Diva Spotlight: Dolly Parton

The woman, the myth, the undeniable legend: this week, we are taking a look at the impressive discography of the one and only Dolly Parton. For almost six decades, Parton has been a powerhouse of country music and an amazing role model for women everywhere. She's just a wonderful person all around, and while the size of her discography has been daunting, I am so excited to explore it with you.

Here is our fact dump (information current as of June 2025):

-79 years old (she's a Capricorn)

-Born in Pittman Center, Tennessee

-Singer, songwriter, musician, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman

-In addition to vocals, she can play guitar, banjo, saxophone, dulcimer, harmonica, violin, fiddle, and autoharp

-Genres include country, country pop, bluegrass, gospel, and rock

-Was married to late husband Carl Dean for 59 years before his death in early 2025

-Has won 190 total awards, including 13 ACMs, 3 AMAs, 5 Billboards, 10 CMAs, 1 Dove, 11 Grammys, 3 People's Choice Awards, 1 Primetime Emmy, 2 Guinness World Records, and Kennedy Center Honors in 2006

-Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 1991

-Has 2 Hollywood Staars: one solo and one with The Trio (herself, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt)

-Has released 49 solo studio albums (47 regular and 2 holiday)

We'll be focusing ONLY on Dolly's solo catalogue, which is big enough on its own - this post is almost too much for Wix to handle as it is! Deep breath, and here we go!

Hello, I'm Dolly (1967)

Parton's debut country album was released September 18th, 1967 by Monument when she was 21 years old. With a run time of 28:55, the album had three singles released: The Little Things (6/6/66); Dumb Blonde (11/766); and Something Fishy (5/8/67). Hello, I'm Dolly peaked at #11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. This album feels like a perfect debut for Dolly, full of that classic '60s country sound and her signature sweet and sassy brand of lyric writing. I really enjoyed this, both musically and just getting to hear 21-year-old Dolly sing.

Track 1: Dumb Blonde (written by C. Putman)

Don’t try to cry/Your way out of this/Don’t try to lie/Or I’ll catch you in it/Don’t try to make me/Feel sorry for you/Just because I’m blonde, don’t think I’m dumb/‘Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool

Track 2: Your Ole Handy Man (written by D. Parton)

I have to mow the lawn and I have to wash the car/And I’d just like to know just who you think you are/I’m getting tired of wagging that old heavy garbage can/Your woman’s getting tired of being your ole handy man/I have to run your water and I have to wash your back/And I have to scrub the tub after you have had your bath/You’re as helpless as a baby, but I love you, understand/I’m just getting tired of being your ole handy man

Track 3: I Don't Want to Throw Rice (written by D. Parton, W. Owens)

She married the one I love today/When my back was turned, she took him away/Now while they’re all outside, waiting to throw rice/What I want to throw will surely black her eyes/‘Cause I don’t want to throw rice, I want to throw rocks at her/She took the only love I had/No, I don’t want to throw rice, I want to throw rocks at her/It would be a way to hurt her ‘cause she hurt me so bad

Just Because I'm a Woman (1968)

Parton's sophomore country album was released April 15th, 1968 by RCA Victor when she was 22 years old. With a run time of 30:28, the album had one single released: Just Because I'm a Woman (5/27/68). Just Because I'm a Woman peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. This is another solid classic country album, especially for the '60s during a veritable golden age of the genre. I think I liked her debut a little more, but I still enjoyed myself here.

Track 3: False Eyelashes (written by B. Tubert, D. Tapp)

Folks back home think I’m a star now when they hear my records play/They say their hometown girl made good and she’d go a long, long way/Mom wonders why I don’t drive back in that big fine car I own/The truth is I don’t have a car and I’m ashamed to go back home/A pair of false eyelashes and a tube of cheap lipstick/A pair of worn out high heel shoes and a dress that doesn’t fit/These are all of my possessions, all I have to my name/And a record played in my hometown is my only claim to fame

Track 6: Little Bit Slow to Catch On (written by C. Putnam)

I’m a little bit slow to catch on/But when I do, I’m caught on/A little bit slow to move on/But you’re baby’s a-moving on, on/Your baby’s a-moving on/Well,  I couldn’t see the light for the brightness/Of the sweet little smile you gave me/I couldn’t see how you were cheating on me/But finally, I’m a-catching on, on/Finally, I’m a-catching on Track 10: Just Because I'm a Woman (written by D. Parton)

I can see you’re disappointed by the way you look at me/And I’m sorry that I’m not the woman you thought I’d be/Yes, I’ve made my mistakes, but listen and understand/My mistakes are no worse than yours just because I’m a woman/So when you look at me, don’t feel sorry for yourself/Just think of all the shame you might have brought somebody else/Just let me tell you this, then we’ll both know where we stand/My mistakes are no worse than yours just because I’m a woman

In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) (1969)

Parton's third country album was released February 3rd, 1969 by RCA Victor when she was 23 years old. With a run time of 29:00, the album had one single released: In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) (10/14/68). In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) peaked at #15 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. I enjoyed the overall vibe of this album, but admittedly the songs didn't really stick out to me in any special way. They kind of all blended together, but I never felt bored.

Track 1: Don't Let It Trouble Your Mind (written by D. Parton)

Our love affair is bittersweet, insecure and incomplete/And I’ve often wondered why your leaving’s been so long delayed/It’s all become so complicated, maybe you feel obligated/And out of sympathy for me, you stay/But I’d rather live alone than live with someone who doesn’t love me/And I’d rather have you go than stay and put me down a-thinking you’re above me/Our love affair is so wound up, it’s best that we unwind/And if you don’t love me, leave me and don’t let it trouble your mind

Track 5: Harper Valley PTA (written by T. Hall)

I want to tell you all a story ‘bout a Harper Valley widow wife/Who had a teenage daughter that attended Harper Valley Junior High/Well, her daughter came home one afternoon and didn’t even stop to play/And she said, "Mama, I’ve got a note here from the Harper Valley PTA"/Well, the note says, "Mrs. Johnson, you’re wearing your dresses way too high/It’s been reported you’ve been drinking and a-running ‘round with men and going wild/Now, we don’t believe you ought to be a-bringing up your little girl this way"/And it was signed by the secretary, Harper Valley PTA

Track 9: Fresh Out of Forgiveness (written by W. Owens, G. Gill)

Don’t tell me you’re sorry for pain you caused me/And from now on, you’ll be true/And don’t you ask me to forgive you again/I’m fresh out of forgiveness for you/Now I, I gave you everything I knew how to give/Now I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked me to do/But even a fool gets so tired of being a fool/I’m fresh out of forgiveness for you

My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (1969)

Parton's fourth country album was released September 8th, 1969 by RCA Victor when she was 23 years old. With a run time of 32:25, the album had three singles released: Daddy (3/10/69); In the Ghetto (6/12/69); and My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (9/8/69). My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy peaked at #6 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and at #194 on the Billboard 200. The storytelling vibe was strong throughout the lyrics of this album, which of course I loved. This one felt stronger to me than the last few, but still a pretty standard formula for the time.

