Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' 'Islands in the Stream' was written by the Bee Gees

'Islands in the Stream' was another massive crossover hit for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

The country stars each earned their second pop No. 1 hits with the duet, eventually selling over 3 million units. In 1998, the Fugees’ Pras scored a hit with an interpolation of the song on his track “Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are),” which was eventually certified platinum.

Parton teamed up with Porter Wagoner in 1967

Wagoner was a popular country artist whose syndicated variety show debuted in 1960. When his cohost Norma Jean left in 1967, Wagoner brought in Parton as a replacement. That was the same year her debut album, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” was released. Below is a performance of “Dumb Blonde,” the lead single from that album, from her first day on the show.

Elvis Presley wanted to record 'I Will Always Love You,' but Dolly Parton refused

After scoring a hit with her own recording of the song, Presley made plans to record his own version, but stipulated that Parton would need to grant him 50% of the publishing rights—perhaps the most valuable asset for a songwriter. Parton politely refused.

Prince wrote a song for Kenny Rogers under the name Joey Coco

The enigmatic artist was wildly prolific and, when he wasn't churning out his own records, often wrote and produced other people. He contributed "You're My Love" to country icon Kenny Rogers' 1986 album "They Don't Make Them Like They Used To," though you wouldn't have known that reading the record's credits because the song was attributed to Joey Coco, a pseudonym Prince sometimes used.

'Jolene' was based on a real woman who flirted with her husband

The song was Dolly Parton’s second No. 1 hit and a modern standard that’s been covered by the likes of the White Stripes and Beyoncé. According to Parton, it was based on a real-life experience about an attractive bank teller who flirted with her husband. That woman’s name wasn’t actually Jolene, though: That was the name of a young fan who’d once asked Parton for an autograph.

Dolly Parton wrote the song '9 to 5' on the set of the movie '9 to 5'

She’d agreed to star in the film if she could write its theme song, which she began while shooting the movie. As Parton tells it, the song’s genesis was clacking her long acrylic nails together.

Dolly Parton danced with disco in the late 1970s

As disco grew more popular, more artists experimented with the genre, including through remixes. One of them was Dolly Parton, who released the “Dance With Dolly” EP in 1978, which remixed two tracks from her “Heartbreaker” album to make them more explicitly aimed at the dancefloor.

Brian Wilson wrote the Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.

Three rock stars who made great country music

Steven Tyler, Tina Turner, and Darius Rucker all crossed into country. The author claims the trio shared a common trait: they weren't chasing a new audience. Instead, they were delving deeper into a sound already present in their work.

Rick James and Neil Young both played in a band that was signed to Motown

The Mynah Birds were a short-lived Canadian rock group active before either artist's career took off. In 1966, the band signed to Motown Records and released a single. That same year, they were dropped by the label after it was revealed that James had settled down in Canada to avoid US military service.

Brian Wilson originally wrote the Beach Boys' classic 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.

'Over the Rainbow' became a widely covered standard

Judy Garland’s original 1939 version won the Academy Award for best original song, though it never appeared on the Billboard pop singles chart (which didn’t appear until 1940). Twenty different versions of the song by other artists—including Willie Nelson, Patti LaBelle, and Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole—have appeared on numerous Billboard charts.

Diana Ross starred in a Motown-produced biopic about Billie Holiday

The 1972 film "Lady Sings the Blues" was loosely based on Holiday's autobiography and starred Ross, then pursuing her post-Supremes solo career. The Motown production had big names (including Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor) and was nominated for five Academy Awards, including one for Ross' performance. You can watch the film below.

The harmonizing Louvin Brothers continued country's religious tradition

You won’t find a better pair of harmonizers than brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin, whose records became cornerstones of country, bluegrass, and gospel. This podcast examines the brothers’ remarkable approach to singing, along with the close relationship that made them such ideal musical partners—and what ultimately tore them apart.

'The Girl from Ipanema' is one of jazz's most popular songs

The song, written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, had already been recorded in Portuguese in 1962, but the version on "Getz/Gilberto" was sung in English by Astrud Gilberto, then an amateur who'd been chosen because she sang in the language better than her husband, João. The song helped propel the album's sales and is now considered a jazz standard.

