Islands in the Stream
Encyclopedia
"Islands in the Stream" is the title of a song written by the Bee Gees
and sung by American country music
artists Kenny Rogers
and Dolly Parton
. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers' album
Eyes That See in the Dark
and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton (Rogers having been there with 1980's "Lady
" and Parton with 1981's "9 to 5
"). They went on to record a Christmas album together, and had an additional hit with their 1985 duet "Real Love". The Gibbs originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye
in an R&B style, only later to change it for the Kenny Rogers album.
It also spent two weeks as the number one country song and in the year's final countdown was the number one song of the year of 1983. In December of that year it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
for shipping two million copies in the US. In Australia, the song was number one for one week in December 1983 and becoming one of the highest selling singles of 1984. In 2005, the song topped CMT
's poll of the best country duets of all time; Parton and Rogers reunited to perform the song on the CMT special.
In April 2008, South Bend, Indiana
radio station WZOW played the song continuously for several days on end. This was a stunt
used to draw attention to the station's format change from alternative rock
to adult contemporary.
for Kenny Rogers
for his album Eyes That See in the Dark
, which was kept private until 2006.
and Rob Brydon
, in character as Vanessa Jenkins and Bryn West from the hit BBC show Gavin & Stacey
, released a version of the song as a single for Comic Relief
. Robin Gibb
and Sir Tom Jones
appear on the single as backing singers. Titled "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" in reference to the Barry Island
setting of Gavin & Stacey, it entered the UK Singles Chart
at number 1 on 15 March 2009. By making No.1 this meant the Gibb Brothers had achieved No. 1 songs in five successive decades, the first songwriters to do this.
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
and sung by American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artists Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers' album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Eyes That See in the Dark
Eyes That See in the Dark
- Notes :The version of "I Will Always Love You" featured on this album was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb, and is hence not the same as the more famous song of the same name, which was written by Dolly Parton...
and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton (Rogers having been there with 1980's "Lady
Lady (Kenny Rogers song)
"Lady" is the title of a song written by Lionel Richie and recorded by American country artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 as the only single from the album, Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits....
" and Parton with 1981's "9 to 5
9 to 5 (Dolly Parton song)
"9 to 5" is a song written and originally performed by Dolly Parton for the 1980 film comedy Nine to Five, starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton in her film debut....
"). They went on to record a Christmas album together, and had an additional hit with their 1985 duet "Real Love". The Gibbs originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
in an R&B style, only later to change it for the Kenny Rogers album.
It also spent two weeks as the number one country song and in the year's final countdown was the number one song of the year of 1983. In December of that year it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for shipping two million copies in the US. In Australia, the song was number one for one week in December 1983 and becoming one of the highest selling singles of 1984. In 2005, the song topped CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
's poll of the best country duets of all time; Parton and Rogers reunited to perform the song on the CMT special.
In April 2008, South Bend, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
radio station WZOW played the song continuously for several days on end. This was a stunt
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
used to draw attention to the station's format change from alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
to adult contemporary.
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 5 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 2 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 1 |
Cover versions
- The Bee GeesBee GeesThe Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
, who wrote the song, performed it on their concert album One Night OnlyOne Night Only (Bee Gees album)One Night Only is a live album and DVD by the Bee Gees. It features the group's concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 1997 and includes many of their greatest hits....
. Years later in 2001, the Bee Gees released their own version of the song on their compilation album Number OnesNumber Ones (Bee Gees album)Number Ones is a compilation album by the Bee Gees released in 2004. It includes 18 of their greatest hits and a tribute to band member Maurice Gibb, who died in 2003...
. Robin GibbRobin GibbRobin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
performed lead vocals on the track, which included (part of) the chorus from the 1998 hip-hop hit "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)"Ghetto Supastar " is a Hip-Hop song by American rapper Pras, featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard and recording artist Mýa. The track was produced by Wyclef Jean and Jerry 'Wonda" Duplessis for Pras' debut solo studio album, Ghetto Supastar. It also features on the soundtrack for the motion picture...
" by PrasPrasPrakazrel Samuel Michel, known as Pras, is a Grammy Award-winning Haitian-American rapper, actor, film producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.-Early life:...