Track 4: Big Wind (written by G. McCormick, W. Walker, A. Zanetis)

Big wind/Big wind’s coming/From daylight ’til dusk, we’d been working in the dust/Picking cotton, working side by side/Oh, I can’t forget, I still remember yet/The way my daddy looked at me and cried/Big wind’s a-coming, listen to the humming/Hurry up now, be quick, don’t stall/You know we can’t be slow, take the kids and get below/If we don’t hurry, it’ll surely get us all Track 7: My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy (written by D. Parton)

From a shack by a mountain stream to a room in New Orleans/So far from my Blue Ridge Mountain home/The men I meet ain’t warm and friendly like the one in old Virgini’/Oh, they ain’t real like my Blue Ridge Mountain boy/I was just a little past eighteen when I came to New Orleans/I’d never been beyond my home state line/There was a boy who loved me dearly, but I broke his heart severely/When I left my Blue Ridge Mountain boy

Track 10: The Monkey's Tale (written by L. Reese)

Oh, the monkeys had a better tale then you/Compared to yours, all their chatter sounds so true/The way you act, it seems to me that all the monkeys should go free/And you’re the one that should be locked up in the zoo/When I married you, I thought you were a man/But you’re the biggest ape that’s living in this land/I’d like to run you up a tree for the way you lie to me/Your swinging ‘round is getting out of hand

The Fairest of Them All (1970)

Parton's fifth country album was released February 2nd, 1970 by RCA Victor when she was 24 years old. With a run time of 27:50, the album had one single released: Daddy Come and Get Me (12/8/69). The Fairest of Them All peaked at #13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. I ended up really enjoying this one a lot from top to bottom. It felt very light and fun, despite the heavier lyric content in a few songs, but I thought it was great.

Track 1: Daddy Come and Get Me (written by D. Parton, D. Hope)

In this mental institution, looking out through these iron bars/How could he put me in here, how could he go that far/Yes, I need help but not this kind, he didn’t love me from the start/But it’s not my mind that’s broken, it’s my heart/Oh Daddy, come and get me and take me home with you/I’m depending on you, Daddy, there’s nothing I can do/And you said that I could come to you if I ever was in need/But Daddy, I can’t come to you, you’ll have to come to me Track 3: When Possession Gets Too Strong (written by D. Parton, L. Owens)

I can’t live with you if you try to own me/Though you may give me love like I have never known/But if you try to control me, then you won’t never know me/And I’ll be moving on when possession gets too strong/So love me just for what I am, don’t try to change a thing/And I’ll take you just like you are and I’ll expect the same/So if you want to love me, you must understand all of me/For I’ll be moving on when possession gets too strong

Track 7: Just the Way I Am (written by D. Parton)

If you hear my crying in the night/Pretend that you don’t hear me, that’s alright/Don’t ask me why I’m crying, please don’t make a sound/I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am/And if you think I act a little strange/And you don’t understand when I do things/Like running through the fields while the rain is pouring down/I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am/And even though you may not understand me/I hope that you’ll accept me like I am/For there are many sides of me, my mind and spirit must be free/And I might smile when other folks would frown, I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am

Golden Streets of Glory (1971)

Parton's sixth country/gospel album was released February 15th, 1971 by RCA Victor when she was 25 years old. With a run time of 24:49, the album had no singles released. Golden Streets of Glory peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and was nominated for Best Sacred Performance at the 1972 Grammy Awards. This was a really nice gospel album, still full of Dolly's signature flair. It was great to hear her explore her roots in church music where she got started as a kid.

Track 2: Yes I See God (written by D. Hope)

Yes, I see God where the mountains reach the sky/And I see God when the eagle starts to fly/I see God in a little baby’s smile/I see God, and He makes my life worthwhile/Yes, I see God when the bridegroom meets his bride/I see God in a father’s loving eyes/I see God when a mother starts to cry/I see God in a love that never dies

Track 5: Golden Streets of Glory (written by D. Parton)

Glory to His name/Oh, holy, holy/There’s a city where the streets are paved in gold/A land where the milk and honey flow/And mansion waits for me, ‘cause my Bible tells the story/I just hope my feet are clean enough/To walk upon the golden streets of glory/Green meadows where the little children play/No sorrow there, just one long happy day/And none will letter there except the pure and the holy/I just hope my feet are clean enough/To walk upon the golden streets of glory/And when I’ve reached my journey’s end, and if I’m worthy to go in/The golden streets of glory I’ll walk on/And the golden streets of my new home will lead me up to the Master’s Throne/With the angel band, I’ll sing Track 7: I'll Keep Climbing (written by D. Hope)

As I travel life’s pathway to that city beyond/I find the way so narrow and my strength almost gone/Then I cry, "Oh Lord, have mercy, please don’t leave me all alone/Because somehow I’ve got to make it, make heaven my home"/I’ll keep climbing, I’ll keep climbing ’til I make it my home/And I’ll soon be with Jesus ‘round the great white throne/Though the way may seem rugged, Lord I must travel on/I’ll keep climbing, I’ll keep climbing ’til I make heaven my home

Joshua (1971)

Parton's seventh country album was released April 12th, 1971 by RCA Victor when she was 25 years old, marking the shortest time between releases for her after Golden Streets of Glory. With a run time of 28:05, the album had 1 single released: Joshua (11/9/70). Joshua peaked at #16 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #198 on the Billboard 200 Chart, and the title track was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1972 Grammy Awards. I loved this album, from the almost bluegrass bouncy energy to the incredible storytelling that reminded me of old Willie Nelson stuff. This was awesome, and I'm shocked it doesn't get more attention.

Track 1: Joshua (written by D. Parton)

Well, a good ways down the railroad track, there was this little old rundown shack/And in it lived a man I’d never seen/Folks said he was a mean and a vicious man and you better not set foot on his land/But I didn’t think nobody could be that mean/So I took me out walking down the railroad track, I was a-gonna go down to that little old shack/And just find out if all them things I’d heard was true/There was a big black dog laying out in the yard, and it growled at me and I swallowed hard/And I heard somebody say, "Well, who are you"/Oh, and there he stood in the door of that shack, and his beard and his hair was long and black/And he was the biggest man I’d ever seen/When he spoke, his voice was low and deep, but he just didn’t frighten me/‘Cause somehow I just knew he wasn’t mean/He said, "What you doing snooping around my place," and I saw a smile come across his face/So I smiled back and I told him who I was/He said, "Come on in and pull you up a chair, you might as well since you’re already here"/And he said, "You can call me Joshua"/Joshua, Joshua/What you doing living here all alone/Joshua, Joshua/Ain’t you got nobody to call your own/No, no, no, no

Track 5: J.J. Sneed (written by D. Parton, D. Hope)

At last I have caught up with you and you’re a sight to see/Could this really be my outlaw lover J.J. Sneed/Could a woman with a painted face and pretty sweet disguise/Turn your heart against me with her evil cunning eyes/Her evil cunning eyes/J.J., it’s been you and me right from the very start/And every job we ever pulled, I’d always done my part/We’d really stick together until the bitter end/And it was my understanding we were whole lots more than friends/A whole lot more than friends Track 7: Daddy's Moonshine Still (written by D. Parton)

Folks say my daddy wasn’t much of a man for disobeying the laws of the land/Folks say that my daddy wasn’t fit to kill/Oh, and I know it was true what the people said, ‘cause we’d all’ve been better off dead/Than to live a life of shame and strife ‘cause of daddy’s moonshine still/And my mama as always sweet and kind, but she grew old before her time/Worrying about the way we had to live/Yeah, my daddy put the wrinkles in my mama’s face, he drunk his share of all he made/And just one more reason I grew to hate my daddy’s moonshine still/Daddy’s moonshine still was good for nothing/But to break mama’s heart/And to tear our home apart/Make our lives a living hell

Coat of Many Colors (1971)

Parton's eighth country album was released October 4th, 1971 by RCA Victor when she was 25 years old, rounding out her busiest year of album releases with Golden Streets of Glory and Joshua. With a run time of 27:26, the album had 2 singles released: My Blue Tears (6/14/71) and Coat of Many Colors (9/2/71). Coat of Many Colors peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1972 Country Music Association Awards. I'd really been looking forward to this album, and I absolutely was not disappointed. This is a pinnacle of Dolly's discography, full of great music.

