“Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” is a song written by Kris Kristofferson that was popularized in 1969 by Ray Stevens before becoming a number one hit for Johnny Cash. Cash’s version won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year in 1970 and hit number one on the country chart. According to Kristofferson, Cash was told to change the line “I’m wishing Lord that I was stoned” when he performed it on his TV show, but he refused to comply. (More from Wikipedia)
Kris Kristofferson is probably better known as a songwriter – such as Janis Joplin’s posthumous hit song, “Me and Bobby McGee”, plus “For the Good Times” (a hit by Ray Price, among others), “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” (recorded by Johnny Cash) and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (Sammi Smith’s version being the most successful), which were all #1 hits on one Billboard or Canadian chart or other – or as an actor in dozens of films, such as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, A Star Is Born, the Blade films, and The Motel Life. He has a rough-and-tumble reputation as a hard-liver, and in part, that fuels his interest in spiritual matters. Jesus has clearly been on his mind over the years; his album names include Jesus Was a Capricorn (simply an observation that Christmas Day falls within that astrological sign).
(July 2014)
