Rock Reads: Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs

"Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs" - Richard Somma

Here's a great book for fans of the late Kris Kristofferson who appreciate his art beyond his voice and the hooks found within his music. Author Somma takes an in depth look at Kristofferson's lyrics here, documenting how the characters portrayed in each song develop through his words and how he delivers those words, whether they are drenched in pain or rich in love, or oftentimes, wonderment. For Kris's best-known song, "Me and Bobby McGee," Somma explains that the song is not just about a fleeting moment of happiness, but also about wondering if that brief moment had to end there in the cab of the semi-truck. Somma also shows how Janis Joplin, who had a major hit with the song, changed a few words and thusly gently adjusted the song's rhyme scheme. This might not be noticeable to most listeners unless they are looking for it, and that perhaps is the main reason for the book, to give fans pointers as they re-explore Kristofferson's work, so they can maybe find meaning that they missed before. Most chapters are only a couple of pages and include, along with Somma's commentary, notes on when the song was released, what album it appeared on, etc. There are songs here too that Kris didn't write but that were significant in his repertoire, like Jimmy Webb's "Highwayman," Hank Williams' "Mind Your Own Business" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry;" there are songs here too where Kris had a co-writer. A real nice feature found at the end of the book is an album-by-album breakdown of what musicians played on each album along with the effort's producer. You can do a quick read of this book if you wish but really it is meant to be studied and referred back to; either way it'll bring the reader closer to Kristofferson.

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