Let’s not mince words: 1978 was not only the best year for Kenny Rogers’ long and celebrated career, but one of the best years for any songwriter. In what was evidently a Beatles-esque fit of monomania and creativity, Rogers put out three stellar albums in 1978, including his signature work “The Gambler,” all of which topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. All three albums went gold, and in the case of “The Gambler,” multi-platinum, and between them produced three No. 1 hit singles (as well as a not-too-shabby No. 2) on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs that same year. In other words, Rogers was on the hottest hot streak of his life throughout ’78.
To prove that thesis, we’ve put together five songs that showcase Rogers at his best, all from ’78. Each of these was a well-charting hit, yes, but they all remain something more: an enduring testament to the Gambler at the apex of his talent and productivity. Rogers, who became the king of soft rock, was a singular talent across decades and genres, and from a duet with Dottie West to the song that gave him his nickname, here we celebrate the best year of his illustrious career.
Every Time Two Fools Collide
“Colliding” is an apt word for how Rogers and Dottie West first paired up on “Every Time Two Fools Collide.” Though the story has remained murky through the years, what is known is that West was in a studio with a plan to record the song solo when Rogers happened to show up (for one reason or another; different sources claim different reasons), and the pair immediately hit it off. Regardless of the how and the why, the chance encounter was a lucky one. Not only did the pair decide to record and release the song as a duet instead of West’s solo version, they then recorded an entire album together, also titled “Every Time Two Fools Collide,” which remained one of Rogers’ favorites throughout his life.
Speaking with The Boot, Rogers revealed that “I loved [West], and I thoroughly enjoyed [‘Every Time Two Fools Collide’] … I’m more known for ‘The Gambler’ and the Dolly Parton stuff, but that was the song that I loved doing.” Rogers’ love of the song shows in his performance: a plaintive, vibrato-laden crooning that, alongside the song’s emotive string arrangement, gives the song a lasting poignance. That tenderness translated into success, as Rogers and West’s ballad topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart for two weeks — though perhaps no accolade is worth more than being one of Rogers’ own favorite songs.
She Believes in Me
In what was both a blessing and a curse, “She Believes in Me” was tasked with being the follow-up single to “The Gambler,” the single most acclaimed work in Rogers’ career. Having been released on the 1978 album “The Gambler,” it faced both an appreciative audience and high expectations. Nonetheless, on its release the following year, “She Believes in Me” spent two weeks atop both the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, proving to be a major crossover hit and that “The Gambler” album was too darn good for any sophomore slump.
Rogers once explained to Country Stars Central that the crossover nature of “She Believes in Me” was something that came from his unique background, saying, “I think I am a country singer with a lot of other musical influences. Which allowed me to do songs through the years like “She Believes In Me.” Rogers cut his musical teeth through jazz almost as much as country and claimed that versatility was what made him distinctly him, adding, “You either have to do what everyone else is doing or do it better than them or you have to be different enough to stand on your own. That is what I chose to do — to try to do something different.”