And We Rely On Each Other, Ah-Ha

One of my favorite songs came on the radio yesterday while I was driving that I probably haven’t heard for 15-20 years.

As soon as it started, the words and melody came back to me as if there had been no gap in the time since I had last heard the song.

The song is the classic “Islands in the Stream”, sung by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.

So as soon as I got home I had to go to the magic/instant gratification that is YouTube and play the song a few times, bringing back good memories. I also learned that the song was actually written by the Bee Gees, who also produced their own version of the song, which I was not aware of.

Since I am so used to the Parton/Rogers version, the Bee Gees version did not seem as good. Then, as is wont to happen with YouTube, I noticed a link to another version of the song, this time by the Bee Gees and Olivia Newton-John.

There was no way I could pass up listening to Olivia; she was probably my first celebrity crush. Every time I heard her hit song “I Honestly Love You” I imagined that she was singing it to me. I also remember that the only commercial theft of my life involved ripping a poster of her down from a record store wall and running like mad (and with a big grin on my face) to my car. The bigger than life poster looked perfect on my dorm room wall the following year.

While as great as it was listening to Olivia again, I think I have to admit that the Dolly/Kenny version of the song is the best.

I then read about how successful the careers of Dolly and Kenny have been. I also came away impressed with Dolly the business woman and Dolly the philanthropist, particularly with her commitment to childhood literacy through her Imagination Library.

So it’s amazing what hearing one song on the radio can lead to because of the power of the Internet. From being able to play a song on demand whenever I want, to learning about the origins of a song, listening to multiple versions of a song, to learning about the generosity of a big-time country star.

And not to mention the opportunity to relive an old crush, someone I was apparently willing to go to jail over…