Ask anyone which is one of Kris Kristofferson’s more popular songs, and the answer will undoubtedly be “Me And Bobby McGee”. Written by Kristofferson and Fred Foster, it was first released by Roger Miller. Later, the song was recorded by several other artists, including Gordon Lightfoot, Charley Pride, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1971, Janis Joplin’s take on “Me And Bobby McGee” was released. It remains the only No. 1 single of her career.
Kristofferson was just getting his music career started when he wrote “Me And Bobby McGee”. In fact, he was still working as a helicopter pilot when Foster broached him about the idea of what became “Me And Bobby McGee”. Although originally, Foster suggested Bobby McKee, the name of a secretary he knew. Foster also suggested that Kristofferson hold off on revealing that Bobby was actually a female. Intrigued, Kristofferson still wasn’t sold on the idea.
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“I had just gone to work for Combine Music,” Kristofferson recalls. “Fred Foster, the owner, called me and said, ‘I’ve got a title for you: ‘Me and Bobbie McKee,’ and I thought he said ‘McGee.’ I thought there was no way I could ever write that. And it took me months hiding from him, because I can’t write on assignment. But it must have stuck in the back of my head. One day, I was driving between Morgan City and New Orleans. It was raining, and the windshield wipers were going. I took an old experience with another girl in another country. I had it finished by the time I got to Nashville.”
What Kris Kristofferson Says About the Success of “Me and Bobby McGee”
It is Joplin’s version that altered Kristofferson’s career, forever. Tragically, although Joplin recorded her take on “Me And Bobby McGee” in 1970, the song was posthumously released. Joplin passed away on October 4,1970, from a heroin overdose. Still, Kristofferson is profoundly grateful that Joplin was able to record “Me And Bobby McGee” before her tragic death.
“Janis having a hit with ‘Me And Bobby McGee’ changed everything,” Kristofferson tells Uncut. “I think it probably got me in the movies, too, because Dennis Hopper loved that song so much, and he cast me in The Last Movie. Everything just seemed to fall into place. From then on, it was all a big blur. The only problem I had was whether my band were going to show up for work or not!”
Joplin’s take on “Me And Bobby McGee” left a lasting impact on Kristofferson.
“The first time I heard Janis Joplin’s version was right after she died,” Kristofferson tells Performing Songwriter. “Paul Rothchild, her producer, asked me to stop by his office and listen to this thing she had cut. Afterwards, I walked all over L.A., just in tears. I couldn’t listen to the song without really breaking up.”
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