The Gambler (song)
| "The Gambler" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kenny Rogers | ||||
| from the album The Gambler | ||||
| Released | November 15, 1978 | |||
| Format | Vinyl | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Writer(s) | Don Schlitz | |||
| Producer(s) | Larry Butler | |||
| Kenny Rogers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Gambler" is a song written by Don Schlitz and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in November 1978 as the title track from his album The Gambler which won him the Grammy award for best male country vocal performance in 1980.[1] Bobby Bare had recorded the song earlier that same year in his album BARE CBS KC35314 (1978). The song was written by Schlitz who had recorded it previously, and had charted at #65 on the country charts with it. It was one of five consecutive songs by Rogers to hit #1 on the Billboard country music charts. On the pop chart, the song made #16 in early 1979. It's become one of Rogers's most enduring hits and a signature song. As of November 13, 2013, the digital sales of the single currently stands at 798,000 copies.[2] The song was also recorded by Johnny Cash for his 1978 album Gone Girl.
Content
The song itself tells the story of a late-night meeting on a train "bound for nowhere" between the narrator and a man known only as the gambler. The gambler tells the narrator that he can tell he is down on his luck ("out of aces") by the look in his eyes and offers him advice in exchange for his last swallow of whisky. After the gambler takes the drink (and a cigarette), he gives the following advice:
| “ | You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, know when to run. |
” |
The gambler then mentions that the "secret to survivin' is knowing what to throw away, and knowing what to keep" and that "the best you can hope for is to die in your sleep". At this point, the gambler puts out the cigarette and goes to sleep.
At the end of the song we are told that "somewhere in the darkness, the gambler, he broke even", and that the narrator finds "an ace that I could keep", in his final words. Rogers' rendition in an appearance on TV's The Muppet Show indicates the gambler actually dies in his sleep when he "broke even".
Chart performance
| Chart (1978-1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Adult Contemporary Tracks (RPM) | 6 |
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM) | 2 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 8 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[3] | 29 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[4] | 12 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5] | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
Cover Versions
- Johnny Cash on Gone Girl (1978)
- Blake Shelton on Cracker Barrel: Songs of the Year Concert (2007)
- Outlaw (Terry Pugh) on Old Friends (2012oo)
In popular culture
- In 1979, when Rogers guest-starred in a season 4 episode of The Muppet Show, he performed this song with a Muppet character. Rogers is shown seated on a train with three muppets, one of them The Gambler (portrayed by Jerry Nelson) Nelson sings most of "The Gambler's" dialog, then falls asleep just as Rogers starts singing. After he dies, The Gambler's spirit rises from his Muppet body, singing backup and dances to the song's last two choruses, and lets a deck of cards fly from his hand before fading away.
- It is the theme song used for Rogers' long running (1980-1994) TV movie serial of the same name, in which he stars as a fictional professional poker player called Brady Hawkes.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song with minor lyric changes for their 1981 album Urban Chipmunk.
- A caricature parody of Kenny Rogers singing the song appeared in the 1993 Pinky and the Brain short "Bubba Bo Bob Brain" (season 1, episode 34). The lyrics to this version were changed to refer to Go Fish: "You gotta know how to cut 'em, know how to shuffle, know how to deal the cards before you play fish with me."
- Portions of this song were frequently sung by Hank Hill on the 1997-2010 animated series King of the Hill.
- Former WWF/E superstar The Rock sang a snippet of the song on an episode of RAW in November of 2001.
- The song was alluded to in the 1999 film Muppets From Space, when Kermit, Rizzo, Clifford, and Pepe were playing a game of poker.
- Wyclef Jean's 2000 album, The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book featured Rogers' modified performance of The Gambler's chorus on the track Kenny Rogers - Pharoahe Monch Dub Plate.
- Episode 2 of the 2004 BBC miniseries Blackpool featured the recording, accompanied on screen by the singing and dancing of the characters, as part of the story.
- The song was featured in 2007 in the "Beach Games" episode of the third season of The Office.
- In the TNT 2008-2012 series Leverage, character Sophie Devereaux claims she is living according to the rules of The Gambler.
- On July 21, 2009, the song was released for the music game Rock Band as a playable track as part of the "Rock Band Country Track Pack" compilation disc. It was then made available via digital download on Dec 29, 2009.
- The song was used in 2010 in season 6, episode 4, of the series Supernatural during a montage.
- Vermont jam band Phish performed the song on at the 2012 Bonnaroo Music Festival, featuring Rogers on vocals.
- In the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets program, it serves as the official anthem of the Gunnery Trade and is sung during moments of great happiness and during chaining ceremonies.
- Former Major League Baseball pitcher Kenny Rogers is nicknamed "The Gambler" after the song.
- A 2014 Geico television commercial features Rogers singing part of the song a cappella during a card game, to the displeasure of the other players.
- An episode of Reno 911! featured Trudy Wiegel and James Garcia as bodyguards for Kenny Rogers where Garcia has a Kenny Rogers Dream Sequence that interposes him and Jim Dangle.
References
- ↑ Reader's digest almanac and yearbook, 1981, p. 274
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (November 13, 2013). "Country Chart News - The Top 30 Digital Singles - November 13, 2013: CMA Awards Drive Sales; Eric Church "The Outsiders" #1; Taylor Swift "Red" #3". Roughstock.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Kenny Rogers – The Gambler". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ Kenny Rogers UK Charts history, The Official Charts. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
| Preceded by "On My Knees" by Charlie Rich and Janie Fricke |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single December 16-December 30, 1978 |
Succeeded by "Tulsa Time" by Don Williams |
