Kenny Rogers Was Shocked The Beatles’ Producer Would Work With Him
TL;DR:
- Kenny Rogers loved a song by The Beatles’ producer, George Martin.
- He compared the song to one of his own hits.
- Rogers loved working with Martin for one of his albums.
Country music star Kenny Rogers made an album with The Beatles’ producer, George Martin. The album became a massive hit in the United States. On the other hand, audiences in Martin’s native United Kingdom reacted differently to the collaboration.
Kenny Rogers said 1 of The Beatles’ songs was 1 of the most memorable songs in pop history
In his 2012 book Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir, Rogers discussed his feelings about one of The Beatles’ songs. “Ballads have been a mainstay of traditional folk music since medieval minstrels went from village to village singing the adventures of Robin Hood,” he said. “Many of the most memorable songs in both pop and country are ballads like this, from The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ to Johnny Cash’s classic ‘A Boy Named Sue.’
He compared “Eleanor Rigby” to his song “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town.” “A story song, to have any impact, demands that you listen to the lyrics and imagine the scenario in your head,” he added. Rogers said he appreciated ballads because of his time with the folk group The New Christy Minstrels.
Kenny Rogers said working with The Beatles’ producer was possibly his career highlight
“Eleanor Rigby,” like many Fab Four songs, was produced by Martin. Martin later worked with Rogers on the 1985 album The Heart of the Matter. The album was a huge hit.
Rolling Stone reports Rogers paid tribute to Martin following the producer’s death in 2016. “Sir George Martin was a wonderful, incredibly gifted person,” he said in a statement. “I don’t know why he ever bothered to do an album with me, but I was thrilled and touched that he did, and I loved working with him.”
Rogers was ecstatic about working with Martin. “It may be the highlight of my personal career,” he said. “He brought a whole different touch to my life and my perspective on music. I’m only one of millions who will miss him greatly.”
How Kenny Rogers’ ‘The Heart of the Matter’ performed on the charts
The Heart of the Matter became massive on the country charts in the United States. It topped the country album chart for six weeks, lasting on the chart for 33 weeks in total.
The album produced two singles: “Morning Desire” and “Tomb of the Unknown Love.” The former topped the Billboard country singles chart for one of its 22 weeks on the chart. The latter was No. 1 for one of its 20 weeks on the chart.
The Heart of the Matter was not nearly as popular in martins native United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the album never charted in the U.K. Neither “Morning Desire” nor “Tomb of the Unknown Love” charted in the U.K.
Martin and Rogers might’ve been an unexpected combination of producer and artist but their album was a hit.
