The Foundation of a Classic
When writing the song, Kristofferson said he persistently heard the Mickey Newbury song “ Why You Been Gone So Long? ” in the back of his mind – as it had a rhythm he liked, he began singing in an identical meter. With that came the birth of the tune for the song “Me and Bobby McGee”.
Mickey Newbury (Photo by Tom Hill/WireImage)
Now, it was a matter of deciding who would be best to sing it.