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Help Me Make It Through the Night

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For the Sammi Smith album, see Help Me Make It Through the Night (Sammi Smith album). For the Hank Crawford album, see Help Me Make It Through the Night (Hank Crawford album).
"Help Me Make It Through the Night"
Song by Kris Kristofferson
from the album Kristofferson
B-side"Blame it on the Stones"
Released1970
Recorded1969
StudioMonument Recording, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreCountry
Length2:24
LabelMonument
Songwriter(s)Kris Kristofferson
Producer(s)Fred Foster
Audio
"Help Me Make It Through the Night" on YouTube
"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"
ReleasedNovember 1970
RecordedMay 6, 1970
StudioMonument Recording, Nashville, Tennessee
GenreCountry
LabelMega 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)

"Help Me Make It Through the Night" is a country ballad written and composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson. 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 and Bryan Ferry and Mark Eitzel.

Sammi Smith version

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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.[1] 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.[2]

In May 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 71 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[3]

Production history

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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, Sinatra replied, "Booze, broads, or a bible...whatever helps me make it through the night."[4]

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.[citation needed]

In August 2010, eighteen years after comforting Sinéad O'Connor when she was booed at the Bob Dylan: 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, Kristofferson performed "Help Me Make It Through the Night" with her on the Irish talk show Saturday Night with Miriam.[5]

Chart performance

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Sammi Smith

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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.[6] The song became a gold record.[citation needed]

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.[7]

Willie Nelson

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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)[17] 4
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1

Other charting versions

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In 1971, Joe Simon hit #69 on the Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

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.[18]

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.[19]

Television and film appearances

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In 2013, American Idol contestant Kree Harrison sang this song during season 12 on "Songs They Wish They Had Written" week.[20]

Parody version

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In 1995, Ray Stevens recorded a comedy version of the song for his album 20 Comedy Hits.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "5 timeless hit songs written by Kris Kristofferson". 30 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Sammi Smith, 'Help Me Make It Through the Night'". May 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
  4. ^ "Kris Kristofferson Is Still Living His Epic Life" by Turk Pipkin, Esquire. May 12, 2014. Accessed October 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Moore, Jane (September 30, 2024). "The night Kris Kristofferson supported Sinéad O'Connor on stage amid boos in New York". TheJournal.ie.
  6. ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  7. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
  8. ^ "australian-charts.com - Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". australian-charts.com.
  9. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 226.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 321.
  12. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, April 10, 1971". Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971 | Music Outfitters". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  16. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1971". Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  17. ^ "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Claude Valade Hit Parade, Aide-moi à passer la nuit, in 3rd place for 26 weeks" (PDF). 2.banq.qc.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  19. ^ "Annie Blanchard, Aide-moi à passer la nuit, Top 20, Charts" (PDF). 2.banq.qc.ca. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-08-05.
  20. ^ Whitaker, Sterling (2013-04-19). "Kree Harrison Sings Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' on 'American Idol'". tasteofcountry.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  21. ^ 961K views · 29K reactions | Ray Stevens - "Help Me Make It Through The Night" Music Video | #MusicMonday Here's the classic Ray Stevens music video for "Help Me Make It Through The Night". The song was originally written & performed by Kris... | By Ray Stevens | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-10-01 – via www.facebook.com.
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