Kenny Rogers - Sweet Music Man

[PabluchoViision]

Don´t know why so many people (I don't mean commenters here) looked down their noses at Kenny Rogers. As if commercial success meant you couldn't possibly be a serious artist. Kenny is an awesome, masterful singer - a GREAT ARTIST with the power to move listeners' hearts. I know he moved my 9 year old heart with 'Tell It All', many moons ago. I didn't - how could I? - understand then what the song was saying, but I felt in my bones that it mattered. "Sweet Music Man" matters in the same way.

[montanerfan10]

@PabluchoViision I know. It's a very moving song. What about Heed The Call? My personal favorite is Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight.

[rootbeerhog]

Kenny wrote that song for Jessie Colter in deed!  jandinaz is correct.

[raul572001]

@rootbeerhog Yes and no. Seek for Reba McEntire cover and there is the story almost told at beginning. Kenny himself has told in some show that he had just broke with his band First Edition and therefore in sad position and at home after the flight had written this song for some ten minutes. Afaik this is the only hit he wrote and it started from verse "you try to stay young etc." and it's strictly special and about himself. I'd never agree this as some usual or standard song.

[dangledoop]

@raul572001 Reba cover clearly states he wrote it for Waylon and Jessie,must be something wrong with your understanding of english language if you think otherwise, i do agree it is not a standard song its simply brillant.

[raul572001]

@dangledoop Just seeked for the show By Request were Kenny has told all the story about the thing. Sorry, but these are deleted now :(. Jessi's and Waylon's story made him to think about himself with broken band and future and so this his greatest song was born. There wasn't the one and only reason but all bad things mixed. No one can tell which one is main.

[penfoldpool]

he's a legend

[MsAngieca]

I love this song...Marshall Law did a hell of a job with it!!!!!

[MrJimjimboaz]

He touched my soul.

[jandlinaz]

This song was written for Jessie Colter about Waylon. Fact

[iammatteonino]

che melodia!!!!!!!

fantastica

BRAVO MSR. ROGER

[wldhrsesrn]

I love it ! It is soooo him ! The song was his...the first time he sang it ! I'm sure ! There are a lot of country artists male and female that feel the same way ! Fact !

[dannyjeffrey44]

Fact of the matter is that Kenny ran into Jesse Colter on a plane flight and she was talking about Waylon's out of control life style, his drug abuse, and the neglect he heaped on her. She sat there talking of Waylon's talents and failings and how she could no longer tolerate it. Kenny wrote this song as a tribute to a great lady

[benschlechter]

I still wonder why he shaved part of his beard off and kept only the goatee

[jaxom]

im sorry but this vid makes me think of tribute vids they make for dead people. :/

[TheIggy4]

this song speaks volumes if ya listen to his tune,brilliant if ya ask me,what a way to tell someone its over

[thebritishcanuck]

He didnt write it to say he was going to stay young forever, he wrote it after a 1977 plane conversation with another singer. Damn, does anyone ever get their facts straight on here?

[TheIggy4]

read into the words people ....its so real and so beutifull.sing your song sweet music man....his song is his life..and he broken all his connections,,its so reall so true,listen to the words ,understand them he a legend

[orence69]

You touched my soul with your beautiful song <3 ~

[orence69]

You touched my soul with your beautiful song <3 ~

[bishopaz]

GREAT GREAT SONG.

[benschlechter]

I thought this song was about Elvis. Anyway, Kenny Rogers looked different when he shaved part of his beard off and kept the goatee.

[TheRandomSheep1]

oh. gosh the first comment i read was 'He was a great singer and this is a lovely song RIP Kenny. We miss you'

.and i nearly fainted, i was like :woah he's dead. then i googled and he's still alive. phew. hes an awesome songwriter and singer. i listen to him and im 16 years old. :)

[Drewtazy]

That is right MollyRox2....Kenny Rogers wrote this after sitting with Jesse Colter on a flight after his conversation with her and her concerns about Waylon.Great Song!

[MollyRox2]

This song was written about Jesse Coulter and Waylon Jennings. It's from Coulter's viewpoint.  It's not about Rogers at all.

[MikeEder]

@MollyRox2 True. The fact The First Edition did this song in 1975 with Mary Arnold on lead and Anne Murray cut it in 1976, shows Kenny made up the later story. After all he had his Hippie Image well into 1976. Also a fact that Kenny himself wrote in his 1978 book Making It With Music about the Jennings story though he omited his name.

[TheAlliexCore]

My uncle jimmy sounds just like this when he sings.. They played my uncles version of this today at his funeral and now i cry everytime i hear this song. But i keep listening to it because it reminds me of memories of my uncle and because this song is just really amazing

[ravieism]

My two favorite singers sing this Kenny and Reba both of them are amazing.

[whitburnful]

the millie jackson version of this song is Powerful!!

[MiserableCorpse]

Kenny wrote this song about Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings!

[Crazyonepro]

Every time I hear this song it touches my heart ....very very Powerful song!

[ebonyrod2]

This is absolutely my favorite song by Kenny Rogers. I like his version of this song very much. I also like Millie Jackson's version as it is earthly and very soulful. I heard Kenny;s version first and it will always be foremost in my mind when someone mention this song. Gambler is also one of my all time best by Kenny Rogers.

