“Sunday Morning Coming Down”
Johnny Cash
Written by Kris Kristofferson
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
October 10 – October 17, 1970
From the holy trinity of “For the Good Times,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” I used to see today’s No. 1 hit as the odd one out because two of the songs are about couples at night and one is about a man who’s all alone in the morning.
Kris Kristofferson’s gift as a writer was deemed undeniable by these three songs releasing so close together, and now when I hear all three songs, I can identify the common thread between them.
Because Kristofferson’s capturing the most intimate, revealing inner thoughts of each protagonist, humanizing them by truly seeing them. You can feel the stark loneliness of that Sunday morning coming down as Cash goes down to meet his day. You can feel the weary resignation of Price as he asks for one more time, for the good times. You can feel the desperation of Smith when she asks for some help to make it through the night.
Kristofferson saw past the way such people are often dismissed, and by helping us get to know them, he helps us to understand that they’re not all that different from us. For my fellow Ted Lasso junkies, this kind of songwriting is the best example of that Walt Whitman quote, “Be curious, not judgmental.”
We need more curious songwriters who are looking to reveal the humanity of those who we don’t understand, and more A-list artists being willing to deliver those songs to an audience open to hearing it from their favorite singer.
Cash doesn’t get nearly enough credit for how many times he did that as a singer, but “Sunday Morning Coming Down” is such an undeniable masterpiece that it remains the ultimate expression of Cash’s empathy and solidarity with the underclass that is too often invisible to us.
“Sunday Morning Coming Down” gets an A.
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Obviously an A+ song but i’ve heard versions that I’ve preferred over Johnny’s like Sammi Smith’s and version’s and one’s that were unique like Lynn Anderson’s up-tempo take on it that sounds like she’s smiling.
Coincidentally, I just heard this one on my country oldies station yesterday morning. While I suspect I might agree with Tyler that there would be versions of the song that had a vocal interpretation that I’d better connect with, I also agree that Johnny Cash was uniquely suited for telling the story of this beleaguered narrator struggling with his life choices at the weekend’s pivot point. You can feel the internal struggle in Johnny as he captures the narrator’s plight. I think I’ll seek out some of the other versions just for a point of contrast though.
Grade: A
With respect to this song, I don’t think it’s too hard to see how Johnny and Kris saw themselves as kindred, both speaking to a discontent and a loneliness that far too many people feel. This is what great singers and songwriters have done throughout time, to talk about a common humanity; and it is a testament to both men that they captured it throughout their respective careers, and particularly here (IMHO).
…i am strongly rooting for kris kristofferson’s original here. just never managed to picture johnny cash picking “my cleanest dirty shirt” from the closet without some mental discomfort, whereas kristofferson always looked exactly the part (in my mind). having said that, johnny cash’s delivery sounds of course better, technically.
sunday morning, although often dealt with nicely in country songs, has has been hardly ever depicted more poignantly. a masterpiece even in the masterpiece class.