(which also featured Ol' Dirty BastardOl' Dirty BastardRussell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
and introduced singer MýaMya-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
). This version was also included on the MythologyMythology (Bee Gees album)Mythology is a box set compilation of recordings by the Gibb Brothers, mostly performed as The Bee Gees, arranged in a four disc set each highlighting each Gibb brother. Barry and Robin chose their own songs , with Maurice's songs selected by his widow Yvonne and Andy's songs selected by his...
box set released in November 2010. - SwedishSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Kikki DanielssonKikki DanielssonAnn-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She is also famous for yodeling in some songs. Kikki Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until...
covered the song on her 1983 album Singles BarSingles BarSingles Bar is a 1983 studio album from Swedish country and pop singer Kikki Danielsson. On the album charts, "Singles Bar" as best finished 13th in Norway and 35th in Sweden.In July 2009 the album was digitally released to iTunes.-Side A:-Side B:...
, with lyrics in SwedishSwedish languageSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
by Ingela "Pling" ForsmanIngela ForsmanIngela Birgitta "Pling" Forsman is a Swedish lyricist in popular music. 1981–2009, 33 of her songs have competed in the Swedish Melodifestivalen, three of them winners: Bra vibrationer , Se på mej and Kärleken är...
as "Öar i ett hav" ("Islands in a sea"). - In 2010 Ronan Keating performed the song with Australian country singers The McClymonts.
- Canadian vocalist Leslie FeistLeslie FeistLeslie Feist , known professionally as simply Feist, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, both as a solo artist and as a member of the indie rock group Broken Social Scene....
recorded a version of this song with her friends the ConstantinesConstantines-History:The band was formed by Steve Lambke, Bryan Webb, Doug MacGregor, and Dallas Wehrle in 1999, following the break-up of Webb and MacGregor's emotional hardcore band Shoulder...
. It appeared as number 9 on the bonus disc in the Deluxe Edition of The ReminderThe ReminderThe Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada....
. - In the US television series The Office, Michael Scott performs a karaoke version of the song in the E-mail SurveillanceE-mail Surveillance"E-mail Surveillance" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifteenth episode overall...
episode. While waiting for someone to join him for the duet, Michael awkwardly finds himself singing the female part in falsetto until he is finally joined by the Jim Halpert character. - It is the opening track of Barry ManilowBarry ManilowBarry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
's 2007 album The Greatest Songs of the EightiesThe Greatest Songs of the EightiesThe Greatest Songs of the Eighties is Barry Manilow's 38th album, and follow-up to his 2007 album, The Greatest Songs of the Seventies...
, sung with Reba McEntireReba McEntireReba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
. - My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketMy Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
covered Islands in the Stream in the encore of their August 12, 2011 concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The song featured Neko Case, who performed as the opening act earlier in the evening.
Barry Gibb demo version
"Islands In The Stream" is a song recorded by Barry GibbBarry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
for Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
for his album Eyes That See in the Dark
Eyes That See in the Dark
- Notes :The version of "I Will Always Love You" featured on this album was written by Barry and Maurice Gibb, and is hence not the same as the more famous song of the same name, which was written by Dolly Parton...
, which was kept private until 2006.
Personnel
- Barry GibbBarry GibbBarry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
- vocals, guitar - Robin GibbRobin GibbRobin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
- vocals - Maurice GibbMaurice GibbMaurice Ernest Gibb, CBE was a musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born on the Isle of Man, the twin brother of Robin Gibb, and younger brother to Barry. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees, formed with his brothers...
- vocals, guitar - Albhy GalutenAlbhy GalutenAlbhy Galuten is a Grammy Award-winning American record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator and technology executive.He produced 18 number 1 singles with songs and albums selling over 100,000,000 copies...
- piano, synthesiser
Comic Relief version
In March 2009, actors Ruth JonesRuth Jones
Ruth Jones is a Welsh TV actress and writer. She starred in and co-wrote the multi-award winning TV comedy Gavin & Stacey and has appeared in many other successful comedies over recent years...
and Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...
, in character as Vanessa Jenkins and Bryn West from the hit BBC show Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey
Gavin & Stacey is a British comedy television series. A romantic comedy-drama, the show follows the long-distance relationship of Gavin from Billericay in Essex, England, and Stacey from Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The writers of the show, actors James Corden and Ruth Jones, also...
, released a version of the song as a single for Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
. Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
and Sir Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
appear on the single as backing singers. Titled "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" in reference to the Barry Island
Barry Island
Barry Island may refer to:*Barry Island , Wales*Barry Island , Antarctica...
setting of Gavin & Stacey, it entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number 1 on 15 March 2009. By making No.1 this meant the Gibb Brothers had achieved No. 1 songs in five successive decades, the first songwriters to do this.