Track 1: Coat of Many Colors (written by D. Parton)

Back through the years, I go wandering once again/Back to the seasons of my youth/I recall a box of rags that someone gave us/And how my mama put the rags to use/There were rags of many colors, but every piece was small/And I didn’t have a coat, and it was way down in the fall/Mama sewed the rags together, sewing every piece with love/She made my coat of many colors that I was so proud of/As she sewed, she told a story from the Bible she had read/About a coat of many colors Joseph wore and then she said/"Perhaps this coat will bring you good luck and happiness"/And I just couldn’t wait to wear it, and Mama blessed it with a kiss/My coat of many colors that my mama made for me/Made only from rags, but I wore it so proudly/Although we had no money, I was rich as I could be/In my coat of many colors my mama made for me Track 4: If I Lose My Mind (written by P. Wagoner)

Mama, it’s so good to be back home again/I’m so proud to see that you are looking well/Yes, I know that I look a little weary/Oh, but Mama, I have been through living hell/You know how much I’ve always loved him, Mama/But he done things to me I couldn’t understand/Why, he made me watch him love another woman/And he tried to make me love another man Track 7: Early Morning Breeze (written by D. Parton)

I open up my door to greet the early morning sun/Closing it behind me and away I do run/To the meadow where the meadowlark is singing in the trees/In the meadow, I go walking in the early morning breeze/I cup my hands to catch a multi-colored butterfly/Perched upon the petals of a flower growing wild/Freeing it, I watch it as it flies away from me/To visit with the flowers in the early morning breeze/Rainbow colored flowers kissed with early morning sun/The aster and the dahlia and the wild geranium/Drops of morning dew still linger on the iris leaves/In the meadows where I’m walking in the early morning breeze

Touch Your Woman (1972)

Parton's ninth country album was released March 6th, 1972 by RCA Victor when she was 26 years old. With a run time of 25:21, the album had 1 single released: Touch Your Woman (2/14/72). Touch Your Woman peaked at #19 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and the title track was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performnce, Female at the 1973 Grammy Awards. This one was alright, but a little more meh than I felt about the last two albums. Don't get me wrong though, it's still got good stuff on it.

Track 1: Will He Be Waiting (written by D. Parton)

I can still see that lonesome road stretched out before me/The road that led me out of his life/I can still feel the tears he cried on my shoulder/The day that I told him goodbye/I never should have left him, never should have gone/Oh, what a crazy fool I’ve been/Will he be waiting for me, he will be, won’t he/And will he take me back again Track 3: Touch Your Woman (written by D. Parton)

We can’t always both be right, we sometimes disagree/But you’ve got the right to speak your mind, and it’s the same with me/When the anger’s at an end and you want inside my arms again/All you have to do to make it right/Is just touch your woman, touch your woman/Everything’s going to be alright/Touch your woman, touch your woman/Let me know, let me know everything’s alright

Track 4: A Lot of You Left in Me (written by D. Parton, P. Wagoner)

Though you took your sweet love from me/Oh, you left me sweet, sweet memories/And I cry, I cry like a little baby/Because there’s still a lot of you left in me/Oh, there’s still a lot of you left in me/And I cry because your love won’t set me free, your love won’t set me free/I’ll keep holding on to love that used to be/Because there’s still a lot of you left in me

My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner (1972)

Parton's tenth country album was released October 2nd, 1972 by RCA Victor when she was 26 years old. With a run time of 27:54, the album had 2 singles released: Washday Blues  (7/10/72) and When I Sing for Him (9/4/72). My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner peaked at #33 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. This is a sweet tribute to the Parton/Wagoner friendship that permeated the early part of Dolly's career. We love when artists have that type of respect for other artists.

Track 1: Everything Is Beautiful (In Its On Way) (written by D. Parton)

When I look out over a green field of clover/Or watch the sun set at the end of the day/I get kind of moody when I see such beauty/And everything’s beautiful in its own way/When I see a fountain flow from a mountain/Or see April showers bring flowers in May/I can’t help but ponder, life is such a wonder/And everything’s beautiful in its own way/Words can’t describe what I feel inside/When I see the beauty in each coming day/What my eyes behold can’t be bought or sold/And everything’s beautiful in its own way

Track 4: What Ain't to Be, Just Might Happen (written by P. Wagoner)

I’ve learned to live my life just a little bit lighter/Gonna look on the lonely days just a little bit brighter/My heart’s been throwed around and it ain’t done enough laughing/What is to be will be, and what ain’t to be just might happen/Don’t do no good to worry none/Just turns your hair gray while you’re young/Love can make you sing, start your hands a-clapping/What is to be will be and that ain’t to be just might happen Track 8: When I Sing for Him (written by P. Wagoner)

When I sing for Him or praise God’s holy name/I can feel His presence in my soul/when I sing for Him, oh, blessed be His name/How I rejoice within/As I sing a melody that He gave/When I speak God’s name in song or kneel to pray/Oh, I have a special feeling deep within/When I sing for Him

My Tennessee Mountain Home (1973)

Parton's eleventh country album was released April 2nd, 1973 by RCA Victor when she was 27 years old. With a run time of 31:31, the album had 1 single released: My Tennessee Mountain Home (12/4/72). My Tennessee Mountain Home peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot Country LP's Chart. This is definitely Dolly's most personal album up to this point, filled with songs inspired by her childhood in the Smokey Mountains. The love she has for her family is tangible through every song, and it feels very special.

Track 3: Old Black Kettle (written by D. Parton)

Well, I remember when I was just little, Mama used to cook on an old black kettle/On an old wood stove she’d had since she was wed/Well, the oven door was sprung a little bit, so we propped it up with a forked stick/But that didn’t matter ,‘cause Mama kept us fed/My mama and daddy must have loved each other ‘cause I had 11 sisters and brothers/And the girls worked just as hard as the boys did/There was corn to hoe then we’d go hoe it, we might have been poor but we didn’t know it/We’d heard that word but we didn’t know what it meant/Oh, we used to have such a good life/And the days that I knew then are the happiest I’ve known/And oh, didn’t we have such a good time/It’s sad to think the old black kettle’s gone Track 5: Dr. Robert F. Thomas (written by D. Parton)

Dr. Robert F. Thomas, may his name forever stand/Dr. Robert F. Thomas was a mighty, mighty man/And he enriched the lives of everyone that ever knew him/And in my song, I hope to sing some of the praise that’s due him/Dr. Thomas was a man the Lord must have appointed/To live among us mountain folks in eastern Tennessee/And he delivered more than half the babies in those mountains/Among those babies, he delivered me/There was no way to drive along the roads back in those mountains/But Dr. Thomas got there just the same/He often rode on horseback to get where he was needed/But if he had to walk, he always came Track 8: The Wrong Direction Home (written by D. Parton)

