Real Love (Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers song)

Last updated
"Real Love"
Reallovedollyandkenny.jpg
Single by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
from the album Real Love
B-side "I Can't Be True"
ReleasedApril 29, 1985
Genre Country
Length3:49
Label RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s) David Malloy, Richard "Spady" Brannon and Randy McCormick
Producer(s) David Malloy
Dolly Parton singles chronology
"Don't Call It Love"
(1985)
"Real Love"
(1985)
"Think About Love"
(1985)
Kenny Rogers singles chronology
"Love Is What We Make It"
(1985)
"Real Love"
(1985)
"Morning Desire"
(1985)

"Real Love" is a song written by David Malloy, Richard "Spady" Brannon and Randy McCormick, and recorded as a duet by American entertainers Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers that topped the U.S. country singles charts in August 1985. [1] It was released in April 1985 the second single and title track from Parton's Real Love album. Released after the top-ten success of "Don't Call It Love", the song became Parton and Rogers' second country chart-topper as a duet act. However, "Real Love" did not fare as well on the pop singles charts as 1983's "Islands in the Stream" had done, stalling at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Contents

Unlike "Islands in the Stream," "Real Love" was not composed by the Bee Gees who had composed and produced Rogers' 1983 chart topping album Eyes That See in the Dark which also included another four of Rogers' hit singles from 1983 and 1984, namely "Buried Treasure", "This Woman", "Midsummer Nights" and "Evening Star".

Parton and Rogers embarked on a nine-city U.S. concert tour in February 1985, from which an HBO concert special, "Real Love" was filmed; a music video for the "Real Love" single was produced using footage from the HBO special.

Parton also recorded a solo version in November 1984, which was later included on the 1995 album I Will Always Love You: The Essential Dolly Parton One.

Chart positions

Chart (1985)Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [2] 1
US Billboard Hot 100 [3] 91
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [4] 13
Canadian RPM Country Tracks1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks19

Related Research Articles

Dolly Parton American entertainer

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly, which led to success during the remainder of the 1960s, before her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records. She has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Kenny Rogers American country singer and songwriter

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References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 262.
  2. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  3. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  4. "Dolly Parton Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.