Good Golly! Miss Dolly Parton turns 76 years old today. Celebrate the country icon’s birthday by looking back at the star’s top hits.
Dolly Parton remains a fan favorite and musical icon, known for writing some of the biggest songs in music history. Here are three of Parton’s songs that are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
“I Will Always Love You”
Dolly Parton released “I Will Always Love You” on her 1974 record Jolene. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007, the song is about Parton’s decision to become a solo artist. Saying goodbye to her business partner Porter Wagoner, the emotional track reached the number 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice. The first time was during the record’s release in June 1974. “I Will Always Love You” made the charts again when Parton rerecorded it for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack in 1982.
The song found even more commercial success when Whitney Houston put her own spin on it. Recording her own version for the 1992 film The Bodyguard, “I Will Always Love You” became one of the best-selling singles in history. It spent 14 weeks on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Until 2014, it was also the best-selling single by a female artist. The track’s crossover appeal made it a hit with more than just country music fans.
“Jolene”
All Dolly Parton fans know and love “Jolene.” The title track was the first single released off of her album of the same name. The 1974 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. To this day, the song remains on Rolling Stone’s list of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
The story behind “Jolene” is intriguing. Parton sings about a beautiful woman who she is concerned will take away her husband. Singing about the woman’s stunning features, the singer begs Jolene not to “take him just because [she] can.” While listeners do not receive the other woman’s perspective, Parton says that the song comes from a true story. She tells fans that she does not like to sing the song too often due to its honest themes.
“Coat of Many Colors”
“Coat of Many Colors” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2019. Released in 1971, the song was the second single and title track from her 8th studio album. It is about the coat Parton’s mother sewed together out of family rags. As she stitches the pieces together, she tells her daughter the biblical story of Joseph and his Coat of Many Colors. The track reached the fourth position on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs Chart and remains a staple to her catalog.