In a shingle covered cottage at the foothills of blue stacks/Near a mountain stream that’s flowing crystal clear/Where the hummingbirds and honeybees feed on Mama’s roses/My memories just grow sweeter with the years/Memories of my childhood are as sweet as mountain honey/And as fresh as dew on morning glory vines/I grew up surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature/And they’re forever present in my mind/But I’m headed in the wrong direction home/Headed in the wrong direction home/There’s no place like home/But I’m headed in the wrong direction home

Bubbling Over (1973)

Parton's twelfth country album was released September 10th, 1973 by RCA Victor when she was 27 years old. With a run time of 24:41, the album had 1 single released: Traveling Man (4/30/73). Bubbling Over peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot Country LP's Chart. This was a fun, light little album that was pleasant to listen to. It's not as personal as the previous entry, but it's still good

Track 1: Bubbling Over (written by D. Parton)

You’re the one that puts the sparkle in my eyes/You’re the one that puts the laughter in my smile/You’re the one that puts the meaning in my life/And I’m bubbling over, bubbling over, bubbling over because you are mine/Bubbling over with the joy that only love can bring/Bubbling over with the song you taught my heart to sing/And I’m so happy loving you that anyone can see/That I’m bubbling over, bubbling over, bubbling over because you love me Track 3: Alabama Sundown (written by D. Kirby, D. Morrison)

The cold December wind seems bent on rocking New York City/The town that’s got me down to my last dime/And everywhere I go, the people seem in such a hurry/To keep this Mobile girl from feeling fine/Lord, what I’d give to see an Alabama sundown/The sun just seemed to drop in Mobile Bay/New York town has got a gifted way to keep a girl down/But that never was the Mobile way, no, no/That never was the Mobile way Track 8: Pleasant as May (written by D. Parton)

The mid-summer sun shines but dim/The fields try in vain to look gay/But when I was happy with him/December was pleasant as May/There once was a time he and I picked flowers to braid in my hair/And the songbirds would sing sweet song of love that was tender and fair/No difference did seasons make when or love was as warm as the sun/And it mattered not where did the snow or green grass kissed the fields where we’d run

Jolene (1974)

Parton's thirteenth country album was released February 4th, 1974 by RCA Victor when she was 28 years old. With a run time of 25:08, the album had 2 singles released: Jolene (10/15/73) and I Will Always Love You (3/11/74). Jolene peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot Country LP's Chart and is certified Gold by the RIAA. This is absolutely the Dolly album I've been looking forward to the most. With two of her most iconic songs of all time here, what else could be in store?

Track 1: Jolene (written by D. Parton)

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/I’m begging of you, please don’t take my man/Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/Please don’t take him just because you can/Your beauty is beyond compare with flaming locks of auburn hair/With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green/Your smile is like a breath of spring, your voice is soft like summer rain/And I cannot compete with you, Jolene/He talks about you in his sleep, and there’s nothing I can do to keep/From crying when he calls your name, Jolene/And I can easily understand how you could easily take my man/But you don’t know what he means to me, Jolene

Track 3: River of Happiness (written by D. Parton)

Somewhere a river of happiness flows/We’ll sit on its banks while the warm breezes blow/Somewhere there’s a garden where only love grows/Somewhere a river of happiness flows/Dry your eyes, don’t cry no more/We’ll find a place where there’s laughter and joy/So take my hand and don’t let go/Come with me and together we’ll go

Track 6: I Will Always Love You (written by D. Parton)

If I should stay/I would only be in your way/So I’ll go, but I know/I’ll think of you each step of the way/And I will always love you/I will always love you

Love Is Like a Butterfly (1974)

Parton's fourteenth country album was released September 16th, 1974 by RCA Nashville when she was 28 years old. With a run time of 26:40, the album had 1 single released: Love Is Like a Butterfly (8/5/74). Love Is Like a Butterfly peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. This is a sweet album with a lot of cute love songs on it. It's a much softer experience after listening to Jolene.

Track 1: Love Is Like a Butterfly (written by D. Parton)

Love is like a butterfly, as soft and gentle as a sigh/The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings/Love makes your heart feel strange inside, it flutters like soft wings in flight/Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing/I feel it when you’re with me, it happens when you kiss me/That rare and gentle feeling that I feel inside/Your touch is soft and gentle, your kiss is warm and tender/Whenever I am with you, I think of butterflies Track 3: My Eyes Can Only See You (written by D. Parton)

When your eyes meet mine, my heart beats out of time/And I burn with desire through and through/I can’t help myself, I can see no one else/‘Cause my eyes can only see you/My eyes can only see you/My eyes can only see you/Your face is always in view/Oh, and my eyes can only see you

Track 6: Gettin' Happy (written by D. Parton)

Without a love to call my own, my life was incomplete/It seems I couldn’t help but think that a-love was not for me/My life took on a different twist when I met me a man that I couldn’t resist/I didn’t know what all I’d missed and I’m a-getting happy/Oh, I’m a-getting happy, yeah/I’m a-getting happy, all my lonely days are gone/I’m a-getting happy, no more lonely nights alone/I got someone to call my own and now my life is like a song/And he helps me sing along, I’m a-getting happy/Oh, I’m a-getting happy

The Bargain Store (1975)

Parton's fifteenth country album was released February 17th, 1975 by RCA Victor when she was 29 years old. With a run time of 25:42, the album had 1 single released: The Bargain Store (1/13/75). The Bargain Store peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. This was, of course, another solid country album. I'm interested to keep going, because while these are good, some of them are starting to run together.

Track 1: The Bargain Store (written by D. Parton)

My life is likened to a bargain store/And I may have just what you’re looking for/If you don’t mind the fact that all the merchandise is used/But with a little mending, it could be as good as new/Why, you take, for instance, this old broken heart/If you will just replace the missing parts/You would be surprised to find how good it really is/Take it and you never will be sorry that you did/The bargain store is open, come inside/You can easily afford the price/Love is all you need to purchase all the merchandise/And I can guarantee you’ll be completely satisfied

Track 3: When I'm Gone (written by D. Parton)

You say that you’re bored with life and that you’re bored with me/‘Cause you say that this love of ours ain’t what it ought to be/Now you despise this little house that we’ve always called home/I know that you don’t love me now, but you’ll love me when I’m gone/You’ll love me when I’m gone and then you’ll realize just what I meant to you/You’ll miss me when I’m gone and then you’ll realize how good I’ve been to you/You’ll want me when I’m gone and then you’ll realize you’ve loved me all along/Oh, it’s true you may not love me now, but you’ll love me when I’m gone Track 6: I Want to Be What You Need (written by D. Parton)

When you’re not strong and need someone to lean on/Let me be your strength when you’re weak/When you need somebody to comfort and love you/Let mine be the arms that you seek/I want to be what you need/Whatever it is, come to me/You’ll always know where I’ll be/‘Cause I want to be what you need

Dolly: The Seeker - We Used To (1975)

Parton's sixeenth country album was released September 15th, 1975 by RCA Victor when she was 29 years old. With a run time of 31:26, the album had 2 singles released: The Seeker (5/19/75) and We Used To (9/8/75). Dolly peaked at #14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. I'm not going to lie, this was not my favorite. It felt really slow paced and very long to me, and I kind of just kept checking to see how much longer I had to go.

