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Post by tim on Apr 28, 2020 10:40:13 GMT -5
Welcome to the Kenny Rogers Rankdown!
1. Which song(s) will be vying for #1? 2. What other songs will be in the top 5? 3. Which song(s) will be vying for last place? 4. What other songs will be in the bottom 5? 5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing? 6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing? 7. Any other thoughts or predictions?
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gonecountry
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Post by gonecountry on Apr 28, 2020 10:56:59 GMT -5
1. Which song(s) will be vying for #1? Gambler, Coward of the County
2. What other songs will be in the top 5? Islands, Lucille, and maybe Lady or Crazy
3. Which song(s) will be vying for last place? the old stuff
4. What other songs will be in the bottom 5? not sure
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing? Though the Years or Love will Turn You Around. Maybe Daytime Friends?
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing? Islands, Ruben James, Lucille
7. Any other thoughts or predictions? looking forward to it!
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Post by castleoblivion26 on Apr 28, 2020 11:17:09 GMT -5
1. Which song(s) will be vying for #1?
2. What other songs will be in the top 5?
Gonna answer the first two questions together. "The Gambler", "Islands In The Stream", and "You Can't Make Old Friends" are gonna compete for #1 imo. I'd be shocked if they didn't. I could see "Coward of the County" doing really well as well. Maybe we will see "Sweet Music Man", "Lucille", and "Lady" compete for the top 5 as well. I would like to see "The Greatest" and "I Can't Unlove You" make it but I would be shocked if they did.
3. Which song(s) will be vying for last place?
4. What other songs will be in the bottom 5?
I really have no idea what is gonna do bad. I'm thinking one of the older lesser known songs will land there. Maybe "Crazy", or "Reuben James". I don't know at all really
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing?
I could see something like "The Greatest" being polarizing, same with "Buy Me A Rose".
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing?
This one is easy: "The Gambler", "You Can't Make Old Friends", and "Islands In The Stream" which is why I think they will be the top 3.
7. Any other thoughts or predictions?
Excited to see how this plays out. Wish that "The Last Ten Years" had been included but at the same time I understand why it wasn't and this is a great snapshot of his career.
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gonecountry
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Post by gonecountry on Apr 28, 2020 11:43:36 GMT -5
7. Any other thoughts or predictions?
Excited to see how this plays out. Wish that "The Last Ten Years" had been included but at the same time I understand why it wasn't and this is a great snapshot of his career.
RIP The Last Ten Years.... Love that song
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samo🦕
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Post by samo🦕 on Apr 28, 2020 11:48:48 GMT -5
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing?
I could see something like "The Greatest" being polarizing
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing?
This one is easy: "The Greatest"
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Post by castleoblivion26 on Apr 28, 2020 12:20:49 GMT -5
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing?
I could see something like "The Greatest" being polarizing
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing?
This one is easy: "The Greatest"
least polarizing is supposed to say "The Gambler" lmao
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Post by tim on Apr 28, 2020 15:27:36 GMT -5
7. Any other thoughts or predictions?
Excited to see how this plays out. Wish that "The Last Ten Years" had been included but at the same time I understand why it wasn't and this is a great snapshot of his career.
RIP The Last Ten Years.... Love that song I know that that this song is a personal favorite amongst some here and I went back and forth on including it, but in the end it just didn't make the list of songs I was trying to incorporate that showcased his entire career. If I had launched this after "Goodbye" was sent out as his final single I likely would've added that plus a few more songs, but either way I hope I was able to capture a good snapshot of his full discography. With that in mind, this will be one of many songs that I do plan on highlighting at some point during the rankdown!
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bboat11
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Post by bboat11 on Apr 28, 2020 18:56:31 GMT -5
1. Which song(s) will be vying for #1? "Islands In The Stream" and "You Can't Make Old Friends".
2. What other songs will be in the top 5? "Lady", "Sweet Music Man", "The Gambler".
3. Which song(s) will be vying for last place? "Reuben James" or bust!
4. What other songs will be in the bottom 5? Hard to say... "Love Or Something Like It"? "Love Lifted Me"? "She Believes In Me"? I feel like I don't know enough of his catalog to know if any of the songs I didn't really like are well-loved by others!
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing? "The Greatest", "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town".
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing? "You Can't Make Old Friends". "Coward Of The County".
7. Any other thoughts or predictions? I am eager to see what Pulse's favorite Kenny Rogers song is! Since he's not really a Pulse favorite, I kinda feel like a lot of his well-known hits (Like "The Gambler") might be too polarizing to win. So I am totally expecting one of the Dolly songs to be carried to the top because of Dolly's help (and probably YCMOF because of the extra impact that song has after his passing.)