'Show Boat' redefined the American musical

The 1927 musical—penned by Oscar Hammerstein II, who would go on to create, with Richard Rodgers, other titanic shows like "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel"—used its songs to advance the plot and build character rather than simply entertain.

'The Grand Ole Opry' turned Nashville into the country music capital

By 1932, country was being broadcast to 30 states and parts of Canada. That influence turned the Tennessee city into a destination for those interested in working in the budding industry.

The US national anthem borrowed its melody from a British tavern song

Key’s original poem, “The Defence of Fort M’Henry,” was written to the meter of a well-known drinking song: “The Anacreon Song,” also known as “To Anacreon in Heaven.” The original song has more than a few sexual innuendos and was written by a Brit, two details that seem at odds with the serious and patriotic lyrics of Key’s poem.

Bob Dylan often reworks his vocal melodies, even for his classic songs

Bob Dylan is an unpredictable live artist willing to reinvent his classics as they age. This analysis by Steven Rings, a music professor, breaks down the evolution of the singing style in "A Hard Rain’s A‐Gonna Fall," which transformed in one 1994 performance and then continued growing.

‘Hang On Sloopy,’ Ohio’s unofficial anthem

The McCoys' 1965 single "Hang On Sloopy" isn't technically about the Buckeye State, but it became a fan favorite after appearing in the Ohio State Marching Band repertoire.

Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams' reentered the pop charts thanks to a viral video

In 2020, a man from Idaho named Nathan Apodaca filmed himself drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding and mouthing along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” a hit from their 1977 album “Rumours.” The video’s popularity on TikTok introduced the song to a younger generation (and reintroduced it to older ones). In turn, listeners sought it out on streaming platforms, sending it back into the Hot 100.

The band 'The Bangles' was initially named 'The Bangs'

Legal troubles forced the band to change their name. See a slew of other music facts, like how Taylor Swift's "All Too Well (Taylor's Version) is the longest song to reach number one on the US singles chart. The song is over 10 minutes long, and surpassed Don McLean's "American Pie."

'If you can't do it with feeling, don't.'

-Singer Patsy Cline (1932-1963)

‘Donkey Kong’ was based on the ‘Popeye’ franchise

Nintendo pursued the “Popeye” franchise in the early 1980s, hoping that developing an arcade game for the popular character would result in a hit. The bid failed, but Nintendo still used “Popeye” as the model for 1981’s “Donkey Kong.”

The story behind David Bowie's failed '1984' musical

The musician hoped to adapt Orwell's dystopian novel for the stage, though the project floundered after Orwell's widow—who found Bowie's vision in poor taste—refused to grant him the rights. Several of the project's songs—including "Big Brother" and "1984"—eventually appeared on Bowie's 1974 album "Diamond Dogs."

Prince's sexually explicit 1984 track 'Darling Nikki' attracted the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center, an advocacy group that inspired the Parental Advisory sticker, even though the song ends with a Christian message.

Sylvester's 'You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)' is a definitive LGBTQ+ anthem

The 1978 dance hit was all about self-acceptance, inspired by the artist's difficult experience growing up gay in a Pentecostal church. The song has influenced numerous contemporary artists and inspired an off-Broadway musical.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'

The Ramones' 'Pet Sematary,' the theme song for the Stephen King novel of the same name, was written while the band was admiring the writer's collection of horror memorabilia.

A researcher recently discovered an interview from 1967 between groundbreaking journalist Joan Didion and the Grateful Dead, years before the band became an institution.

'Saturday Night Fever,' the 1977 film that introduced disco to the mainstream, was based on a fabricated magazine story.

Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova—a jazz-influenced Brazilian genre—to the US

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'

Jimmy Carter signed a 1978 bill that legalized home brewing, a move credited with kick-starting the craft beer industry.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Watch a 1934 short film starring jazz legend Cab Calloway, a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance's music scene

Fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef have increased after installing waterproof speakers on the ocean floor that played recordings of sounds from healthy coral reefs.

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

The Brothers Grimm were lawyers before they were storytellers, but became interested in fairy tales as they began investigating how rules and customs had been passed down through cultures.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Children are now three times more likely to say they want to be a YouTuber when they grow up than an astronaut, with some even attending 'YouTube camps' that teach kids how to create content for the platform.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola.