Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80 , occupied a space in our global cultural imagination — a figure of American mythology, someone best described as larger-than-life and then a little bit more. NEW YORK — Dolly Parton was more than a musician, actor, author, philanthropist, or theme-park entrepreneur. But from the very beginning, at the heart of everything she accomplished, she was a songwriter.
There have been several versions, but none as resonant as Houston’s, recorded in 1992 for the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard. The song topped the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks. The song also appears on her album “9 to 5 and Odd Jobs.
But the Parton original was written for Porter Wagoner ahead of her departure from “The Porter Wagoner Show. It was penned by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, first recorded by B.J. Thomas and originally conceived with the idea that Brenda Lee would record it. The song made its way to Parton and became a tentpole pop crossover hit for the country artist. But make no mistake — Parton made sure the steel guitar was heard loud and proud. Enter Parton, the Hollywood star. It begins with the sound of a typewriter. Lyrically, it celebrates women in the workplace and serves as a battle cry for pay equity; it earned Parton her first Oscar nomination. By the 1980s, Parton had fashioned herself as a mainstream celebrity. That shouldn’t come as any surprise, but perhaps this will: The song was written by the Bee Gees . Whatever the case, it got to Parton and Rogers, and the rest is history. It’s also a reminder of how R&B and country music are inextricably linked. It features her scratch vocals — a demo meant to serve as a blueprint for the final recording — providing an additional rawness to a song of impossible pain.
The second single from Parton’s 13th studio album, “I Will Always Love You” is most known for its rendition by Whitney Houston . Parton wrote an overwhelming number of her hits, which makes “Here You Come Again” an interesting outlier. The ebullient “9 to 5” was written for the 1980 film of the same name, which starred Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Parton in her acting debut. On “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers, her clarion soprano makes for perfect harmonies. Barry Gibb maintained it was meant for Diana Ross , while Robin Gibb said it was meant for Marvin Gaye. “I’ve had to think up a way to survive,” Parton opens the title track to her 1999 album “The Grass Is Blue. She said she wrote the bluegrass ballad in 30 minutes, during a lunch break while filming “Blue Valley Songbird,” a made-for-television musical drama about a woman who tries to leave an abusive partner. “And the sky is green / and the grass is blue,” she sings. “And I don’t love you.”
Parton was long celebrated for the feminist themes throughout her music. That progressive sociopolitical stance is evident from the beginning of her career, which overlapped with the emergence of the women’s liberation movement. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money. So, it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.
Because she paid him so much attention, “And he just loved going to the bank.
On the country classic “Just Because I’m a Woman,” Parton’s protagonist reminds her partner he need not judge her for having previous sexual partners — after all, he’s had some, too. “My mistakes are no worse than yours,” she sings, “Just because I’m a woman. She said the song was inspired by a conversation with her late husband, Carl Dean, who asked her if she’d been with any men before they met. “She got this terrible crush on my husband,” she said. Earlier reporting noted: Country music icon Dolly Parton dies at 80 US country music legend Dolly Parton, who grew up poor in Tennessee and became a household name with hits like “Jolene” and “Coat of Many Colors,” has died at age 80, her family said Tuesday. Earlier reporting noted: “Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus,” her nephew said in a video on social media. Earlier reporting noted: He said the multiple award-winning artist had “opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians, and dreamers from every walk of life.”
