‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’ and 9 other essential Kris Kristofferson songs
Kris Kristofferson didn’t merely compose country music tunes as if he was destined for the hallowed halls of country music’s Mt. Rushmore; his windblown hair and rough-hewn face gave him an appearance fitting for eternal sculpture. During the mid-1970s, Kristofferson’s rugged good looks propelled a thriving acting career in Hollywood, culminating in a nearly bare-chested role opposite Barbra Streisand in her reimagining of “A Star Is Born.” However, it was the profundity and creativity of Kristofferson’s songwriting—a skill he cultivated through his studies in literature at Pomona College and the University of Oxford—that marked a career that spanned from the late 1960s to his passing at age 88 on Saturday. Here, arranged in the order they were released, are ten essential Kristofferson songs: his own renditions, interpretations by other artists, and one selection that encapsulates the poetic nature he appreciated.
