Help Me Make It Through the Night (Song)
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| “Help Me Make It Through the Night” | |
|---|---|
| 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 |
“Help Me Make It Through the Night” is a country ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson.
- Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1990
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.
Production history
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, Frank replied, “Booze, broads, or a bible…whatever helps me make it through the night.”
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.
Content
Kris Kristofferson’s original lyrics speak of a man’s yearning for sexual intimacy. They were controversial in 1970/1971 when the song was first covered by a woman, Sammi Smith in that case: “I don’t care what’s right or wrong, and I won’t try to understand / Let the devil take tomorrow; Lord tonight, I need a friend.”
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #71 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.
Sammi Smith version
| “Help Me Make It Through The Night” | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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 Studios, Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genre | Country |
| Label | Mega Records |
| Songwriter(s) | Kris Kristofferson |
| Producer(s) | Jim Malloy |
| Sammi Smith singles chronology | |
| “Help Me Make It Through The Night“ (1970)”I’ve Got to Have You” (1972) | |
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. 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.
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. The song became a gold record.
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.
Weekly charts
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia KMR | 7 |
| Canada RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 4 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 19 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 8 |
| US Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1971) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia | 32 |
| Canada | 64 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 36 |
| US Cash Box | 78 |
Willie Nelson
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 |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 4 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Other cover versions
Inspired by Smith’s success with the song, numerous other artists covered it soon thereafter, including Tammy Wynette,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley,
Tony Roletti, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner, Ray Stevens, Ken Parker, Olivia Newton-John,
- Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge
- Kris Kristofferson & Lorrie Morgan
- Vikki Carr
- Kris Kristofferson with Lady Antebellum
- Billy Vaughn
- Percy Faith
- Martina McBride
- Acker Bilk
- Andy Williams
- Instrumental by Dave Monk
- Anne Murray
- Emin and Engelbert Humperdinck
- Norah Jones
Other artists who have recorded charting versions of the song include Gladys Knight & the Pips, John Holt, as well as translations by Claude Valade (in French) and S.T.S. (in Austrian German). The Michael Bublé version features American singer Loren Allred.
in 2023, Tyler Childers released a cover of the song on his album Rustin’ in the Rain.
Other charting versions
In 1971, Joe Simon hit #69 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
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.
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.
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.
and in english.
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.
Television and film appearances
In 1972, John Huston used Kristofferson’s version as the theme for his feature Fat City. It plays under the title credits, with instrumental arrangements later in the movie.
In 1978, Kristofferson made a guest appearance on the television series The Muppet Show; on that episode, he performed “Help Me Make It Through the Night” as a duet with a besotted Miss Piggy.
In the 1997 film The Ice Storm, the Sammi Smith recording plays in the background in one of the key party scenes.
In 2013, American Idol contestant Kree Harrison sang this song during season 12 on “Songs They Wish They Had Written” week.
In 2015, DeAnna Johnson covered this song on The Voice.
In a scene in the 2021 film Stillwater, Bill Baker (Matt Damon) says he finds the song uplifting as he dances with as Virginie (Camille Cottin), after she has put on the song, and he realizes he has found happiness living in Marseilles with Virginie and Maya, as he works to free his wrongfully convicted daughter Allison from prison.
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