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Apr 29, 2020 11:59:10 GMT -5
Loving that everyone is predicting that Dolly Parton will win the Kenny Rogers rankdown. #hereforit
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someguy
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Post by someguy on Apr 29, 2020 13:01:06 GMT -5
1. Which song(s) will be vying for #1? The Dolly duets
2. What other songs will be in the top 5? "The Gambler", "Sweet Music Man" and then maybe either "Lucille" or "Lady"
3. Which song(s) will be vying for last place? 4. What other songs will be in the bottom 5? Not really sure....maybe something like "Love Lifted Me" or "Crazy"
5. Which songs are likely to be most polarizing? "Reuben James", "Crazy", "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town"
6. Which songs are likely to be least polarizing? "The Gambler", the Dolly duets
7. Any other thoughts or predictions? Really not sure what to expect from this, outside of the more well-known songs and Dolly duets being the most popular here, since Kenny isn't usually all that discussed on Pulse.
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Juanca
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Post by Juanca on Apr 29, 2020 15:20:21 GMT -5
And now I can see being an outlier for several songs lol I think Gambler and Islands are strong contenders for #1. Lady and Coward would be my other guesses for top 5.
For last position maybe the least conventional sounding like Love lifted me or So strong.
Personally I hope neither Reuben nor Ruby are tanked too much. They’re childhood favorites!
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 20:57:50 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone that took the time to make their predictions and I'm sure there are going to be a few surprises along the way. I'm going to go ahead and get started so sit back, relax, and pour yourself a drink as we reveal the first of five songs that will be leaving this evening.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:00:03 GMT -5
Souls in danger look above Jesus completely saves He will lift you by his love Out of the angry waves 25. “Love Lifted Me” Released: 1975 Total: 340 Average: 21.25 Std Dev: 4.07 (2nd Lowest) {Songs Remaining}Buy Me a Rose Coward of the County Crazy Daytime Friends Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer I Can’t Unlove You Islands in the Stream Lady Love or Something Like It Love Will Turn You Around Lucille Reuben James Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town She Believes in Me (Something Inside) So Strong Sweet Music Man The Gambler The Greatest There You Go Again Through the Years Twenty Years Ago We’ve Got Tonight You Can’t Make Old Friends You Decorated My Life
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:00:15 GMT -5
“Love Lifted Me” was Kenny’s first solo release after leaving the First Edition and became a top 20 hit in 1976. This is also the first song we bid adieu to where it settled into last place early on and never left that position. Five participants lose their bottom ranking song out of the gate while two others say goodbye to a top 15.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:17:33 GMT -5
Brothers and sisters, when they insist we're just not good enough Well, we know better, just look 'em in the eyes and say "We're gonna do it anyway, we're gonna do it anyway We're gonna do it anyway" 24. “(Something Inside) So Strong” Released: 1989 Total: 307 Average: 19.18 Std Dev: 5.56 (8th Lowest) {Songs Remaining}Buy Me a Rose Coward of the County Crazy Daytime Friends Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer I Can’t Unlove You Islands in the Stream Lady Love or Something Like It Love Will Turn You Around Lucille Reuben James Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town She Believes in Me Sweet Music Man The Gambler The Greatest There You Go Again Through the Years Twenty Years Ago We’ve Got Tonight You Can’t Make Old Friends You Decorated My Life
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:19:11 GMT -5
“(Something Inside) So Strong” is the title track to Kenny’s twenty-first studio album and was released as its third single. The song was originally written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Labi Siffre and was inspired in part by a television documentary on Apartheid South Africa as well as his experiences as a homosexual child, adolescent, and adult. This was a song that I personally selected to include as this album was one of my first introductions to Kenny Rogers as a young boy and I’ve also always loved this song. That feeling wasn't mutual, however, as this becomes the second song to exit the rankdown. My myself and Kanenrá:ke become the first two participants to depart with a top 10 while two more see their bottom ranking song exit.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:28:09 GMT -5
Liquor and music, a good combination If you've got love on the brain I never knew two women who acted the same Some want a drink first And some want to just sit and talk Whoa, oh, it's two in the morning I'm running and she wants to walk 23. “Love or Something Like It” Released: 1978 Total: 288 Average: 18 Std Dev: 5.44 (7th Lowest) {Songs Remaining}Buy Me a Rose Coward of the County Crazy Daytime Friends Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer I Can’t Unlove You Islands in the Stream Lady Love Will Turn You Around Lucille Reuben James Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town She Believes in Me Sweet Music Man The Gambler The Greatest There You Go Again Through the Years Twenty Years Ago We’ve Got Tonight You Can’t Make Old Friends You Decorated My Life
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:28:23 GMT -5
“Love or Something Like It” was released as the first single and title track to Kenny’s fifth studio album. The song became Kenny’s third number one country single. This remained a consistent bottom three contender for most of its run with a majority of the rankings coming in somewhere at or near the top 20. kw9461 and someguy become the next two participants to lose a top 10.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:35:16 GMT -5
We haven't even escaped the bottom 5 yet but up next we already see our first #1 loss of the rankdown as well as another top ten loss.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:36:18 GMT -5
'Cause you are the dream That finally came true in me And all my life there'll be no one else If I look all my life There could be no one else And for the rest of my life All I need is you 22. “Crazy” Released: 1984 Total: 272 Average: 17 Std Dev: 6.18 {Songs Remaining}Buy Me a Rose Coward of the County Daytime Friends Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer I Can’t Unlove You Islands in the Stream Lady Love Will Turn You Around Lucille Reuben James Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town She Believes in Me Sweet Music Man The Gambler The Greatest There You Go Again Through the Years Twenty Years Ago We’ve Got Tonight You Can’t Make Old Friends You Decorated My Life
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Apr 29, 2020 21:39:35 GMT -5
"Crazy" got done a little dirty, but so far it's not off to a bad start. Happy to get a perfect ranking on last place because "Love Lifted Me" was honestly awful.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:39:47 GMT -5
“Crazy” was released as the second and last single from Kenny’s sixteenth studio album What About Me?. The song was Rogers' eleventh number one country single as a solo artist. While this did manage to briefly escape the bottom 5 early on it was never able to regain its footing from the five rankings it did receive there. Unfortunately gonecountry becomes our first participant to depart with their top ranking song while taylor also loses a top ten.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:42:05 GMT -5
Happy to get a perfect ranking on last place because "Love Lifted Me" was honestly awful. Considering it's a gospel hymn from 1912 that Kenny adapted I wasn't all that surprised to see it leave first. I did want to include it, however, as it was the first solo single he released from a major label.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:47:56 GMT -5
The final song to exit tonight might come as a surprise to some of you as no one had predicted it being a bottom 5 contender. Unfortunately the losses continue as someone's second top ranking song leaves along with yet another top 10.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:50:15 GMT -5
Like a rhyme with no reason In an unfinished song There was no harmony, life meant nothin' to me until you came along And you brought out the colors What a gentle surprise Now I'm able to see all the things life can be, shinin' soft in your eyes 21. “You Decorated My Life” Released: 1979 Total: 269 Average: 16.81 Std Dev: 6.25 {Songs Remaining}Buy Me a Rose Coward of the County Daytime Friends Don’t Fall In Love with a Dreamer I Can’t Unlove You Islands in the Stream Lady Love Will Turn You Around Lucille Reuben James Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town She Believes in Me Sweet Music Man The Gambler The Greatest There You Go Again Through the Years Twenty Years Ago We’ve Got Tonight You Can’t Make Old Friends
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:50:34 GMT -5
“You Decorated My Life” was released as the lead single to his eighth studio album simply titled Kenny. This isn’t a song that I would’ve pegged to be a bottom 5 contender and I’m still somewhat puzzled by how this performed overall. More than handful of you lose a bottom 5, though, along with taylor’s bottom ranking song. It’s a one-two punch for gonecountry as he loses his second top ranking song right on the heels of his #1.
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fearlessarrow
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Post by fearlessarrow on Apr 29, 2020 21:50:46 GMT -5
Happy to get a perfect ranking on last place because "Love Lifted Me" was honestly awful. Considering it's a gospel hymn from 1912 that Kenny adapted I wasn't all that surprised to see it leave first. I did want to include it, however, as it was the first solo single he released from a major label. I had no idea! But considering how the song went it's all making sense to me now.
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Apr 29, 2020 21:51:23 GMT -5
"Decorated" was another skippable one for me. Meh.
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:55:47 GMT -5
As I mentioned earlier since this is an abridged rankdown I plan on highlighting quite a few songs from Kenny's vast discography. I wasn't really quite sure how to go about doing this but after spending the better part of this afternoon brainstorming I think I finally found a way to tackle it lol. Following this post you'll see the first of many I'll be doing that will give you a little more insight into Kenny's career going all the way back to 1958!
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Post by tim on Apr 29, 2020 21:56:15 GMT -5
1958 Kenny Rogers recorded his first song, "That Crazy Feeling", at the age of 19 for a small Houston label called Carlton Records. 1960 - 1965 Kenny joins the Bobby Doyle Three where he sang high harmony and played bass. Their album, In A Most Unusual Way, was released in 1962 and included a variety of covers including "My Mammy". 1966 - 1975 Kenny briefly joined the New Christy Minstrels as a singer and double bass player, however he splintered off with others in the group to form The First Edition in 1967. They had their first big top 5 hit in early 1968 with the pop-psychedelic single "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (of which Glen Campbell played the electric guitar riff) followed by the top 20 hit "But You Know I Love You". The group was renamed Kenny Rogers & The First Edition and in 1969 they released their fourth album containing their second Top 10 hit with the Mel Tillis penned "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" as well as"Reuben James". From 1971 to 1973 they hosted a syndicated TV variety series called Rollin' on the River which took place on a Mississippi Riverboat set. After a couple of years of producing non-hit songs the group disbanded and released their final song, "Makin' Music For Money", in 1974.
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