Greatest Hits (1980 Kenny Rogers album)
Greatest Hits (sometimes referred to as Kenny Rogers' Greatest Hits) is the second compilation album by country music superstar Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 and issued by Liberty Records. The album marks Rogers' first release after United Artists Group merged with Liberty. The album has achieved diamond certification.
| Greatest Hits | ||||
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| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 1980 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 42:35 (US) 43:28 (UK) | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Producer | Richard Landis | |||
| Kenny Rogers chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 UK release, titled Lady | ||||
History
The album reached No. 1 on both the Pop and Country charts in the US and featured three singles that were not included on any of Rogers' studio albums - these being "Lady" (written and produced specifically for Rogers by Lionel Richie, which was a No. 1 hit single in the same year), "Love The World Away" (a top five country and top 20 pop hit that was featured on the soundtrack of the box-office smash Urban Cowboy) and "Long Arm of the Law" (a lesser known, but still relatively popular song among Rogers' loyal fan base).
The album features a further nine hit singles from Rogers' career, hence missing out on a number of others (notable omissions including "Daytime Friends", "Sweet Music Man" and "Love or Something Like It") but didn't stop the album from being a huge success and confirmed Rogers' status as one of the world's biggest stars, going on to sell more than 24 million copies worldwide . In country music today it remains the best selling compilation release of all time, beating out Garth Brooks' 1994 limited-time-availability release The Hits.
In the UK the album was sold with the same artwork under the title Lady but differed slightly in the track listing, omitting "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Reuben James" in favor of "Goodbye Marie" and "Sail Away".
As it happens, this is not the only Kenny Rogers album to be called Greatest Hits. In 1971, while with The First Edition, an album under that title was released. Since 1980 many other collections by Rogers have been called Greatest Hits, such as a 1985 Reader's Digest box set and the 1988 collection of his RCA material. However, this 1980 collection on Liberty was the first solo offering by Rogers to be given this designation.
In 1983, when Rogers changed labels to RCA Records, Liberty quickly issued 20 Greatest Hits, a more complete overall look at Rogers' hit list. However, both albums remained in catalog side by side for over two decades. Also in 1983, HBO re-released the Greatest Hits package on special picture discs. The track listing remained identical to the 1980 US release.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Billboard | (unrated)[1] |
Track listings
US Great Hits release / UK release (Lady)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Gambler" | Don Schlitz | The Gambler, 1978 | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (With Kim Carnes) | Carnes, Dave Ellingson | Gideon, 1980 | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" | Mel Tillis | Ten Years of Gold, 1977 | 2:48 |
| 4. | "She Believes in Me" | Steve Gibb | The Gambler, 1978 | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Coward of the County" | Roger Bowling, Billy Edd Wheeler | Kenny, 1979 | 4:18 |
| Total length: | 22:19 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Lucille" | Bowling, Hal Bynum | Kenny Rogers, 1977 | 3:34 |
| 7. | "You Decorated My Life" | Debbie Hupp, Bob Morrison | Kenny, 1979 | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Reuben James" | Barry Etris, Alex Harvey | Ten Years of Gold, 1977 | 2:37 |
| 9. | "Love the World Away" | Morrison, Johnny Wilson | Urban Cowboy (soundtrack), 1980 | 3:11 |
| 10. | "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (With Dottie West) | John Dyes, Jeffrey M. Tweel | Every Time Two Fools Collide, 1978 | 3:00 |
| Total length: | 20:16 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Long Arm of the Law" | Bowling, Wheeler | Previously unreleased | 4:17 |
| 12. | "Lady (with Lionel Richie)" | Lionel Richie | Previously unreleased | 4:09 |
| 13. | "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" | 3:39 | ||
| 14. | "Lucille" | 3:34 | ||
| 15. | "She Believes in Me" | 4:11 | ||
| 16. | "You Decorated My Life" | 3:37 | ||
| Total length: | 23:10 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17. | "Goodbye Marie" | Mel McDaniel | Kenny, 1979 | 2:47 |
| 18. | "Every Time Two Fools Collide" | 3:00 | ||
| 19. | "Sail Away" | Rafe van Hoy | Love or Something Like It, 1978 | 3:31 |
| 20. | "Long Arm of the Law" | 4:17 | ||
| Total length: | 20:18 | |||
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart (1980–81) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Albums | 2 |
| Canadian RPM Top Albums | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[2] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[3] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[4] | 42 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 40 |
| US Billboard 200[6] | 1 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[10] | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[11] | Gold | 20,000[11] |
| Japan | — | 120,000[12] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Philippines (PARI)[14] | Gold | 10,000[14] |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | 12× Platinum | 12,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- "Review: Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 41. 11 October 1980. p. 70. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "Charts.nz – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Kenny Rogers Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- "Canadian album certifications – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Music Canada. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
- "Kenny Rogers" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- Fujita, Shig (November 7, 1981). "International - Japan Suffers From 'Country Allergy,' Yet Rogers Still No. 1" (PDF). Billboard. p. 76. Retrieved May 30, 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- "A "Gold" sales award presented to Kenny Rogers to commemorate the sales of 10,000 units of the album, Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits, in the Philippines on February 1, 1983". 18 March 2023.
- "American album certifications – Kenny Rogers – Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 16, 2019.