One of Kenny Rogers' signature story songs, "Coward of the County" has been giving fans something to talk about for decades after its release.
According to Billboard, "Coward of the County" is one of the best-performing songs on the country charts ever, earning a spot on the Greatest of All Time Hot Country Songs list, where the it's ranked at No. 48. (The list ranks the weekly performance of songs on the Hot Country Songs chart from its October 1958 inception through June 2016.)
The crossover hit was released in September 1979 as part of Rogers' eighth studio album, Kenny, before being released as a single two months later in November. By January 1980, the track had reached its peak at the top of the Billboard country charts, but the song's chilling storytelling would go on to spark discussion and debate among country fans for years to come.
Written by Billy Edd Wheeler and Roger Bowling, "Coward of the County" is a narrative-driven song that touches on the difference between being peaceful and being cowardly. The song not only contains dark themes of violence in the lyrics, but its surprising moral twist in the last verse is part of the reason it became one of Rogers' most controversial songs.
At the time, "Coward of the County" was Rogers' most successful hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would later be dethroned by his 1980 smash hit "Lady" and the 1983 Dolly Partonduet "Island's in the Stream," which both had multi-week runs at No. 1.
But "Coward of the County" isn't the only song from Rogers' catalog to make Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot Country Songs chart, as "Islands in the Stream" is also ranked at No. 32 on that list.
Kenny Rogers' No 1 Hits on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart
"Buy Me a Rose" "Islands in the Stream" "Morning Desire" "Crazy" "Real Love" "Lucille" "Tomb of the Unknown Love" "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" "The Gambler" "We've Got Tonight" "Every Time Two Fools Collide" "Love Will Turn You Around" "She Believes in Me" "Coward of the County" "I Don't Need You" "All I Ever Need Is You" "What Are We Doin' in Love" "Daytime Friends" "Lady" "Love or Something Like It" "You Decorated My Life"Related: 1992 Country Song Wasn't Expected to Be a Success—Then It Hit No. 1
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