Track 1: We Used To (written by D. Parton)

We used to walk through fields of green, we used to sit by clear blue streams/We used to be so happy, me and you/We used to do such silly things, we used to make love in the rain/We used to, yes, we used to/Then you went away, leaving me with the memories we made/Memories of those sweet yesterdays spent with you, spent with you/And even though you’re gone, I still so often think of you/And the things that we no longer do like we used to, oh, we used to Track 4: Most of All Why (written by D. Parton)

We once were so close, now the love light that glowed/Has now gone out of our lives/And the good life we had for some reason went bad/And the love that once lived here has died/How did we get here, when did it stop/When did we walk out of each other’s heart/Where did we lose it, how did love die/When, where, and how, but most of all why

Track 6: The Seeker (written by D. Parton)

I am a seeker, a poor, sinful creature/There is no one weaker than I am/I am a seeker, and you are a teacher/You are a reacher, so reach down/Reach out and lead me, guide me and keep me/In the shelter of your care each day/‘Cause I am a seeker and you are a keeper/You are a leader, won’t you show me the way

All I Can Do (1976)

Parton's seventeenth country album was released August 15th, 1976 by RCA Victor when she was 30 years old. With a run time of 27:51, the album had 3 singles released: Hey, Lucky Lady (2/2/76); All I Can Do (7/5/76); and Shattered Image (11/19/76). All I Can Do peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1977 Grammy Awards. This was better than the last one by quite a bit to me. The energy was way more infectious, and overall the tone was quite fun.

Track 1: All I Can Do (written by D. Parton)

Well, it’s all I can do to keep from falling in love with you/All I can do to keep from letting it show/Yeah, it’s all I can do to keep from falling in love with you/All I can do to keep from telling you so/I wasn’t looking for love when I found you/Just someone to be with and have a good time/But I get these strange funny feelings around you/When you’re not with me, you’re still on my mind Track 6: Shattered Image (written by D. Parton)

I used to sit for hours as a kid/And dangle my feet from an old, flat bridge/Seeing myself in the water below/Shatter my image with the rocks I’d throw/I recall a vacant old shack/Down by the edge of the tobaccer patch/A child’s reflection in a dirty window/Shatter my image with the stones I’d throw/A long time gone and a long time ago/When I shattered my image with the rocks I’d throw/The world is cruel and people are cold/They shatter my image with the rocks they throw/Shatter my image with the rocks they throw Track 10: Hey, Lucky Lady (written by D. Parton)

Hey, lucky lady, lucky lady, I was once the lucky lady/I was happy with my baby, I was such a lucky lady/Hey, lucky lady, lucky lady, you are now the lucky lady/Are you happy with my baby, you know you’re a lucky lady, you lucky lady/Lucky lady, that’s what I was, I was lucky to have his love/All a woman could wish for, he was that and so much more/He was mine and how I loved him before your hands ever touched him/Long before your tempting eyes lured my baby from my life

New Harvest...First Gathering (1977)

Parton's eighteenth country/pop album was released February 14th, 1977 by RCA Victor when she was 31 years old. With a run time of 38:30, the album had 4 singles released: Light of a Clear Blue Morning (3/21/77); You Are (3/25/77); Applejack (8/27/77); and (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher (1976). New Harvest...First Gathering peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #71 on the Billboard 200, was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1978 Grammy Awards, and won Favorite Country Album at the 1978 American Music Awards. This album was a lot of fun, and is starting to transition to a sound more commonly associated with the '80s. It was Dolly's first official foray into pop, and I should say it paid off.

Track 1: Light of a Clear Blue Morning (written by D. Parton)

It’s been a long, dark night, and I’ve been waiting for the morning/It’s been a long, hard fight, but I see a brand new day dawning/I’ve been looking for the sunshine, you know I ain’t seen it in so long/But everything’s gonna work out just fine, and everything’s gonna be alright that’s been all wrong/‘Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning/I can see the light of a brand new day/I can see the light of a clear blue morning/Oh, and everything’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be okay Track 5: You Are (written by D. Parton)

Sometimes, I try to count the ways and reasons that I love you/But I can never seem to count that far/I love you in a million ways and for a million reasons/But more than this, I love you as you are/More than this, I love you just as you are/You are my inspiration, you are the song I sing/You are what makes me happy, you are my everything/You are my daily sunshine, you are my evening star/Everything I’d ever hoped to find, that’s what you are/Everything I’ll ever want for mine is what you are Track 7: Where Beauty Lives In Memory (written by D. Parton)

She stands before her mirror, smiles at her reflection/Striking sexy poses in the glass/She paints her lips a brilliant red, piles her hair high on her head/Struggles to replace a fuse eyelash/She powders up her face, paints her cheeks to match her lips/She wears a dress cut low in the front/Fitting tight round her hips, and there inside her room/She stands and gazes at herself/Where beauty lives in memory, she lives in fairy tales/Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all/She sings as she goes waltzing 'cross the floor/She keeps a candle burning, and she waits for his returning/When beauty lives in memory, it lives forevermore

Here You Come Again (1977)

Parton's nineteenth pop/country album was released October 3rd, 1977 by RCA Victor when she was 31 years old. With a run time of 30:34, the album had 4 singles released: Here You Come Again (9/26/77); Two Doors Down (2/27/78); It's All Wrong, but It's All Right (2/27/78); and Me and Little Andy (4/4/80). Here You Come Again peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #20 on the Billboard 200, won Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 1979 Grammy Awards, and is certified Gold by the RIAA. This album was good, but it was lacking something, and I feel like that has a lot to do with the fact that many songs were not written by Dolly herself. I do see the mainstream appeal, though.

Track 1: Here You Come Again (written by B. Mann, C. Weil)

Here you come again/Just when I’ve begun to get myself together/You waltz right in the door just like you’ve done before/And wrap my heart around your little finger/Here you come again/Just when I’m about to make it work without you/You look into my eyes and lie those pretty lies/And pretty soon, I’m wondering how I came to doubt you/All you got to do is smile that smile/And there go all my defenses/Just leave it up to you, and in a little while/You’re messing up my mind and filling up my senses

Track 5: Lovin' You (written by J. Sebastian)

If you’ve been wondering what I’m gonna do/While you are sleeping, am I sleeping too/Well, I’m just sitting here loving you, close my eyes and loving you/I’m just sitting back, sitting here loving you/I have been wondering just what I would do/If I weren’t sleeping, had I not found you/Well, I’d be outside finding you, I’d be walking on the avenue finding you/Well, I’m just sitting back, sitting here loving you Track 7: Two Doors Down (written by D. Parton)

Two doors down, they’re laughing and drinking and having a party/Two doors down, they’re not aware that I’m around/But here I am, crying my heart out, feeling sorry/They’re having a party two doors down/I think I’ll dry these useless tears and get myself together/I think I’ll have a wander down the hall and have a look around/‘Cause I can’t stay inside this lonely room and cry forever/I think I’d really rather join ‘em two doors down, yeah

Heartbreaker (1978)

Parton's twentieth country/pop album was released July 17th, 1978 by RCA Victor when she was 32 years old. With a run time of 32:02, the album had 4 singles released: Heartbreaker (7/25/78); It's Too Late to Love Me Now (1978); Baby I'm Burnin' (11/6/78); and I Really Got the Feeling (11/6/78). Heartbreaker peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #27 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. I wasn't a huge fan of this one personally, and it's bumming me out a little that the last few albums have not sounded very country at all. We'll keep seeing what happens down the line, I suppose.

