Islands in the Stream (song)

Last updated

"Islands in the Stream"
Krdpislands.jpg
Single by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
from the album Eyes That See in the Dark
B-side
ReleasedAugust 15, 1983
RecordedMay 1983
Studio
Genre Soft rock [1]
Length4:08
Label RCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Gibb-Galuten-Richardson
Kenny Rogers singles chronology
"Scarlet Fever"
(1983)
"Islands in the Stream"
(1983)
"This Woman"
(1984)
Dolly Parton singles chronology
"Potential New Boyfriend"
(1983)
"Islands in the Stream"
(1983)
"Save the Last Dance for Me"
(1984)

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [40] Platinum70,000
Canada (Music Canada) [41] 3× Platinum240,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [42] Platinum90,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [43] 5× Platinum150,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] 3× Platinum1,800,000
United States (RIAA) [45] 3× Platinum3,000,000
Streaming
Sweden (GLF) [46] Platinum8,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Notable cover versions

Sampling

The song was sampled in "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)", recorded by American rapper Pras featuring Mya and Ol' Dirty Bastard. [50]

Bee Gees' recorded version

"Islands in the Stream"
Song by Bee Gees
from the album Their Greatest Hits: The Record
Released20 November 2001
Recorded2001
Genre Rhythm and blues
Length4:23
Label Polydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Barry Gibb
  • Robin Gibb
  • Maurice Gibb
Music video
"Islands in the Stream" on YouTube

The Bee Gees performed their version live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 14 November 1997, which was released a year later on One Night Only , with solo vocal by Barry Gibb. A studio version was recorded for their 2001 retrospective Their Greatest Hits: The Record , which has since featured on the 2004 Number Ones and on the 2010 Mythology box set. [51] The chorus of Pras's 1998 hit "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)", which in turn is a reworking of the original Rogers and Parton release, replaces the final chorus in the studio recording. The live version of the song appears on their Love Songs compilation.

Personnel (studio version)
Personnel (live version)

with

Comic Relief version

"(Barry) Islands in the Stream"
ByrnNessaGibb.jpg
Single by Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon featuring Tom Jones and Robin Gibb
from the album Islands in the Stream
ReleasedMarch 8, 2009
Genre
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Hugh Padgham
Robin Gibb singles chronology
"Too Much Heaven"
(2007)
"(Barry) Islands in the Stream"
(2009)
"I've Gotta Get a Message to You"
(2011)
Music video
"Barry Islands in the Stream" on YouTube

On March 8, 2009, Welsh celebrities Ruth Jones and Rob Brydon, in character as Vanessa Jenkins and Bryn West from the hit BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey , released a version of the song as a single for Comic Relief. Sir Tom Jones also features on the song, performing the final verse and chorus, whilst Robin Gibb appears on the single as a backing vocalist.

Re-titled "(Barry) Islands in the Stream", in reference to the Barry Island setting of Gavin & Stacey, [52] it entered at the top of the UK Singles Chart on March 15, 2009. This meant the Gibb Brothers had achieved number one songs in five successive decades, the first songwriters to achieve this feat. It also made Tom Jones, at the age of 68, the oldest person to have a UK number one song, until the record was taken in 2020 by Captain Tom Moore for his involvement in "You'll Never Walk Alone" at the age of 99. [53]

The video was filmed in Barry Island, Las Vegas and the Nevada desert, with both Gibb and Jones appearing in the video alongside Jones and Brydon. Nigel Lythgoe also makes a cameo appearance as a talent competition judge.

Track listing

  1. "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" – 3:56
  2. "Wisemen" – 3:14
  3. "Somethin' Stupid" – 2:48
  4. "Islands in the Stream" (music video) – 4:21
  1. "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" (full-length video) – 8:56
  2. "(Barry) Islands in the Stream" (making of the video) – 14:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
Europe (European Hot 100) [54] 11
Scotland (OCC) [55] 1
UK Singles (OCC) [56] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)Position
UK Singles (OCC) [57] 108

See also

Related Research Articles

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