[livininnashville]

@ebonyrod2 Check out Reba's version released when the late great Waylon Jennings died. Kenny's is the version that I grew up with and have always loved it, but Reba tour this up with her touching emotions.

[2dogsaf]

this one was written by Kenny for Jesse Coulter about Waylon Jennings

[ukgeorgex]

trueley amazing :)

[penel100]

This is a wonderful song. I loved it and my husband who was 20 years older than I belittled anything that wasn't "straight ahead jazz". He finally came around after being forced to listen to the lyrics- over and over. Kenny is still with us, Thank you for that sweet music! RIP Joe (my husband, not Kenny)!

[frattalta]

Merveilleuse voix , une douceur pour notre ame et quelquefois , cela vraiment fait du bien !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Merci ANTONELLA

[PinkCowgirl925]

this is the only song he ever wrote it is amazing he did not write more

[britishlaw]

He was a great singer and this is a lovely song

RIP Kenny. We miss you

[kahales72]

@britishlaw - Kenny isn't dead. Long Live Kenny!

[PinkCowgirl925]

@kahales72 tho u may not recognize him now lol

[thundereye92]

@britishlaw kenny is still alive and I hope he will be alive for as long as possible.

[ROLLGRAB]

@thundereye92 WTF!

[radicalyute4christ1]

@britishlaw

you frightened me wen u said rip

unless you mean rip to his msic which still lives on

[bibadeen]

@britishlaw ----- why did u say RIP. he's still alive and living in georgia

[IronPillaz]

@britishlaw FAIL

[scottbot8119]

this man stopped me from been a bully in school and an angry person in life his songs still calms me now even when im at my worst i'm glad i got to know his music

i hope i get to see him in america when i visit

[whatsanenigma]

@britishlaw As of the date of this comment one year later he is still alive. Nobody panic who reads that comment about him being dead. Look it up first, because I don't know why that comment is there.

[hodge238]

your the best kenny

[dranupkrdas]

a great song....performed by a great singer

[carolinasbeauty]

Ya know, I really don't care who wrote it or did a cover of it, this is a Kenny Rogers classic. So much emotion...

I've been listened to this since I bought the LP!

Thanks for posting!

[cleanthoughts]

an absolutely beautiful yet powerful song

[4HorseNfox]

Thank-you. Quite possibly the best song he ever sang.

[raul572001]

Afaik it's the only song he wrote himself. It was exact when he was broken with 1st edition and fly back to Nashville in seat next to Jessi Colter. They told about Waylon almost all time and when Kenny came home, he made this in maybe 15 minutes from one phrase he can't forget.

Just seek around, there is one episode with Kenny, Dolly and Willie where he talks about.. Some was told by Reba's cover. Wonder, how such things happen.

[tttar]

Come to think of it, I wonder if he wasn't thinking about Phoebe Snow's "Poetry Man" as he was writing this. :)

[tttar]

I never knew he wrote any songs, let alone this one. I haven't looked at all the albums I have, but it seems he contributed one or two songs on several of his 70s albums and then just stopped.

If he can write at this level, it's really too bad that he did.

[ramlinrose2]

waylon did this song too......:)

[jessjas2001]

who cares  this song stirs my soul

[penel100]

@jessjas2001 Me, too! Both then any now. The fact that it's both personal and heartfelt AND written by him makes it resonate.

[johnfrank1970]

According to the video by Reba, Kenny was on a flight with Jessi Colter and he wrote the song on Jessi's conversation about Waylon.

[FabFM]

Kenny Rogers wrote this song about himself and the way his career had declined (it was written before his comeback in 1977). Kenny Rogers himself stated he wrote it after Barbie Benton asked him to write a song for her. He was on a flight with Jessi Colter who mentioned Waylon was a "Sweet Music Man" (which is where he got the title), but the song is about him, as Kenny said "this song is a huge piece of musical me, even though I was hearing stories about Waylon, I wrote this about myself".

[elcamman50]

Thanks for the info. I stand corrected. I did some further research and you are right. Goes to show you should do your research :)

[elcamman50]

Back in the late 70's, when this song came out, Kenny mentioned that it was written for Waylon Jennings. Check it out.

[FabFM]

The song was not written for Waylon Jennings, the sleevenotes to Kenny's box set explain the full story of how the song came to be - the song is about Kenny Rogers and his failed career (he wrote it around 1974/5, before his major comeback in 1977).

[chaserman21]

I'm pretty sure he wrote this about himself... Toward the beginning/high points of his career.... knowing that noone lasts forever, this is how he believed his life would go, a tragic fall from grace... While he tried to find someone that still cared... Such a powerful song..

[analogyman]

Great song! When my sons were very small, I used to sing this to them (with some other words), holding them in my arms while I "danced" them around the living room. Now they both have two children of their own!

[jtjt100]

That song was written by Kenny about Waylon Jennings.........

[mizzouborn]

"Kenny has written that song to make clear that he can't stay young forever. So he cut his hair, pulled out his earing and ended that Hippie image." Actually Kenny wrote this song while sitting on a plane next to Jesse Colter and the song is about Waylon Jennings, not himself.

[dangledoop]

i love this song the lyrics are powerful to me