For six decades, Buffy Sainte-Marie has been more than a singer-songwriter. She’s been a true artist. By weaving politically charged and emotionally weighty narratives into her distinctive brand of folk-country-Americana, she’s crafted some of music’s most important works.
Videos by American Songwriter
Throughout her career, she’s lent those talents to others, contributing to a far greater songbook than many realize. Here are 3 songs you may not know Buffy Sainte-Marie wrote for other artists.
1. “Universal Soldier” – The Highwaymen (1964)
Written by Buffy Sainte-Marie
He’s five feet two, and he’s six feet four / He fights with missiles and with spears / He’s all of thirty-one, and he’s only seventeen / He’s been a soldier for a thousand years, plays the long covered classic “Universal Soldier.”
Penned by Sainte-Marie, the song was first recorded by the folk group The Highwaymen (not to be mistaken for the country supergroup made up of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson) in 1964.
Sainte-Marie would release her own version soon after, but the tune wouldn’t become a hit until folk icon Donovan recorded and released a rendition of the song in 1965.
2. “Up Where We Belong” – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (1982)
Written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jack Nitzsche, and Will Jennings
Love lift us up where we belong / Where the eagles cry, on a mountain high / Love lift us up where we belong / Far from the world below, up where the clear winds blow, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes bellow in “Up Where We Belong.”
The love theme from the film An Officer and a Gentleman was composed by Sainte-Marie alongside her then-husband, Jack Nitzsche, with lyricist Will Jennings. The now iconic song earned the writing trio a number of accolades, including both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
3. “Co’dine” – Donovan (1964)
Written by Buffy Sainte-Marie
An’ my belly’s craving, I got a shakin’ in my head / I feel like I’m dyin’ an’ I wish I were dead / If I live til tomorrow, it’s gonna be a long time / For I’ll reel and I’ll fall and rise on codine / An’ it’s real, an’ it’s real, one more time, plays the harrowing “Co’dine.”
The tune is a Sainte-Marie signature, and while she was the first to release it in 1964, she was not the first artist to record it. Donovan recorded a demo of the song in 1964, but would not release it until 1992 as a part of his box set, Troubadour: The Definitive Collection 1964–1976.
Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images