Track 2: It's Too Late to Love Me Now (written by R. Bourke, G. Dobbins, J. Wilson)

It’s too late/You say you want me, and it’s too late/Once my love for you was so great/But it’s too late to love me now/It’s too bad/You stay you need me and it’s too bad/I know the feeling and it’s so sad/But it’s too late to love me now/It’s too late to love me now/Don’t you know how hard I tried to hold out just for you/Loving you from memory day by day/Then someone came into my life, turned my dreams around/He’s taking all the love you threw away Track 4: Sure Thing (written by D. Parton)

It’s Saturday night and it’s a perfect night for dancing/I’ve had my makeup off and on all day/But it’s gotta be right for a night of sweet romancing/And I’ve combed my hair at least a thousand different ways/Mirror, mirror, don’t you tell a soul/Of how I smiled and talked all day to you/And how I practiced every step I know of/But tonight’s the night and I’m a dancing fool/It’s a sure thing when the sun goes down this evening/It’s a sure thing to be out on the dancing floor/It’s a sure thing I’ll be the last one leaving/It’s a sure thing gonna dance ’til I can’t no more Track 5: With You Gone (written by D. Parton)

Oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh, what will I do with you gone/Sitting in my lonely room just staring at the wall/For lack of something else to do, I count the tears that fall/Trying to get it through my head, you don’t care at all/What am I gonna do with you gone/What does life hold for me anymore/With you gone, what once mattered don’t matter no more/You still have the key to my heart and my door/What am I gonna do with you gone, with you gone/I can hear the lonesome whistle of a passing train/I can feel my heartbeat rhythm with the pouring rain/Realizing that my life won’t ever be the same/What am I gonna do with you gone/Will I ever be happy again/With you gone, my whole world has just come to an end/Will I ever forget you, when will I forget/What am I gonna do with you gone, with you gone

Great Balls of Fire (1979)

Parton's twenty-first country/pop album was released May 28th, 1979 by RCA Victor when she was 33 years old. With a run time of 34:34, the album had 4 singles released: You're the Only One (5/14/79); Great Balls of Fire (8/6/79); Sweet Summer Lovin' (8/6/79); and Star of the Show (12/79). Great Balls of Fire peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #40 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. I liked this one more than the last, but again, this is not a country album except that Dolly's the artist. The '70s have ended up being a weird decade here.

Track 1: Star of the Show (written by D. Parton)

We sang a love song the day that we met/You thought that we made the perfect duet/You liked my performance, so you wanted to know/If I would stay on as the star of the show/And beautiful music we made for a time/’Til she changed our tune and you added new lines/Our duets arrangement became a trio/Now you want a star, but I just think you should know/I don’t play second fiddle in nobody’s band/And I’m no backup singer and I won’t be a fan/And I’m nobody’s costar, I just play leading roles/And I don’t want the part, no, don’t want the part, no/I won’t play a part unless it’s star of the show/Star of the show Track 4: Help! (written by J. Lennon, P. McCartney

Help, I need somebody/Help, not just anybody/Help, I need somebody/Please, please help me/When I was younger, so much younger than today/I never needed anybody’s help in any way/But now those days are gone and I’m not so self-assured/Now I find I’ve changed my mind and I’ve opened up the door/Help me if you can, I’m feeling down/And I do appreciate you being ‘round/Won’t you help me get my feet back on the ground/Won’t you please, please help me Track 6: Sweet Summer Lovin' (written by B. Tosti, B. Reneau

Though the sun may be dawning, you’re the one that lights the morning/As I awake to the heaven of your sweet summer song/By a stream in the country running barefoot and feeling free/While the love in our hearts blend into sweet summer loving/Sweet summer loving in the dandelions/Sweet summer loving keeps me high as candy wine

Dolly, Dolly, Dolly (1980)

Parton's twenty-second country/pop album was released April 14th, 1980 by RCA Victor when she was 34 years old. With a run time of 34:33, the album had 2 singles released: Starting Over Again (3/3/80) and Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle to You) (6/23/80). Dolly, Dolly, Dolly peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #71 on the Billboard 200. I was back to not being super impressed on this album. None of my Top 3 were even written by Dolly, which is honestly kind of a bummer.

Track 3: Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle to You) (written by P. Sebert, H. Moffatt)

Downtown tonight, I saw an old friend, someone who/I used to take comfort from long before I met you/I caught a spark from his eyes, a forgotten desire/With a word or a touch, I could have rekindled that fire/But old flames can’t hold a candle to you/No one can light up the night like you do/Flickering embers of love, I’ve known one or two/But old flames can’t hold a candle to you Track 5: Say Goodnight (written by G. Portnoy, S. Sheridan)

The city streets are empty, it’s beginning to feel like dawn/The lights have gone out, the sun is coming on/We’ve been standing here for hours watching the river flow/You walked into my life tonight, but if you’ve got to go/Say goodnight while there’s still a star to wish on/Say goodnight while the moon is still in your eyes/Let me touch your smile and hold you for a while/Then say goodnight, but never say goodbye Track 8: Sweet Agony (written by D. Wolfert, S. Sheridan)

Well I’ve heard about it, that kind of need that keeps a person sleepless/All but dreaming just the same/And I’ve read about it, how just the sight of someone leaves you breathless/But I never felt that way/Now I feel it, I’m not sure sure I like it/But I feel it consuming me/And it’s agony, sweet agony/I ain’t for you, I beg for you to set me free/From this agony, sweet agony/Oh, what if I could take control so easily/Sweet agony, sweet agony, sweet agony

9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980)

Parton's twenty-third country/pop album was released November 17th, 1980 by RCA Victor when she was 34 years old. With a run time of 35:34, the album had 3 singles released: 9 to 5 (11/3/80); But You Know I Love You (3/16/81); and The House of the Rising Sun (8/3/81). 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #11 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. I had been really looking forward to this one, and thankfully I was not disappointed. We're back to a more country sound, and this concept album about work is high energy and a lot of fun.

Track 1: 9 to 5 (written by D. Parton)

Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition/And yawn and stretch and try to come to life/Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumping, out on the street, the traffic starts jumping/The folks like me on the job from 9 to 5/Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living/Barely getting by, it’s all taking and no giving/They just use your mind, and they never give you credit/It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it/9 to 5 for service and devotion/You would think that I would deserve a fair promotion/Want to move ahead, but the boss won’t seem to let me/I swear sometimes that man is out to get me Track 2: Hush-A-Bye Hard Times (written by D. Parton)

Many years you have lingered around my cabin door/Oh, hard times come again no more/Oh, hard times come again no more/Oh, hush-a-bye hard times, go ye away/‘Cause my hungry baby wants a gingerbread cake/Not a cow in the barnyard, no money to spend/Not an egg in the hayloft, no little red hen/So hush-a-bye baby, don’t cry no more/Your mama can’t give you what you’re crying for/There's a wolf at the door with an angry, cold, hungry, stare/He keeps howling of hard times and the cupboard is bare

Track 8: But You Know I Love You (written by D. Parton)

When the morning sun streaks across my room/And I’m waking up from another dream of you/Yes, you know I’m on the road, once again it seems/All that’s left behind is a chain of broken dreams/But you know that I love you/You know that I love you/Oh, I love you

Heartbreak Express (1982)

Parton's twenty-fourth country album was released March 29th, 1982 by RCA Victor when she was 36 years old, making this the longest gap between record releases to this point. With a run time of 35:20, the album had 3 singles released: Single Women (2/1/82); Heartbreak Express (5/3/82); and Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (7/12/82). Heartbreak Express peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #106 on the Billboard 200. It was a weaker start, but the back half of this album is pretty decent. It's much more country than her '70s stuff, which was a nice return to form.

