A note from the author
I have been working on this book for at least three years. Kris died on September 29, 2024, the day before I was to submit my manuscript to Atmosphere Press. My plan had been to get a few desk copies out and to find a way to get Kris to read at least part of the book. In my imagination I believed he would love the book and possibly give me a tiny blurb to put on the back cover. This clearly never happened. This book is a homage to Kris’s writing.
I wrote “Kris” above even though I never met him. There is something about his writing that speaks to me. In some real sense, perhaps a figurative sense, he is a friend. Kris is essentially a storyteller who introduced me to many characters that I still care about. When I heard he died, I had to stop.
Sit down. Visual images of his characters swirled around me: Bobby McGee singing in that truck, the alcoholic in “Chase the Feeling” just thinking of himself, the woman of the “Stranger” wanting someone to believe in,” the ribbon from her hair laying soft on his skin in “Help Me Get Through the Night,” Darby burning his castle down, the guy having beer for breakfast looking to wear his cleanest dirty shirt in “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” an old man (like me) feeling his mortality, the pilgrim looking for a shrine he never found, the beautiful harmonies with Rita Coolidge, Kris’s use of repeated sounds in surprise outbursts. I don’t want to stop. I have to stop.
Something you wrote in “Good Morning John” deeply moved me. I’ll lob it back to you with a few changes: “God bless you, Kris! For the love and joy you’ve given us and the living inspiration that you’ve left us.”
~Richard Somma
About the book
Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs explores the depth and artistry of Kristofferson’s lyrics with a special focus on his masterful use of sound and repetition. His lyrics use rhythm and tone to shape stories—heightening a character’s anger, joy, or excitement, slowing a line for impact, or driving it forward with urgency. The characters he brings to life are authentic, often grappling with thorny predicaments, and his signature wit shines throughout.
For each song, Richard Somma offers his interpretation—not as a definitive answer, but as a starting point to inspire readers to find their own meanings. Richly illustrated, this book aims to bring Kristofferson’s music to life in a new way. Above all, Somma’s greatest hope is that readers will find new appreciation and enjoyment in Kristofferson’s remarkable songs.
“In Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs, Richard Somma dives deep into the evocative world of one of country music’s most influential songwriters. This book is an insightful exploration of Kris Kristofferson’s lyrics, offering readers a unique perspective on his artistry. Somma’s analysis not only illuminates the genius behind Kristofferson’s work but also invites readers to experience his music on a deeper, more personal level. The book focuses on the intricate ways Kristofferson uses rhythm, tone, and repetition to amplify the emotional weight of his storytelling.” – Charnjit Gill, author of Pray Tell
"I wish to thank Kris Kristofferson for writing songs that make me smile and make me think. The art of his writing never stops amazing me. In this book I usually refer to him as Kris even though I didn’t know him personally. His writing is so honest that it makes me feel he’s a friend – a friend I never met in person. He has inspired me to be a better writer. A better human."
About the author
Forty years a fan of Kris Kristofferson, yes I am. And yes, for forty-eight years, a happy math teacher down to the very last equation. But. But. Somewhere in my late thirties, Breadloaf School of English took me in to their wayward-soul four-year summer program. There, Ken Macrorie and David Huddle turned me into a confident writer with an eye for appreciating great writing in others. That is where Kris Kristofferson fits in. I never get tired of hearing Kris Kristofferson – his music, his singing (all right, his gruff singing), his humor. And especially his incomparable way of putting words together, even inventing words like “oftener” along the way. Writing about his writing for the last three years or so made “feelin’ good easy,” as he puts it in “Me and Bobby McGee.”