The country music world grew slightly darker on Sept. 28, 2024, when prolific singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson passed away at age 88.

The Brownsville, Texas-born artist loomed large in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, producing such masterpieces as “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” As legions of fans mourn his passing, the “Help Me Through the Night” singer’s streaming numbers have soared.

Huyền thoại âm nhạc-điện ảnh Mỹ Kris Kristofferson qua đời ở tuổi 88 | Vietnam+ (VietnamPlus)

Kris Kristofferson’s Streams Are Up Nearly 3,000 Percent

Abandoning a promising U.S. Army career, Kris Kristofferson moved to Nashville in 1965 to pursue a career in songwriting. His break came in 1969 when Johnny Cash decided to record “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” That was the song that, according to Kristofferson, allowed him to “quit working for a living.”

The “Blade” star built an impressive catalog over the next half century, and listeners are turning to that catalog in the wake of his death.

Kristofferson’s official on-demand U.S. streams reached a total of nearly 1.9 million last Monday (Sept. 30), according to Luminate. Those numbers are a staggering 2,292% from the 79,000 streams his discography had notched the previous Monday (Sept. 23.)

Revisiting Kristofferson’s Only Major Hit

“Why Me” saw the bulk of those streams, jumping 1,442 percent from the previous week. The third single off Kris Kristofferson’s fourth album, 1973’s Jesus Was a Capricorn, “Why Me” featured backing vocals from his future wife, Rita Coolidge.

It became Kristofferson’s only solo chart-topper, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart in 1973. “Why Me” also helped the country music titan find crossover success, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kristofferson previously said he was moved to write the song after hearing the Larry Gatlin hit “Help Me, Lord” during a church service with friends. “Is anybody lost?” the pastor asked the congregation.

“Up goes my hand,” Kristofferson said, according to a 1975 interview published in Playboy magazine.

“Are you ready to accept Christ?” the pastor asked. “Kneel down there.”

“I’m kneeling there,” Kristofferson said, “and I carry a big load of guilt around…and I was just out of control, crying. It was a release. It really shook me up.”

He later elaborated, “It was just a personal thing I was going through at the time. I had some kind of experience that I can’t even explain.”