How Andy Kim Learned To Believe in Himself With “Rock Me Gently”

Most artists need someone to believe in them before they can possibly reach widespread mainstream popularity. But, in some cases, artists also need to possess self-belief when everyone else doubts them.

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Andy Kim didn’t panic when nobody in the industry opened any doors to him. He did it all for his 1974 single “Rock Me Gently,” including releasing it. And it turned into a No. 1 single.

Ambitious Andy

Andy Kim had zero musical background besides an unwavering love for pop music when he lit out from Canada to New York in the 60s. He simply grabbed a directory from the back of a music magazine and located the hot spots where the music was made, hoping that he’d catch a break.

He caught that break when he met Jeff Barry, one of the most prolific and successful songwriters of the era. Barry listened to a song that Kim had written, gave him suggestions on how to improve it, and eventually helped him finish it. From there, Kim became part of the stable of artists and writers working for Barry.

In that guise, he scored hits as both a writer (“Sugar, Sugar” by The Archies) and performer (a cover of “Baby, I Love You”). But when the hits dried up, Kim found himself without a label. He moved to Los Angeles, where a tryst he had on one of the first nights that he was there inspired a new song, “Rock Me Gently”.

Pushing the “Rock”

Kim loved the new song, but he had to finance the recording himself. Once he was able to put down the track, he felt even more confident in it. But he couldn’t find any other labels to agree. That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Moving back to his native Canada, Kim formed his own label to self-distribute the record. He began calling local radio stations, reminding folks of who he was and asking if they’d play the record. Enough of them did that; “Rock Me Gently” at least started to build up a little bit of a local audience.

Along the way, a top US record promoter just happened to hear the song. He contacted Kim and told him that he’d help him promote the record in the US. “Rock Me Gently” caught fire from there. In September 1974, it rose to the top of the pop charts, the first-ever such chart-topper by someone who wrote, recorded, and released the song all at once.

Behind the Lyrics of “Rock Me Gently”

Andy Kim composed a song in “Rock Me Gently” that manages to reference the passion he felt on that memorable night without going so far as to scare away the censors. There isn’t much hidden meaning in lines like these: “Touching you/So warm and tender/Lord I feel such a sweet surrender.”

Maybe it helped that Kim makes the romance seem like a long-term thing. “And on your face,” he sings. “I see the trace of love.” The chorus seconds that emotion. “Don’t you know,” he exclaims. “That I have never been loved like this before.”

“Rock Me Gently” is a tribute not just to what a well-constructed pop song can do, but also to what personal persistence can achieve. Andy Kim believed in the song and himself, and he ended up on top of the music world because of it.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage