Song Lyric Sunday was created by Helen Vahdati from This Thing Called Life One Word at a Time and author Jim Adams from A Unique Title For Me is our current guest host. For complete rules or to join in the fun, click here.
The theme for Song Lyric Sunday this week is “Promise/Oath/Vow.”
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The music world lost one of its brightest stars on March 20, 2020.
Kenneth Ray “Kenny” Rogers passed away under hospice care of natural causes. He was 81.
In a career which spanned more than sixty years, Kenny moved from teenage rock’n’roll through psychedelic rock to become a hit country-pop crossover artist of the 1970s and 1980s. His songs appeared in top-selling motion pictures and television movies, including movies based on some of his songs and, in which he starred.
The multi-award winner was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. He worked with some of the biggest names in the record industry, charted more than 60 top 40 hit singles (including two number ones—Lady and Islands in the Stream), and sold more than 165 million records.
My love for Kenny Rogers goes all the way back to 1967 when he was with the First Edition and had hits like Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) and Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town… and my age was in single digits. 😀 He recorded songs that were special to me in every decade after that, especially the 80s when I met and married my late husband.
None of the words of this week’s prompt actually appear in the title or lyrics of 1981’s Through the Years, but it was a very special song for us. The song looks back at a relationship “Through The Years” and mentions the ups and downs, but the singer proclaims to his loved one: I’m so glad I stayed right here with you / Through the years.
Rest in peace, Kenny, and thank you for the music through the years.
FUN FACTS
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- Kenny Rogers topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone.
- Rogers was the fourth of eight children and is said to be of Irish and Native American heritage.
- On his 50th anniversary TV special, Rogers performed a version of Through the Years with his two friends Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton which also included archive footage of him working with both on various projects through the years.
- Through the Years reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1982, remaining in the Top 40 for eleven weeks and went to number one on the adult contemporary chart, becoming Rogers’ fifth single to top this chart.
Enjoy!
See my Song Lyric Sunday selection for Nesie’s Place!
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Disclaimer: I have no copyrights to the song and/or video and/or hyperlinks to songs and/or videos and/or gifs above. No copyright infringement intended.
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Through the Years
by Kenny Rogers
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When I didn’t care for anyone but you
I swear we’ve been through everything there is
Can’t imagine anything we’ve missed
Can’t imagine anything the two of us can’t do
You’ve never let me down
You turned my life around
The sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you
Through the years
I’ve never been afraid
I’ve loved the life we’ve made
And I’m so glad I’ve stayed
Right here with you
Through the years
Who I trusted whom, I listened to before
I swear you’ve taught me everything I know
Can’t imagine needing someone so
But through the years it seems to me
I need you more and more
Through all the good and bad
I knew how much we had
I’ve always been so glad
To be with you
Through the years
It’s better everyday
You’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay
I’ll stay with you
Through the years
When everything went wrong
Together we were strong
I know that I belonged
Right here with you
Through the years
I never had a doubt
We’d always work things out
I’ve learned what love’s about
By loving you
Through the years
You’ve never let me down
You’ve turned my life around
The sweetest days I’ve found
I’ve found with you
Through the years
It’s better everyday
You’ve kissed my tears away
As long as it’s okay
I’ll stay with you
Through the years
Felicia Denise, Author 
The very essence of this weeks prompts. Brilliant choice.
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Thank you! I love this song! 🙂
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A thoughtful choice for today Felicia 🥰
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Thanks, Christine. 🙂
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Beautiful, and what a lovely voice, this is making me cry 💜
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Taken to heart, it is a very emotional song and he delivers it beautifully. 🙂
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Yes indeed and thank you so much 💜
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This song is a promise to stay together with his partner, so it fits the prompt perfectly and I am happy that he will be remembered for many tears to come. Thanks for celebrating his music with all of us here today.
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Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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The strings add so much to the sentimental feel of this song, don’t they?
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You nailed it! I love the arrangement behind the lyrics!
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Great song by a great artist.
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Agreed! Many thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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Sorry to hear of Kenny’s passing. Hard to believe he was 81. I’ve liked his music starting from Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town and The Gambler and everything in between.
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RIP Kenny. I’m a puddle over here ❤️
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Yesterday, my hubby asked Alexa to play “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In” and she told us we had to subscribe. So he went to YouTube and found an old rendition of First Edition and Kenny singing it. Our office was loud! I was only 2 when they were together. As a kid and teenager, Kenny Rogers was a favorite. Duets with Dottie West and Dolly Parton, just to name a couple of those great memories. I live by “The Gambler”…lol I was going to do this,but figured someone would and I’m so happy that you did! 🙂
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I was 7 when both songs came out. I liked the music, but of course, it was years later that my older brother and cousin who both served in Vietnam explained “Ruby” to me. Talk about blowing a kid’s mind! 😀
Glad you enjoyed it. Kenny was a treasure and I’m glad we still have his music. 🙂
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Yes me too. Apparently Alexa likes him to. I told her to put on 80’s country this morning and she blared out Island in the Stream first thing. 😉
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😀 😀
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I remember at one time you could not turn on a radio without hearing Kenny Rogers…RIP… Great choice!
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Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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