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"Help Me Make It Through the Night" | |
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Song by Kris Kristofferson | |
from the album Kristofferson | |
B-side | "Blame it on the Stones" |
Released | 1970 |
Recorded | 1969 |
Studio | Monument Recording, Nashville, Tennessee |
Genre | Country |
Length | 2:24 |
Label | Monument |
Songwriter(s) | Kris Kristofferson |
Producer(s) | Fred Foster |
Audio | |
"Help Me Make It Through the Night" on YouTube |
"Help Me Make It Through The Night" | ||||
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Single by Sammi Smith | ||||
from the album Help Me Make It Through the Night | ||||
B-side | "When Michael Calls" | |||
Released | November 1970 | |||
Recorded | May 6, 1970 | |||
Studio | Monument Recording, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Label | Mega Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kris Kristofferson | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Malloy | |||
Sammi Smith singles chronology | ||||
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"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 Night. It has been covered since by many other artists from Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash to Elvis Presley and Joan Baez and Bryan Ferry and Mark Eitzel.
Smith's recording of the song (in May 1970) remains the most commercially successful, and best-known, version in the United States. Her recording ranks among the most successful country singles of all time in terms of sales, popularity, and radio airplay. [1] It topped the country singles chart, and was also a crossover hit, reaching number eight on the U.S. pop singles chart. "Help Me Make It Through The Night" also became Smith's signature song. [2]
In May 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 71 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking. [3]
Kris Kristofferson said that he got the inspiration for the song from an Esquire Magazine interview with Frank Sinatra. When asked what he believed in, Sinatra replied, "Booze, broads, or a bible...whatever helps me make it through the night." [4]
During his time as a struggling songwriter, Kris Kristofferson wrote and composed the song while staying with Dottie West and her husband, Bill, at their home on Shy's Hill Road in Nashville's Green Hills neighborhood. When he offered Dottie West the song, she originally claimed it was "too suggestive" for her. Eventually, she would record it before the year was out, and it is included on her album Careless Hands. However, by then, several others had recorded and released versions of it, some garnering great success. Later on, West said that not recording "Help Me Make It Through The Night" when Kristofferson originally offered it to her was one of the greatest regrets of her career.[ citation needed ]
In August 2010, eighteen years after comforting Sinéad O'Connor when she was booed at the Bob Dylan: 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, Kristofferson performed "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with her on the Irish talk show Saturday Night with Miriam . [5]
Sammi Smith's recording (made in May 1970) reached number-one on the U.S. country charts and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. On February 20, 1971, it reached number 8 on Billboard 's U.S. pop singles chart, and also enjoyed success in Canada. Adult-Contemporary stations took to the song, and it peaked at number 3 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Additionally, it spent three weeks at number 1 on the Country chart. [6] The song became a gold record.[ citation needed ]
In 1998, the 1970 release of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Sammi Smith on Mega Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [7]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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In 1980, Willie Nelson covered the song. His rendition became a hit on the country music charts of both the U.S. and Canada.
Chart (1979–80) | Peak position |
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US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [17] | 4 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
In 1971, Joe Simon hit #69 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[ citation needed ]
In 1972, a version by Gladys Knight & the Pips reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, and was a Top 10 pop hit in the United Kingdom.[ citation needed ]
In 1974, John Holt included the song on his album 1000 Volts of Holt. That year, his recording of the song made it into the UK Top Ten.[ citation needed ]
In 1975, the French Canadian singer Claude Valade recorded a French version of the song, "Aide-moi à passer la nuit," produced and distributed by London Deram Records. The French-language lyrics were written by Canadian singer-songwriter Christine Charbonneau. The recording was a success and was on the charts (peaking at number 3) for more than six months. [18]
In 2007, it was recorded for a second time in French, with Annie Blanchard recording it on the Musicor Records label, and the song made the Top 20 for 26 weeks, reaching a high of #6. [19]
In 2013, American Idol contestant Kree Harrison sang this song during season 12 on "Songs They Wish They Had Written" week. [20]
In 1995, Ray Stevens recorded a comedy version of the song for his album 20 Comedy Hits. [21]
Kristoffer Kristofferson was an American country music 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 more raw, introspective style. During the 1970s, he also embarked on a successful career as a Hollywood actor.
"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 posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, making the song the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S. chart history after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding. Gordon Lightfoot released a version that reached number 1 on the Canadian country charts in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that was number 1 on the country charts in December 1971/January 1972 as the "B" side of "Would You Take Another Chance on Me". Billboard ranked Joplin's version as the No. 11 song for 1971.
