Kenny Rogers - Love Will Turn You Around

Today (June 1st) marks the 30th anniversary of the tenth solo studio album by American country singer/songwriter Kenny Rogers. 1982’s Love Will Turn You Around went to number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 5 on the Billboard Country charts. The Platinum selling record also reached number 23 on the charts in Canada.


Side one opens with the title track and first single. “Love Will Turn You Around” went to number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Canadian pop charts; it also hit number 1 on the Country and Adult Contemporary charts in both the US and Canada. Also used as the theme song for the film Six Pack which starred Rogers as a race car driver who has to raise a bunch of orphaned kids, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal. I really like the acoustic guitars on this sauntering track.

The second single “A Love Song” only reached number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100. However, it went to number 10 on the US Adult Contemporary charts, number 7 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts, number 3 on the US Country charts and number 1 on the Canadian Country charts. Lee Greenwood who wrote the gentle love ballad originally recorded it for his 1982 album Inside Out which came out two months prior.

“Fightin’ Fire With Fire” is a mid-tempo track about a woman named Diana who is now flaunting her new man in front of her old boyfriend as payback for his cheating on her. It is a complicated tale of jealousy and revenge.

Next up is the gentle pleas of “Maybe You Should Know”, a slower ballad with rich piano and orchestration.

“Somewhere Between Lovers and Friends” closes the side with an up-tempo track the bounces along on the percussion beats. The lyrics speak of that grey area between friendship and lovers and what might happen when that line gets accidentally crossed.

Side two starts off with “Take This Heart”, a song about a guy who is so heartbroken that he is ready to give up completely on love.

Rogers gets his rocking on with the catchy “If You Can Lie a Little Bit”, a song about the deceptions of a woman.

The gentle and compassionate “I’ll Take Care of You” is next.

“The Fool In Me”, with its saxophone and organ backing, has a bit of a 60’s groove to it. This harkens a bit back to Rogers’ original group in the 60’s, the First Edition.

“I Want a Son”, the B-side to the first single, closes out the album on a sentimental note. The lyrics tell the tale of a man who is ready to settle down and start a family.