Track 5: Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (written by D. Parton)

Oh, sometimes I go walking trough the fields where we walked/Long ago in the sweet used to be/And the flowers still grow, but they don’t smell as sweet/As they did when you picked them for me/And when I think of you and the love we once knew/How I wish we could go back in time/Do you ever think back on old memories like me/Or do I ever cross your mind Track 7: Barbara on Your Mind (written by D. Parton)

Last night, you called me Barbara as you laid fast asleep/And although I’m not Barbara, you wanted me to be/You whispered words I hadn’t heard in such a long, long time/Last night, you said, "I love you," with Barbara on your mind/Sometimes, I find traces of her kisses on your skin/And strands of chestnut hair that say you’ve been with her again/Little traces of her that it breaks my heart to find/Last night, you called me Darling with Barbara on your mind

Track 10: Hollywood Potters (written by D. Parton)

Mothers, hold on to your sons and your daughters/Should Hollywood claim them, you’ll hold them no more/‘Cause they’ll become clay to the Hollywood potters/And there’s no escape once they walk throuugh that door/Hollywood, Hollywood, dungeon of drama/Center of sorrow, city of schemes/Hollywood, Hollywood, terrace of trauma/Palace of promises, dealer in dreams

Burlap & Satin (1983)

Parton's twenty-fifth country/pop album was released May 2nd, 1983 by RCA Victor when she was 37 years old. With a run time of 36:58, the album had 1 single released: Potential New Boyfriend (4/11/83). Burlap & Satin peaked at #5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #127 on the Billboard 200. This was so stereotypically '80s it almost hurt, but it was alright. It wasn't consistent in its quality, but there's some good moments.

Track 3: Jealous Heart (written by D. Parton)

Mine is a jealous heart/Imagines things that never are/Builds a fire from a tiny spark/But that’s the way of a jealous heart/Sunny skies and a rosy bed/Thorns and storm clouds up ahead/Because suddenly, the sky turns dark/For those of us with a jealous heart/Imagination running wild/Like a frantic, frightened child/Any time that we're apart/I can’t control my jealous heart Track 6: I Really Don't Want to Know with Willie Nelson (written by H. Barnes, D. Robertson)

How many arms have held you/And hated to let you go/How many, how many, I wonder/But I really don't want to know/And how many lips have kissed you/And set your soul aglow/How many, how many, I wonder/But I really don’t want to know/So always make me wonder/And always make me guess/Even if I ask you/Darling, don’t confess Track 10: Calm On the Water (written by D. Parton)

In a dream, I was walking in a beautiful field/I was gathering flowers at the foot of a hill/When a bright light descended and it spread o’er the land/Jesus stood on the mountain and He held out His hand/Then He came down from the mountain, headed down to the sea/And the children strowed flowers in the path at His feet/And He was filled with compassion, and the beasts from the wild/Came as gentle as lambs, and they all walked at His side/There’s a calm on the water, a hush in the crowd/There’s peace in the valley, there’s a stillness about/There’s a light in the darkness, there’s joy in His love/Ain’t that a wonderful feeling, let us lift Him up

The Great Pretender (1984)

Parton's twenty-sixth pop album was released January 23rd, 1984 by RCA Victor a few days after her 38th birthday. With a run time of 35:44, the album had 3 singles released: Save the Last Dance for Me (11/28/83); Downtown (3/12/84); and She Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (1984). The Great Pretender peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #73 on the Billboard 200. This is a really fun cover album of rock and pop songs that Dolly loves, and it sounds like she had a blast making it. I've said it before, I love when artists pay homage to other music that inspires them.

Track 2: I Walk the Line (written by J. Cash)

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine/I keep my eyes wide open all the time/I keep the ends out for the ties that bind/Because you’re mine, I walk the line/I find it very, very easy to be true/I find myself alone when each day’s through/Yes, I admit it, I am a fool for you/Because you’re mine, I walk the line Track 4: Downtown (written by A. Hatch)

When you’re alone and life is making you lonely/You can always go downtown/When you got worries, all the noise and the hurry/Seems to help, I know, downtown/Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city/Linger on the sidewalks where the neon signs are pretty/How can you lose, the lights are much brighter there/You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go/Downtown, things will be great when you’re/Downtown, no finer place for sure/Downtown, everything’s waiting for you

Track 8: I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (written by B. Holland, L. Dozier, E. Holland)

Oh, sugar pie, honey bunch, you know that I love you/I can’t help myself, I love you and nobody else/In and out of my life, you come and you go/Leaving just your picture behind, and I’ve kissed it a thousand times/When you snap your fingers or wink your eye, I come a-running to you/Tied to you like a ball and chain and there’s nothing that I can do, oh, oh

Real Love (1985)

Parton's twenty-seventh country/pop album was released January 21st, 1985 by RCA Victor a few days after her 39th birthday. With a run time of 35:18, the album had 4 singles released: Don't Call It Love (1/7/85); Real Love (4/29/85); Think About Love (11/11/85); and Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot) (4/7/86). Real Love peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart. The uber '80s are back on this album, but it was cute. Still not a "country" album persay, but it had some good moments.

Track 1: Think About Love (written by T. Campbell, R. Brennan)

I can’t forget you, ever since the moment that I met you/You’ve been on my mind/And then I need to somehow let you know/That I think about you all the time/So when you think about love, think about me/I can give you more than you’ll ever need/Sooner or later, every heart needs some company/When you think about love, think about me/When you think about love, think about me Track 2: Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot) (written by J. Silbar, J. Reid)

Gonna tie our love in a double knot/‘Cause these days, love gets strained a lot/To give our hearts a double shot/Let’s tie our love in a double knot/Whoa, if we want to endure/An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure/While we’re wrapped up in those ties that bind/I want to make sure we don’t unwind Track 7: I Can't Be True (written by D. Parton)

I can’t be true no matter what I do/It’s a weakness of mine, nothing to do with you/So don't expect it of me, though I expect it of you/I love you, I do, but I can’t be true/Men are my weakness, I’ve got a roving eye/And I’ve fallen victim to many a smile/I just love the excitement of love when it’s new/I’m just a hopeless romantic, so I can’t be true, I can’t be true

Rainbow (1987)

Parton's twenty-eighth pop/country album was released November 23rd, 1987 by Columbia when she was 41 years old, marking her first non-RCA record. With a run time of 40:03, the album had 3 singles released: The River Unbroken (11/23/87); I Know You By Heart (2/8/88); and Make Love Work (7/25/88). Rainbow peaked at #18 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #153 on the Billboard 200. This was a super mid '80s album, not going to lie here. It wasn't as bad as I was led to believe it would be, but it as far from her best.

