"Through the Years" is a song written by

Steve Dorff Stephen Hartley Dorff (born April 21, 1949) is an American songwriter and composer whose work is mainly in the field of country music. Career Dorff has written several songs for other artists, including "Hypnotize the Moon" and " My Heart Wi ...

and

Marty Panzer Marty Panzer (March 20, 1945) is an American songwriter and first song-writing partner of Barry Manilow. He is the author of over 30 songs recorded by Manilow and over a hundred songs for Disney Pictures. He also co-wrote the song " Through The Ye ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

. It was released in December 1981 as the fourth single from the album ''

Share Your Love ''Share Your Love'' is the eleventh studio album by country singer Kenny Rogers, released in 1981. Produced by Lionel Richie, it is also Rogers' first with Liberty Records besides his ''Greatest Hits'' album. The album has sold nine million copie ...

''. "Through the Years" reached number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in early 1982, remaining in the

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

for eleven weeks and went to number one on the

Adult Contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

, becoming Rogers' fifth single to top this chart. The song peaked at number five on the

Country chart Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

. Rogers credited "Through the Years" as being one of his career songs, though it had relatively little success in North America. Rogers appeared and performed the song at the

1983 Grammy Awards The 25th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 1983, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Album of the Year went to Toto for ''Toto IV'', and Song of the Year went to ...

and at an April 2001 halftime ceremony honoring

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...

at a

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

game. On his 50th anniversary TV special, Rogers performed a version of the song with his two friends

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

and

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

which also included archive footage of him working with both on various projects through the years.

Content

The song looks back at a relationship "through the years" and mentions the ups and downs, but the singer proclaims to his loved one: ''I'm so glad I stayed right here with you / Through the years''.

Chart performance

References

1981 songs 1981 singles Kenny Rogers songs Songs written by Steve Dorff Pop ballads Country ballads Liberty Records singles Songs with lyrics by Marty Panzer {{1981-country-song-stub

Content

Chart performance

See also

References