"This Woman" by Kenny Rogers

Song#:  1753
Date:  01/14/1984
Debut:  64
Peak:  23
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  For his album Eyes That See in the Dark, Rogers collaborated with Barry Gibb and the results were quite strong with the album's first single, the Dolly Parton duet "Islands in the Stream," topping the Pop, Country, and AC charts. Rogers would go solo for this follow-up single, which leaned heavily towards the Pop/AC markets. While the song was a solid hit at AC reaching #2, it wasn't as well-received at Pop where it flamed out short of the Top 20. Country ignored the song and it failed to chart.

ReduxReview:  The Gibb brothers signature songwriting style is all over this song, especially in the verse. I've written before how their choppy, syncopated melodies work well for them, but not all vocalist can sing their work convincingly. Rogers does a fairly good job tackling the Gibb's oddly halting melody, but he still sound slightly uncomfortable and awkward. He settles in for the chorus, but when back at the verse, he's tense again and fighting the rhythm. Overall, the song still works and I like it, but it is not a stellar entry in either artist's catalog.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  While this song was mainly marketed to pop, the single's b-side was getting picked up by country radio. "Buried Treasure" was a much more country oriented tune and listeners responded well. The song would end up peaking at #3 on the Country chart.

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