Dolly Parton may be gone, but her reputation as one of pop’s most respected artists will live on gloriously.
Whether she’s singing her own material or putting her own rhinestone-studded spin on music written by others, the country queen can express complex emotions with a simple, human touch.
Mail music critic ADRIAN THRILLS looks back on her life full of singing.
Adrian Thrills: My Dolly mixture. Our music critic picks the ten songs that defined Dolly Parton’s life (pictured in 2014)
Coat of Many Colors (1971)
Written on the back of a dry cleaning receipt while Parton was on a tour bus, this autobiographical ballad looks back fondly on her humble childhood in rural Tennessee, and the coat that her mother, Avie Lee, sewed together from rags given to the family.
“Now I know we had no money, but I was as rich as I could be,” she sings. ‘In my coat of many colors that my mother made for me.’
Jolene (1973)
Based on the true story of how a flirtatious redhead – a bank teller – seemed to take an interest in Dolly’s husband Carl Dean, Jolene is a true Nashville standard.
Chip Young’s finger-picked guitar sets the perfect tone for Parton’s yearning vocals, while the song’s beauty lies in its ambiguity: it’s never quite clear whether the “other” woman really plans to steal her man.
I’ll Always Love You (1974)
Inspired by Dolly’s professional breakup with her original business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, Parton’s “little country song” was transformed into one of pop’s greatest power ballads thanks to Whitney Houston’s all-conquering 1992 cover version.
Dolly’s original version is gentler than Whitney’s stormy interpretation, but no less heartbreaking.
9 to 5 (1980)
Written for the soundtrack of the 1980 comedy film in which Dolly made her film debut alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, this country-soul single was a joyful celebration of working women – and a stylish response to 1980s office sexism.
Dolly came up with the signature, typewriter-like sound that opens the song by tapping her acrylic nails.
Dolly performing live on stage at the Bottom Line club in New York in 1977
Dolly starred in the picture in 1983 when Islands In The Stream was released
Islands in the Stream (1983)
As she showed in this Motown-inspired duet with fellow countryman Kenny Rogers, Dolly was an excellent collaborator. The romantic song, written by The Bee Gees and named after an Ernest Hemingway novel, was originally intended for Diana Ross – and possibly even Marvin Gaye – but Dolly and Kenny turned it into polished, soft stone gold.
The Grass is Blue (1999)
As her appeal to mainstream pop audiences began to fade in the 1990s, Dolly returned to Tennessee Mountain roots on the title track of the first of three fantastic bluegrass and folk albums released between 1999 and 2002.
“The sky is green and the grass is blue… and I don’t love you,” she sang, her songwriting talent still in full bloom.
Pure and Simple (2016)
Still a Backwoods Barbie through and through, she continued in traditional fashion with the lilting title track from her 2016 album: a lullaby, adorned with mandolin and pedal steel guitar.
The stripped-down album is inspired by some performances she played with an acoustic quartet last year. “I may not be pure, but I’m as simple as they come,” she joked (although we know otherwise).
Big Dreams and Faded Jeans (2022)
Busy at Dolly showed no signs of letting up in the lockdown era. Not only did she make a kitschy Christmas record and help fund the Moderna coronavirus vaccine, but she also wrote a novel and created a concept album — both titled Run, Rose, Run — that told the story of an aspiring country singer.
Big Dreams And Faded Jeans was one of the highlights.
Dolly attends the Dolly Parton Rockstar Album press conference in London in 2023
Dolly pictured with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus at their 2022 New Years Eve Party concert
World on Fire (2023)
Parton was known for her apolitical nature, which was a key factor in her appeal, but she made her feelings about climate change clear on this searing folk-rock track from her guitar-driven Rockstar album.
“Liar, liar, the world is on fire,” she warned. “What are you going to do if everything burns down?”
The album featured duets with Stevie Nicks, Elton John, Paul McCartney and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus.
Smoky Mountain DNA (2024)
Dolly returned to old-school bluegrass and country one last time on what unfortunately turned out to be her final album (although there will certainly be plenty of material in the vault).
The title track, created with members of her extended family, was a stirring banjo tune. “I know my true identity,” Parton sang. There could be no doubt about that.
