“Something’s Burning” (Kenny Rogers and the First Edition)

Today’s classic song of the day takes us all the way back to 1970, before smooth crooner Kenny Rogers pursued his solo career. Before he became famous on his own, he led a group called Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, and they had a handful of hits with songs like 1967’s “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” and 1969’s “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” and “Reuben James.” Their next big hit was “Something’s Burning,” which was released in January of 1970. This single went to #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #8 on the UK Singles chart.

“Something’s Burning” was written by Mac Davis. You may know Mr. Davis as an actor, in films like North Dallas Forty and The Sting II. He was also a prolific songwriter, writing hits for Elvis Presley (“In the Ghetto,” “Don’t Cry Daddy,” and “A Little Less Conversation”), Bobby Goldsboro (“Watching Scotty Grow”), and Gallery (“I Believe in Music”). He also had a few hits himself, in the form of “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” “One Hell of a Woman,” and “Stop and Smell the Roses.” He even hosted his own NBC variety show, the imaginatively titled The Mac Davis Show, from 1974 to 1976.

Kenny Rogers and the First Edition ran into a bit of controversary when they recorded “Something’s Burning.” Apparently some disc jockeys deemed the song “too sensual” to be played on the radio and blacklisted it. Kenny got around this little problem by having the First Edition perform it on the This is Tom Jones television show, thus garnering enough exposure to force American DJs to program the song.

The First Edition stayed together through the fall of 1975, when original member Terry Williams left to pursue a solo career. Mickey Jones left soon after, seeking an acting career. The freed Kenny Rogers to start recording his own solo album, which contained a couple of minor hits. Things picked up after that, and I don’t have to tell you what kind of star Kenny Rogers became.

Kenny Rogers, by the way, retired from performing in 2017. He’s now 81 years old. Mac Davis, who wrote “Something’s Burning,” passed away in 2020, following heart surgery. He was 78 years old.

So here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition performing “Something’s Burning” on the February 25, 1970, episode of The Johnny Cash Show. FYI, Kenny’s hair was already going to gray but he dyed it to make him look younger. He quit dying it and embraced the gray when he went solo.