What About Me? (Kenny Rogers song)

Infobox Single
Name = What About Me?


Cover size =
Border =
Caption =
Artist = Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes and James Ingram
Album = What About Me?
A-side =
B-side = "The Rest of Last Night"
Released = 1984
Format = 7" (45 rpm)
Recorded =
Genre = Adult contemporary
Length = 4:20
Label = RCA Records
Writer = Kenny Rogers, David Foster, Richard Marx
Producer = David Foster, Kenny Rogers
Audio sample? =
Chronology = Kenny Rogers singles
Last single = "Evening Star"
(1984)
This single = "What About Me?"
(1984)
Next single = "The Greatest Gift of All"
(1985)Extra chronology
Artist = Kim Carnes
Type = singles
Last single = "I Pretend"
(1984)
This single = "What About Me?"
(1984)
Next single = "Make No Mistake, He's Mine"
(1984)Extra chronology
Artist = James Ingram
Type = singles
Last single = "Yah Mo B There"
(1984)
This single = "What About Me?"
(1984)
Next single = "It's Your Night"
(1984)

"What About Me?" is the title of a popular song first recorded in 1984 as a trio by singers Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and James Ingram. The song was written by Rogers, noted producer David Foster and singer-songwriter Richard Marx, who had yet to achieve the fame as a musician that he would a few years later ("Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever"). It was the lead single from Rogers' 1984 album of the same name.

Rogers has described "What About Me?" as "like a three-way love song...Everybody involved said 'Hey, what about me?' I think it's a beautiful record." Originally the male and female parts not sung by Rogers were to be performed by Lionel Richie and Barbra Streisand, but after Richie backed out of the project, Streisand did as well. The second proposed trio of singers was Rogers, Olivia Newton-John and Jeffrey Osborne, but Newton-John began working on a duet with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and decided not to do both projects simultaneously. Osborne had a conflicting schedule as well, so the line-up of Rogers, Carnes and Ingram was ultimately the one that recorded the song. [Hyatt, Wesley (1999). "The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits" (Billboard Publications)]

"What About Me?" charted on four "Billboard" singles charts in the United States at the time of its release in late 1984. It was most successful on the adult contemporary chart, where it spent two weeks at #1 in November of that year. This was the first adult contemporary chart-topper for either Carnes or Ingram, though both had achieved pop hits before this song. For Rogers, this was his eighth (and to date, final) #1 on the AC chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at #15, while it accomplished the rare feat of charting on both the R&B (#57) and country (#70) charts. This was Rogers' second single to reach the R&B chart, following his 1980 hit "Lady". That song, written by Richie, had reached #42 on the R&B chart as well as going to #1 on the pop, country and AC charts.

References

External links

* [http://www.discogs.com/release/1320373 Single release info at discogs.com]