1983 was a simpler time. The internet was in its infancy, cell phones had just been invented, and Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers were on every radio station.
Though it may be hard to even remember a time before the song existed, "Islands in the Stream" was released exactly 42 years ago, shooting to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Originally written by the Bee Gees, the song was recorded by Parton and Rogers, and it was chosen as the lead single for Eyes That See in the Dark, Rodgers' fifteenth studio album.
Since then, the song has become a beloved classic, and for many a karaoke go-to, but no matter how many times you listen to it, nothing compares to hearing it live— just ask anyone who attended the Country Music Awards in 1983.
In a recently surfaced clip shared to Instagram, Rogers and Parton perform "Islands in the Stream" just a few months after the song first hit radio waves. While they knew the song was already on the top of the charts, there was no way to predict that it would go on to become one of the biggest hits of the '80s.
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Fans raced to the comments to share in the nostalgia they felt watching the performance all of these years later.
"It seems like it was yesterday when this came out," wrote one fan on Instagram.
"Hearing these old songs just brings a simple, quiet joy. ❤️" said another,
"True story: I was in 2nd grade when this came out, and our teacher LOVED IT. So whenever it came on the radio, the school secretary would play it over the intercom to our room. We’d be sitting there doing math or whatever, and out of nowhere this would start playing," added a third.
Over the years, "Islands in the Stream" has become more than just a classic '80s song. In 1997, the Bee Gees performed their own version of the song during a live show at in Las Vegas Barry Gibb singing lead vocals. The live version was included in band's 2001 retrospective album, The Greatest Hits: The Record.
"Islands in the Stream" was then sampled in rapper Pras' 1998 hit song "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)", which featured May and Ol' Dirty Bastard, introducing the original song to an entirely new generation of fans.
A hit song wasn't the only thing to emerge from Parton and Rogers' duet. The pair formed a lifelong friendship that endured up until Rogers' death in 2020.
"I miss him so much," she told PEOPLE in 2023. "I've lost so many wonderful people in my life in the last few years. But Kenny — he was very, very dear and special and I never get tired of hearing us sing, all the years that we were on stage together."
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