Daytime Friends

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daytime Friends is the title of Kenny Rogers' third solo album for United Artists Records, released world-wide in 1977. It was his second major success following the break-up of The First Edition in 1976 (his first album "Love Lifted Me" was a minor success, with his second, the self-titled "Kenny Rogers", going to Number 1 on the US country charts and crossing over to the mainstream pop charts in many countries).

The album produced two top 10 singles with the title cut reaching #1 on the country singles and tracks chart and "Sweet Music Man" reaching #9. Elsewhere on the album is the song "Am I Too Late?", which Rogers regards as one of his favorite songs. The music on the record is more diverse than his first two solo outings for United Artists is that is goes beyond traditional country sounds, resembling in part the work Rogers did with The First Edition. The story song "The Ghost Of Another Man" tells of a man in love, but his partner is still mourning the death of her former lover (and son of her child) and features the lyrics "I don't mean to haunt him, but when they turn out the light, I'm there in the bedroom, with both of them each night".

The album deals with a wide variety of stories, which is something Kenny Rogers had already become famous for, with the track "I'll Just Write My Music and Sing My Songs" referring to a musician who is very successful and enjoys a high standard of living, but fails at love and happiness. There are also many other love songs, dealing with both the joy of a successful relationship (such as the soulful "My World Begins and Ends With You") and ones that are not as true and honest (i.e. the cheating song "Lying Again"), as well as ones that are in decline ("We Don't Make Love, Anymore").

The album reached #2 on the Country charts, and was also a pop hit, but it was over shadowed by both the on going success of the previous album "Kenny Rogers" and then the release of Rogers greatest hit's package Ten Years Of Gold. However, it sold well as with those three albums Rogers held all the top 3 positions on the Billboard country sales chart in a single week, a feat that has yet to be bettered. In 2007, 30 years since it was first issued, the album was made available to download for the first time via Apple Incs I Tunes music store.

The title song is sometimes referred to as "Daytime Friends (Night-time Lovers)" and has been covered several times, including a version by Irish pop group Westlife.