Answer

Country Music: Analysis of Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers

                Country music, which was originally an oral tradition in the Appalachian Mountains, is a genre of music that originated in regions of Southern United States and was first recorded in 1923 (Peterson 9). The genre ordinarily consists of ballads accompanied with dance tunes of generally simple forms. Moreover, Country music is mostly and significantly accompanied by string instruments including but not limited to; acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and even harmonicas. Being a blend of blues and traditional Appalachians songs, it has a number of subgenres like outlaw country, honky-tonk, bluegrass, and, alt country. One of such song that befits its characteristics is Islands in the Stream by Kenny Rogers featuring Dolly Parton. This paper seeks to analyze and examine the song, providing a background of the same. Moreover, the paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the song’s musical features while also elaborating features that makes the song to be distinctively a country music.

Background of Song and Artist

                The song – Islands in the Stream – was written by Bes Gees, originally meant to be an R&B song by Marvin Gaye but later changed for a ticket into the Kenny Rogers’ album – Eyes that See in the Dark. The song, which was released in 1983, was sang by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. The song’s name was inspired and named after Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “Islands in the Stream”, which was one of his books to be printed retrospectively. This song was among the most popular country duets across many continents as it toped several charts including US Billboard 100, US Hot Country songs, Canada’s Top singles, as well as Australian Kent Music Report. The duet encompassed the greatest artists of that time and arguably until today. Kenny Rogers, who is a member of country music hall of fame, is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the best-selling artist of all time – having sold over 100 million record across the globe (Coulter 6). Similarly, Dolly Parton is an American singer and songwriter with a huge success in her songs both as a solo artist and as duets. She has written over 3000 songs – most of which have been nominated for various awards and some of which have won several awards. Together, the two artists made the duet one of the greatest since its release in the 1980s up to date.

Musical Features of the Song

                Even though the song was originally intended to be an R&B song, it has several characteristics, features, as well as structure of country music. First, it is a simple and easily memorable song, featuring a few chords and a repetitive chorus with a verse-chorus-verse structure. The song, which is mostly sung in C major moderate, incorporates a high pitch register and a rhythm that develops a smooth and a short interval conjunct melody (Musicnotes 1). Moreover, the song is a combination of pure and a shrill tone color – thus a colorful timbre. Its texture is polyphonic with Kenny and Dolly alternating the lead vocals – featuring a key change from C major to A-flat major (Musicnotes 1). Lastly, the song has a ‘twangy’ sound accompanied majorly by piano beats – giving it a soft and a wide dynamic range.

What Makes the Song to be Distinctively Country Music

                The all time hit song and duet, Islands in the Stream, has distinct characteristics that specifically groups it as a country music. First, the song has a simple chord progression and is sung by the greatest country musicians. Furthermore, as most country music are, it is a love song that narrates a story that can easily be followed throughout the song. Additionally, one distinguishing characteristic of country music to other music is the dominance of the lyrics compared to the soundscape of the beats. Islands in the Stream singers are more audible and their lyrics take way much precedence over the sonic soundscape – thus has a dance tune of a generally simple forms.

Conclusion

                In conclusion, Country music is generally a blend of blues and traditional Appalachians songs, with a touch of modern pop song. As described in the paper, it is frequently accompanied by string instruments and ballads. The paper analyzes one of the greatest duets in country music – Kenny Rogers’ and Dolly Parton’s Islands in the Stream. The song, which was originally meant to be an R&B song, became of the best country music with the album Eyes That Sees in the Dark In 1983. Moreover, as discussed and elaborated above, the song is sung by two of the greatest country music artists of all time, who earns several awards from the song. In addition, this paper discusses the features of the song and what makes it be a country music. As has been elaborated, the song tops several country music charts and is still a hit to date – making it one of the best country music of all time.