Kenny Rogers – The Last Ten Years (Superman)

“The Last Ten Years (Superman)” is a song recorded by Kenny Rogers for his 2006 album Water & Bridges. The track appears as one of the album’s mid-list songs and was issued as the follow-up single after “I Can’t Unlove You.” The album was released by Capitol Records on March 21, 2006 and was produced by Dann Huff. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Songwriting credit for “The Last Ten Years (Superman)” is given to Tommy Conners and D. Vincent Williams; the composition is credited on the album’s official track listing and in standard discographic sources. The writing partnership produced a lyric that reads as a short retrospective, and the song’s arrangement on the record is consistent with the contemporary country production style employed throughout the Water & Bridges sessions. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

“The Last Ten Years (Superman)” was issued as a single in 2006; contemporary chart records show the song entered the country airplay listings and peaked in the mid-fifties on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The single did not reach the Top 40, and its chart performance is typically described as modest compared with Kenny Rogers’s earlier commercial peaks. The single’s run reflected Rogers’s continued presence on country radio in the 2000s but also the changing radio landscape for veteran artists. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Lyrically the song functions as a brief survey of recent public events and cultural figures, framed by the conceit of looking back over a decade. The verses mention or allude to several widely reported incidents and notable public figures from the approximate period the title implies; the text relies on name-checking and topical reference to create a sense of retrospective inventory rather than offering an extended personal narrative. Critical commentary from album reviews described the track as a topical or novelty-tinged item within an otherwise earnest set of songs. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Musically, the recording sits within a straightforward country-pop idiom with a midtempo feel. The production uses layered instrumentation and polished studio techniques consistent with Dann Huff’s production work on the record, and Rogers’s vocal delivery is measured and narrative in tone. The arrangement supports the lyrics without extensive ornamentation, which keeps the focus on the enumerated references and the song’s summarizing perspective. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

A music video for the song was produced and circulated to country outlets around the time of the single’s release; production and video credits list Peter Zavadil among the directors associated with Rogers’s videos from that period. The single’s airplay and video exposure contributed to its modest chart showing but did not translate into a major mainstream crossover. In the context of Kenny Rogers’s long career, the track is usually noted as a later-career single that underlines his continued output rather than as a signature hit. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

In retrospective summaries of the album and Rogers’s later work, “The Last Ten Years (Superman)” is often mentioned alongside other mid-2000s tracks that aimed to balance topical observation with accessible country production. The song’s factual profile — songwriters, album placement, single release and chart peak — is straightforward: a 2006 composition appearing on Water & Bridges, written by Tommy Conners and D. Vincent Williams, released as a single and peaking in the mid-50s on the Billboard country chart. It stands as an example of Rogers’s continued recording activity and collaborative choice of material in the latter phase of his recording career. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}