Marvin Gaye, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, and The Bee Gees are the best to ever do it in somebody’s book. Considering Parton and Rogers as a pair, these three acts juxtapose each other in a plethora of different ways. However, in the 1980s, they all took part in the same storyline. That storyline revolved around the hit song, “Islands In The Stream”.
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The Bee Gees were prolific songwriters; so it comes as no surprise that they didn’t just write songs for themselves, but for others as well. Specifically, The Bee Gees, particularly Barry Gibb, wrote songs for musical giants such as Barbra Streisand, Frankie Valli, Diana Ross, and several others. Needless to say, Gibb and The Bee Gees wrote a lot of songs, and out of the many, they wrote “Islands In The Stream ” originally for themselves. However, Gibb believed it just wasn’t the song for him. So, he reworked it and envisioned it as an R&B single for Marvin Gaye.
In the early 1980s, Marvin Gaye had a musical comeback thanks to his infamous single “Sexual Healing” and album, Midnight Love. That being so, Gibb thought they’d throw some fuel on the fire by gifting him this song. Although for undisclosed reasons, a deal never came to fruition. Consequently, Gibb and the band needed to find a new artist.
The Bee Gees’ New Recipients: Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
As the story goes, Gibb gave the song to Kenny Rogers to feature on, Eyes That See in the Dark. Like Gibb, Kenny Rogers also wasn’t feeling that his voice fit the song. So, Gibb, being the musical fixer he is, suggested Rogers sing it as a duet with Dolly Parton. It goes without saying, but that was a phenomenal idea, as it became on monster success.
In 1983, Rogers released the single on the album it was intended to be on, but now, it featured Dolly Parton. Following its release, the song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the country charts. It was a massive crossover hit and marked the beginning of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ musical partnership.
In short, “Islands In The Stream” went from being a disco Bee Gees’ song, to an R&B Marvin Gaye song, and then ultimately ended up being a pop country duet. Quite the transformation, but when your name is Barry Gibb, these altercations are seemingly nothing but light work.
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