Maps of Music

Jesus Was a Capricorn (1972)

Where the lyrics of Jesus Was a Capricorn take you, and where it was really made.

The title track started as a reply to critics of the previous album, and the song that became Kristofferson's biggest hit was a different track from the same record, released as the third single.

Key places

Recorded at Quad Studios, Nashville (1972)

Recording site Quad Studios — The source records this album as recorded at Quad Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The pin uses the studio building's coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Jesus Was a Capricorn: fourth studio album by American musician Kris Kristofferson
• Released in 1972 on Monument Records
• Produced by Fred Foster
• Ten tracks; "Help Me" is Larry Gatlin's song, while "Give It Time to Be Tender" and "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" are co-written
• The album cover pictures Kristofferson and his soon-to-be wife Rita Coolidge
• "Why Me" reached No. 1 on the US country chart

Background

• Follows the album Border Lord and adds more elaborate instrumentation than his first two LPs
• Some listeners read the title track as Kristofferson's reply to critics who disparaged Border Lord
• The title track owes a debt to John Prine, of whom Kristofferson was an early champion
• In a 2016 interview with Uncut, Kristofferson named Roger Miller, Shel Silverstein and Mickey Newbury among his influences
• Some critics felt his film career was a distraction and his songwriting was slipping, a view he rejected
• Religious theme on the album: "Why Me" became his biggest hit

Recording

• Produced by Fred Foster, with a fuller sound than the earlier records
• Biographer Stephen Miller noted that the album was often criticized as overproduced
• Drums by Andrew Newmark and Kenny Buttrey; guitar by Chip Young, Fred Carter Jr. and others
• Rita Coolidge contributes backing vocals to several tracks
• Kristofferson duets with Larry Gatlin on "Help Me"
• The recording location is listed as Quad Studios in Nashville, Tennessee

Cover

• The cover shows Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge, who became his wife after the album was made

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• American musician, songwriter and actor, born June 22, 1936 in Brownsville, Texas; died September 28, 2024 in Hana, Hawaii, aged 88.
• A pioneer of the 1970s outlaw country movement, moving away from the polished Nashville sound toward a rawer, introspective style.
• Signed to Monument Records in 1969 after one single for Epic Records; recorded ten albums for Monument.
• Songs such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" became hits for other artists.
• "Why Me" and "Highwayman" reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1973 and 1985.
• Member of the supergroup the Highwaymen (with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash) from 1985 to 1995.
• Acting career in films including A Star Is Born (1976, Golden Globe for Best Actor), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Heaven's Gate (1980) and the Blade trilogy.
• Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004; received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014; three Grammy wins from 13 nominations.
• Announced retirement from performing in January 2021; final performance at the Hollywood Bowl on April 29, 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Record World described the title track as a funky song with a sing-along chorus and timely, clever lyrics delivered with gusto by Kristofferson
• The first two singles, the title track and "Jesse Younger", both underperformed
• The label then released "Why Me" as the third single, which quickly entered the country and pop charts
• Some critics felt Kristofferson's film career was a distraction and his songwriting was slipping

Reappraisal

• Biographer Stephen Miller noted a common criticism that the album was overproduced
• Critics said the production moved his songs away from the rough-hewn charm of his earlier work
• Kristofferson's music continued to be covered by other artists, inside and outside country

Records

• "Why Me" topped the US country chart in July 1973
• "Why Me" also peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 after a slow climb in November
• The album reached No. 1 on the country charts a full year after its release
• Both the album and the "Why Me" single went gold
• The album gave Kristofferson his greatest success as a recording artist

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Frank Sinatra covered "Nobody Wins" for his 1973 comeback album Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back
• Elvis Presley incorporated "Why Me", retitled "Why Me Lord", into his live shows from January 1974 until his last concert tour
• Elvis's version came from his March 20, 1974 concert in Memphis, Tennessee, released on the live album Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis in June 1974
• In 1972 Kristofferson met June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash in a hotel room to play them two of his songs, just after a rough screening of The Gospel Road
• Johnny Cash's memoir Man in Black repeats the story that Larry Gatlin sang "Help Me" at the Evangel Temple, which inspired Kristofferson to write the song

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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