CUT OF THE DAY: KENNY ROGERS & DOLLY PARTON – “ISLANDS IN THE STREAM”
by Jon with no H
So you may or may not be aware that Robin Gibb died on May 20th. He was in a little group called The Bee Gees and pretty much ruled the world whether you were a fan of his musical output or not. Flipping through the channels Thursday night, I found myself on the BBC World News watching an interview with Robin on a show called Hard Talk. The host was a little weird in that he kept asking questions in a tone that was skeptical and accusatory, like he was grilling a criminal. Robin was unphased and answered everything in the same way: as someone who has accomplished infinitely more than a TV talk show host.
When I was recently in San Francisco, the friend I was visiting (let’s call him a boring, unassuming name like “Josh”) purposely bumped “Islands in the Stream” from the radio of his borrowed shuttle bus. Having moved out from under a rock long ago, I’d heard this song many times, but didn’t know it was written by The Bee Gees until “Josh” informed me. There’s no denying Dolly and Kenny deliver this song better than any Gibb falsetto ever could. That being said, I don’t think I’d heard it since I was able to sit in the front seat of my parents’ car. And yet it came to be, a newly implanted San Fran resident who loves The Stones and a visiting friend/David Bowie fan had themselves a “Dancing in the Street” moment. Here’s to legendary songwriters, youth baseball coaches, sweet beards and boobs:
(editor’s note – I learned recently that Bee Gees was basically ‘short’ for Brothers Gibb and useless knowledge will set us free. The BG’s may officially be gone, but their music lives forever.)