Jewel Fay "Sammi" Smith was an American country music singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 1971 crossover hit "Help Me Make It Through the Night", which was written by Kris Kristofferson. She became one of the few women in the outlaw country movement during the 1970s.
"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson that was recorded in 1969 by Ray Stevens before becoming a No.1 hit on the Billboard US Country chart for Johnny Cash.
The Silver Tongued Devil and I is the second studio album recorded by singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. It was produced by Fred Foster, released in July 1971 on Monument Records and followed his critically acclaimed debut Kristofferson.
Kristofferson is the debut album by the singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. It was produced by Fred Foster and released in June 1970 by Monument Records. After working a series of temporary jobs, Kristofferson became a helicopter pilot for oil companies in the Gulf of Mexico. While he worked, he wrote songs and pitched them to singers around Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee during his free time. Kristofferson's songs were recorded by country singers Roy Drusky, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roger Miller and later he persuaded Johnny Cash to try his material. Cash invited Kristofferson to perform with him at the Newport Folk Festival, after which Fred Foster signed Kristofferson to Monument Records as a songwriter and recording artist.
"Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart in the United States.
"All I Ever Need Is You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Holiday and Eddie Reeves, and initially recorded by Ray Charles for his 1971 album, Volcanic Action of My Soul. The most well-known version of the song is the hit single by Sonny & Cher which, in 1971, reached No. 7 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was their single of greatest chart longevity, spending 15 weeks on that chart. Their album by the same title sold over 500,000 copies reaching RIAA gold status.
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. "Why Me" reached #1 on the Country singles charts.
Breakaway is the second duet album by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge, released in 1974 on Monument Records. It is one of three duet albums by the couple. Unlike Kristofferson solo albums, it features several covers. "I've Got to Have You" and "I'd Rather Be Sorry" had both previously been hits for other artists; they appear here by Kristofferson for the first time.
Rose Garden is a multi-million selling, RIAA Platinum-certified studio album by country singer Lynn Anderson. Recorded at the Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, it was released in late 1970 as the title song was climbing country and pop music charts around the world. The single went on to top the Country charts, where it stayed at the number 1 position for five weeks. It reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in early 1971 and hit number 1 in both Cash Box and Record World. It was an international top five pop hit in numerous countries. Anderson received a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the record. It would remain the biggest selling album by a female country artist for 27 years (1970-1997).
"Why Me" is an American country and gospel song written and recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
"Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded by Bobby Bare, who included it on his Where Have All the Seasons Gone album in January 1971.
Help Me Make It Through the Night is the debut studio album released by American country artist Sammi Smith. The album was originally released in September 1970 on Mega Records and was produced by Jim Malloy. The album was originally named He's Everywhere but was renamed Help Me Make It Through the Night due to the popularity of that track, which reached number one on the Billboard country music chart and the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album comprised Smith's first recordings for the Mega label.
You've Got a Friend is the twenty-eighth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams, released in August 1971 by Columbia Records. The album bears a striking resemblance to the Johnny Mathis album You've Got a Friend released that same month. Besides sharing their name, the two albums are both made up of covers of easy listening hits of the time, with 11 songs each, and the two albums have seven songs in common that are positioned in a similar order.
B Sides and Rarities is a compilation album by the American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Collectables Records on May 27, 2003. Although the collection starts with two 1947 recordings by Kay Thompson and The Williams Brothers, the rest of the material comes from his time at Columbia Records and includes covers of contemporary hits as well as lesser-known material from the songwriters of "Can't Get Used to Losing You", "Home Lovin' Man" and "Moon River".
You've Got a Friend is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on August 11, 1971, by Columbia Records. The phrase "Today's Great Hits" can be found above the title on both sides of the record jacket as well as both sides of the LP label as if to emphasize that this is essentially an album covering songs that were recently on the charts. This was a common practice of many vocalists of the period, so much so in fact that fellow Columbia artist Andy Williams also released an album titled You've Got a Friend in August 1971 on which he coincidentally covers seven of the 11 tracks that Mathis recorded for this album.
Always Remember is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Bill Anderson. It was released in April 1971 on Decca Records and was produced by Owen Bradley. His sixteenth studio effort, it was also Anderson's only studio album to be released in 1971. The title track became a single and a top ten hit on the Billboard country chart. The album would also reach peak positions on the albums chart too.
Careless Hands is a studio album by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released in March 1971 on RCA Victor Records and was produced by Jerry Bradley. It was West's seventeenth studio recording issued during her career and contained a collection of ten tracks. The album's only single spawned was the title track.
For the Good Times is a studio album by country music artist Ray Price. It was released in 1970 by Columbia Records.