The Story Behind The Song: Frank Sinatra, helicopters, and regrets in Kris Kristofferson’s ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’
In a genre that’s been hijacked with some of the worst commercialised dross in popular music, Texas’ Kris Kristofferson stood as one of country’s most authentic stalwarts, as well as its steadfast outlier. Offering a brooding and introspective take on the rootsy Western tales that countered the Nashville sound’s rigid and polished production, Kristofferson was indebted to the rustic romance of Leon Payne and Hank Williams over Pop! Goes the Country‘s plastic haybarns and gaudy performances.
Forming The Highwaymen supergroup along with fellow outlaws Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, Kristofferson and his ensemble dared to buck the country world’s Republican trends by excoriating American jingoism and the poverty their beloved Stars ‘n’ Stripes had meted out on the working class.
In a world of Kenny Chesneys and Toby Keiths—even Lynyrd Skynyrd post-9/11—be Kristofferson. Eschewing all clichés and hackneyed Southern stereotypes, Kristofferson’s brand of personal country was firmly rooted in the lyrical lens and experiences of the blue-collar working man.
He knew such a world all too well. Alongside his English literature studies at Oxford—sponsored by the Rhodes Scholarship—Kristofferson had worked manual jobs since his teens, everything from a dredging assistant, construction work and a firefighter, around his acclaimed essay writings.
It was during his time as a helicopter pilot that he dreamed up one of his most beloved pieces. In between shuttling people and supplies between mainland Louisiana and a Mexican Gulf oil rig, Kristofferson would work out sketches of songs on his guitar in the chopper while awaiting duties. Strumming an evocative ballad about the desire for intimate companionship filled with an implicit allusion to an affair, a tune that had been further fleshed out at country star Dottie West’s house, was ready to be shopped around by the budding songwriter for other artists.
Naming the song ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’, a recollection of an old Esquire interview with Frank Sinatra given in 1966 gifted his number on loney evenings an immortal motto befitting the Ratpack lifestyle: “I’m for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilisers or a bottle of Jack Daniel’s”.
Having built contacts while a janitor for Columbia Records, Kristofferson began fruitful relationships with Cash and his wife, June Carter, and began to pass his compositions to singers in need of material. Before 1970’s Kristofferson debut finally saw release, ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’ and ‘Me and Bobby McGee’ had already seen release by other artists, and Sammi Smith had her rendition of ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ already in the can ready for a release five months later, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
It’s a song that would endure as one of Kristofferson’s most celebrated pieces, covered by everybody from Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, and Joan Baez. Always one to offer solidarity to those with integrity, Kristofferson joined Sinéad O’Connor for a joint performance of ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’ in 2010 for Saturday Night with Miriam, a nod to the time passed since his initial gesture of support after the abuse she received in the aftermath of 1992’s Pope-ripping political stunt on Saturday Night Live.
