kris Kristofferson, marked his return to Monument Records after more than a decade away. That was a pretty big deal, and while Regeneration was met with mixed reviews, it did have an impact on Orbison’s career in the 1970s. Orbison would later enjoy an enormous comeback in the 1980s.

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