On Oct. 29, 1983, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Islands in the Stream.” The song spent two weeks at the top, according to American Songwriter, after knocking Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” out of the top spot.
It also reached No. 1 on the country and adult contemporary charts. This is the first anniversary of that run since Parton’s death in August. Rogers died in March 2020.
A Bee Gees Song Built for Someone Else
Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote “Islands in the Stream” as an R&B song. They took the title from Ernest Hemingway’s 1970 novel of the same name.
Who it was originally for depends on which Gibb brother you ask. Barry Gibb has said they wrote it for Diana Ross. Robin Gibb said in a 2001 interview that it was meant for Marvin Gaye. Stereogum notes that Barry has mentioned both singers over the years.
How Kenny Rogers Ended Up With It
In 1983, Rogers was thinking about making a duets album and called Barry Gibb to ask if he had any songs. Gibb ended up co-producing the whole record, Eyes That See in the Dark, and the Gibb brothers wrote or co-wrote every song on it, according to Stereogum.
“Islands in the Stream” was supposed to be a Rogers solo track. After four days of trying to get the vocal right, Rogers told Gibb he was “starting to hate the song,” Stereogum reports. Gibb told him the song needed Dolly Parton.
Parton happened to be recording in the same studio that day. Rogers’ manager went to find her, and she cut her part on the spot.
What the Song Became
RCA released “Islands in the Stream” on Aug. 15, 1983, as the first single from the album. The B-side in the U.S. was Parton’s own “I Will Always Love You.”
The song gave both singers their second pop No. 1, after Rogers’ “Lady” in 1980 and Parton’s “9 to 5” in 1981. It has since been certified triple platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.
In 2005, a CMT poll named it the best country duet of all time, and Rogers and Parton got back together to sing it on the network’s special. Rolling Stone later put it at No. 104 on its list of the 200 greatest country songs of all time.
The Bee Gees eventually recorded it themselves. A live version from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas came out on One Night Only in 1998, and a studio version was released on the 2001 compilation Their Greatest Hits: The Record. Pras also built his 1998 hit “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are),” with Mya and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, around the song.
Parton’s Last Post
Rogers and Parton stayed close friends for decades. Parton’s final Instagram post was a video of the two of them singing the song, captioned “43 years of ‘Islands In the Stream!’” She posted it 10 days before she died on Aug. 25, 2026, at 80, Men’s Journal reported.
Related: Dolly Parton’s 25 No. 1 Hits Include Some of the ‘Greatest Country Songs of All Time’
