"Why Me" is a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

song written and recorded by American country music singer-songwriter

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

Song history

Kristofferson had become the toast of Nashville in the early 1970s, with the massive success of compositions including " For the Good Times", "

Me and Bobby McGee "Me and Bobby McGee" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller. Fred Foster shares the writing credit, as Kristofferson wrote the song based on a suggestion from Foster. A posth ...

", " Sunday Morning Coming Down", and "

Help Me Make It Through the Night "Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album '' Kristofferson''. It was covered later in 1970 by Sammi Smith, on the album '' Help Me Make It Through the Nig ...

", among many others. He had a hit of his own as well, with " Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)". "Why Me" was recorded by Kristofferson in 1972, featuring backing vocals by soon-to-be wife

Rita Coolidge Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945) is an American recording artist. During the 1970s and 1980s, her songs were on ''Billboard'' magazine's pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz charts, and she won two Grammy Awards with fellow musician and th ...

and up-and-coming singer-songwriter

Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country ...

. It was released on the album ''

Jesus Was a Capricorn ''Jesus Was a Capricorn'' is the fourth album by Kris Kristofferson, released in 1972 on Monument Records. The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge. The single "Why Me" reached No. 1 on the US country chart. ...

'' in 1973, and became the biggest hit of his career. According to country music historian Bill Malone, Kristofferson wrote the song during an emotionally low period of his life after having attended a religious service conducted by the Rev. Jimmie Rogers Snow.Malone, Bill, "Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection" (booklet included with '' Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection'' 4-disc set). Smithsonian Institution, 1990, p. 66-67. Malone wrote, "'Why Me, Lord'" - as the song is sometimes known - "may seem greatly out of character for Kristofferson, but it can be interpreted as his own personal religious rephrasing of 'Sunday Morning Coming Down.' In this case, he is 'coming down' not from drugs, but from the whole hedonistic euphoria of the (1960s)." Malone described Kristofferson's gruff vocal styling as "perfect" for the song, since "he sounds like a man who has lived a lot but is now humbling himself before God." Kristofferson said he went with friends to the church service where he was moved by Larry Gatlin's song " Help Me (Lord)". He said that he had never thought of needing help, but he was at a low point in his life. When the pastor asked the congregation, "Is anybody feeling lost?" "Up goes my hand," Kristofferson says. The pastor then asked, "Are you ready to accept Christ? Kneel down there." "I'm kneeling there," Kristofferson continues, "and I carry a big load of guilt around...and I was just out of control, crying. It was a release. It really shook me up." Kristofferson later said, "It was just a personal thing I was going through at the time. I had some kind of experience that I can't even explain." Kristofferson met

June Carter Cash Valerie June Carter Cash (June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American country singer and songwriter. A five-time Grammy Award–winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior to her marria ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

in a hotel room in 1972 to play them two songs he had written. Kristofferson had just attended a rough screening of a movie Johnny and June were heavily involved in, entitled '' The Gospel Road''. Johnny Cash's memoir '' Man in Black'' reiterated the story that

sang " Help Me" at the Evangel Temple, which inspired Kristofferson to write the song. Kristofferson also played Cash the song "Burden of Freedom", which was used in ''The Gospel Road''.

Recognition and awards

"Why Me" was Kristofferson's lone major country hit as a solo recording artist, reaching No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart in July 1973. The song peaked only at No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but had at that time one of the longer runs (19 weeks) in the top 40 Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits," 8th ed. Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 2004. and the most chart reversals (6) in one run on the Hot 100. The song spent 38 weeks in the Hot 100 consecutively, almost tying the record set by

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

' song "

Wonderful! Wonderful! "Wonderful! Wonderful!" is a song written by Ben Raleigh and Sherman Edwards that became the A-side of the first 7-inch single recorded by American singer Johnny Mathis. The recording was produced by Mitch Miller and released on November 5, 195 ...

" on the charts for 39 weeks. The song ranked sixth on the list of

Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1973 This is a list of ''Billboard'' magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1973. The Top 100, as revealed in the year-end edition of ''Billboard'' dated December 29, 1973, is based on Hot 100 charts from the issue dates of November 25, 1972 through Nove ...

. "Why Me" was certified gold for sales of one million units by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Cover versions

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

incorporated the song, retitled "Why Me Lord", into his live shows beginning in January 1974 up until his last concert tour. It was first released on the live album ''

Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis ''Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis'' is a live album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records on July 8, 1974. It was recorded on March 20 of the same year at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, Pre ...

'' in June 1974. The recording is from his March 20, 1974 concert in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. He often introduced the song for

J.D. Sumner John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 – November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Sumner sang in five quartets and ...

to sing "one of his favorite songs." Sumner would sing the verses and Elvis would join on the chorus along with the back-up singers. Presley also recorded the "B" side of the single, " Help Me", written by

, in December 1973, and it remained part of his live shows as well. *

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity ...

recorded a version of "Why Me" on her 1973 album '' God Is Abundant''. *

Melba Montgomery Melba Joyce Montgomery (October 14, 1938 – January 15, 2025) was an American country music singer and songwriter. She was known for a series of duet recordings made with George Jones, Gene Pitney, and Charlie Louvin. She was also a solo artis ...

recorded "Why Me" in 1973 on her album ''Melba Montgomery''. *

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. During her career Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature into adulthood ...

included "Why Me Lord" on her 1974 album ''

Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone) ''Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Tanya Tucker. It was released on February 11, 1974, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Billy Sherrill and includes Tucker's thi ...

''. *

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...

recorded a version for his 1974 album '' In a Gospel Way''. *

David Allan Coe David Allan Coe (born September 6, 1939) is an American singer and songwriter. Coe took up music after spending much of his early life in reform schools and prisons, and first became notable for busking in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville. He ini ...

included "Why Me" on his 1977 album '' Texas Moon''. *British singer

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

recorded a version for his 1978 album ''

Small Corners ''Small Corners'' is a 1978 album of Contemporary Christian music by British singer Cliff Richard. It is his twentieth studio album and third gospel album. It was recorded in Abbey Road Studios in January 1977. "Yes He Lives" was released in th ...

''. *

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

included a version of "Why Me" alongside several other covers of songs written by Kris Kristofferson on his aptly titled 1979 album '' Sings Kristofferson''. *

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

recorded a version, released on his 1981 album ''What a Friend We Have in Jesus''. *

Bell Gardens Bell Gardens is a city in the U.S. state of California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Located in Los Angeles County, the city's population was 39,501 at the 2020 census. Bell Gardens is part of the Gateway Cities Region, a largely urb ...

released a version of "Why Me Lord" on their 2014 album "Slow Dawns For Lost Conclusions" *

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

a capella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

group New Swing Quartet recorded a version, released on the 1985 album ''Oh, Happy Day'', titled "Why Me Lord". *

Carlene Davis Carlene Davis (born ) is a Jamaican gospel and reggae singer active since the 1970s. Successful since the early 1980s as a reggae artist, she survived cancer in the mid-1990s, after which she dedicated her career to gospel music. She has release ...

recorded a version entitled "Why Me Lord" on her 1992 album ''Jesus Is Only a Prayer Away''. *

also recorded a version of the song titled "Why Me Lord" on his 1994 album '' American Recordings''. *

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

released a version on his 1975 album, ''Linda on My Mind'', and then another longer version on his 1994 ''The Conway Twitty Collection'' box set. *Chicago punk band The

Smoking Popes Smoking Popes is an American pop punk band from the northwest suburbs of Chicago. They are composed of brothers Matt Caterer (bass), Josh Caterer (lead vocals/guitar) and Eli Caterer (guitar/backing vocals) and Mike Felumlee (drums). Histo ...

recorded a version of this song for their 2001 album '' The Party's Over''. *The

Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...

performed a powerful version of the song during a 2006

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

performance in Toronto. The song was performed with pianist Anthony Burger. *

David Crowder Band David Crowder Band (stylized as David Crowder*Band and The David Crowder*Band) was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas. Their final album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian and No. 2 on the B ...

recorded a version for their final album, ''

Give Us Rest ''Give Us Rest; or, A Requiem Mass in C (the Happiest of All Keys)'' is the sixth and final studio album and their eleventh overall album release from the David Crowder Band. This album was released on January 10, 2012 through sixstepsrecords. The ...

'', which was released in 2012. *Gospel artist

CeCe Winans Priscilla Marie Love, known professionally by her stage name as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer who has garnered 17 Grammy Awards, the most for any female gospel singer; 33 GMA Dove Awards, 19 Stellar Awards, ...

recorded a version on her 2017 album ''Let Them Fall in Love''. *Wolfgang Hildebrandt also recorded a version of the song titled "Why Me Lord" on his 2018 album '' Country Love Songs''. *

Josh Turner Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, MCA Nashville Records. That same year, his Long Black Train, debut album's title t ...

recorded the song as a duet with Kristofferson on his 2020 album '' Country State of Mind''.

References

External links

* Song lyrics and chords
The Pittsburgh Press
June 26, 1973, p. 41 {{Authority control 1973 songs 1973 singles Kris Kristofferson songs Number-one singles in South Africa Songs written by Kris Kristofferson Monument Records singles