Track 1: The River Unbroken (written by D. Batteau, D. Brown)

Waiting for the train to come/I keep a waiting for the train to come/Dreaming of the river and the rising sun/I keep thinking 'bout the world to come/My life packed up in a suitcase/Old man staring from a doorway/My hope tarries in the distance/Love comes on the wheels of my deliverance/Oh, where is the river unbroken/Oh, when will the whistle blow Track 6: Everyday Hero (written by B. Tosti, R. O'Hearn)

He takes the train into the city, to him it's more than just a working day/'Cause he knows he can change the world in his ordinary way/She's got a job, she has a family, she tries to keep them both together/She's barely getting by, saving everything she makes/Day by day it seems it's getting harder to win/How much longer, ready for their ship to come in/These are the times of the everyday hero, this is the battlefield of the working man/Trying to survive, staying alive, giving it all that he can/With a fire in his soul that keeps burning and a dream in her heart that won't die/Living day to day, there's no easy way in this everyday life

Track 8: Could I Have Your Autograph (written by D. Parton)

Hello, I don't know you from Adam, you don't know me from Eve/I just came here tonight 'cause I was lonely/You're no Elvis Presley, I'm no Marilyn Monroe/But I do think you're sexy, just thought I'd tell you so/Hey, could I have your autograph/Your name and your number on a small photograph/I’d like to know you and what you're all about/Hey, could I have your autograph

White Limozeen (1989)

Parton's twenty-ninth country album was released May 30th, 1989 by Columbia when she was 43 years old. With a run time of 35:23, the album had 6 singles released: Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That (4/24/89); Yellow Roses (7/31/89); He's Alive (11/6/89); Time for Me to Fly (1/1/90); White Limozeen (4/9/90); and Slow Healing Heart (10/15/90). White Limozeen peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and has been certified Gold by the RIAA. On the one hand, yay, an actual country album. On the other hand, eh, it was fairly mediocre.

Track 4: Slow Healing Heart (written by J. Rushing)

When I left, I left walking wounded/I made my escape from the rain/Still a prisoner of hurt, I had months worth of work/Just freeing my mind of the pain/I had hours of sitting alone in the dark/Listening to sad songs and coming apart/Lord knows I made crying an art/Woe is a slow healing heart/A slow healing heart dying to mend/Longing for love, lonely again/But when the spirit is broken and the memories start/Nothing moves slower than a slow healing heart Track 7: Wait 'Til I Get You Home (written by D. Parton, M. Davis)

You never cease to amaze me, you can still make me crazy/Baby, you can turn me on with just your eyes/You’re just so darn appealing, you stir up sexy feelings/Every man in the room would love to try you on for size/Wait ’til I get you home/Wait ’til I get you alone/Wait ’til I get my hands on you/Wait ’til I get you home, sweet baby/Wait ’til I get you home Track 9: The Moon, the Stars and Me (written by W. Patton, D. Rae)

Tonight, I feel a chill in the air/As cold as the look on your face/I hear what you’re saying, but coming from you/Goodbye seems so out of place/Now how can you stand there and honestly say/There never were any real promises made/The moon is my witness, the stars will agree/They all heard you promise you’d always love me/I know that it’s true, but it’s hard to believe/You lied to the moon, the stars and me

Eagle When She Flies (1991)

Parton's thirty-first country album was released March 7th, 1991 by Columbia when she was 45 years old, following a holiday album. With a run time of 38:00, the album had 4 singles released: Rockin' Years (2/4/91); Silver and Gold (5/20/91); Eagle When She Flies (9/16/91); and Country Road (1/6/92). Eagle When She Flies peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #24 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Oh thank God, an actual country album that sounds like Dolly. Maybe that's what we needed, the magic of '90s country.

Track 3: Country Road (written by D. Parton, G. Scruggs)

Saw you turning down Main Street in your big black fancy car/You were dressed up fit to kill with a pretty girl on your arm/You spun around and you headed uptown where the neon lights all shine/Left me choking in a cloud of dust, you never pay me no mind/You’re living in the fast lane, I guess I’m just too slow/I never wore silk or fancy furs, just plain old calico/I’ll never be a fast lane lover, and they’re the only kind you take uptown/I am just a country road that you keep turning down Track 6: Best Woman Wins (written by D. Parton)

Who do you think you are/What do you think this is/A game you can play trying to steal him away/Well, I don’t need a heartache like this/Well, don’t think I don’t go through hell/But heaven is what we both want/He’s easy to love, but he’s hard to give up/And if you think I will, well, you’re wrong/The best woman wins, I will fight to the end/I’ll lay down and die if I must/I’ll beg and I’ll plead, I will suffer and bleed/But he must make a choice between us Track 7: What a Heartache (written by D. Parton, R. Bunch)

I thought I saw the promise of forever in your eyes/I thought that I was sure of what I saw/You led me to believe that I was special in your life/So I left my heart wide open for the fall/What a heartache you turned out to be/What a heartache, what a heartache/Love ain’t always what it appears to be/And what a heartache you turned out to be

Slow Dancing With the Moon (1993)

Parton's thirty-second country album was released February 23rd, 1993 by Columbia when she was 47 years old. With a run time of 40:18, the album had 3 singles released: Romeo (1/25/93); More Where That Came From (4/19/93); and Full Circle (6/21/93). Slow Dancing With the Moon peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #16 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. We're still in '90s country territory, but this one wasn't as good as the previous album. There's a lot of guest stars which is fun, but it can feel chaotic at times.

Track 5: More Where That Came From (written by D. Parton)

I’ve been through hell and half of Louisiana looking for a man like you/I know you could have any woman you want, and I know you’ve had a few/I know I’ve got some stiff competition, they ain’t got nothing on me/‘Cause I’ve got something that you’ve been missing, I practice what I preach/‘Cause I wanna be your lover, I wanna be your friend/And I wanna be your full time woman, closer than your kin/I wanna be your satisfaction, be your number one/And just when you think I can’t love you any better, well, I have just begun/‘Cause there’s more where that came from, there’s more where that came from Track 8: I'll Make Your Bed (written by D. Parton)

I’m not the kind of girl that married dear dad/I don’t bake apple pies and cookies from scratch/I’m not even handy with a needle or thread/But you’ll never go hungry and I’ll make your bed/I’ll make your bed a plan you can’t wait to go/Softer than feathers and as sweet as a rose/Smooth satin pillows I will fluff for your head/And you’ll want for nothing and I’ll make your bed Track 11: Slow Dancing With the Moon (written by M. Davis)

Sweet little cherry blossom, blooming before her time/Moving her lips to her favorite song, cherishing every rhyme/Swaying her hips to the rhythm, humming along with the tune/Lost in her own little dream world, slow dancing with the moon/Watching her, I cannot help but go back in my mind/And suddenly, I am 15 again, slow dancing with the moon/Oh, the stars got in my eyes long time ago/And I’ve lived my life like a lovesick clown in a bittersweet cartoon/Just a dreamy-eyed kid slow dancing with the moon

Something Special (1995)

Parton's thirty-third country album was released August 22nd, 1995 by Columbia & her own label Blue Eye when she was 49 years old. With a run time of 34:05, the album had 1 single released: I Will Always Love You (11/95). Something Special peaked at #10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #54 on the Billboard 200. This one was very not country the first half and then had a sharp heel turn, which was a little jarring. There's also a lot of '90s "reimaginings" of classic Dolly hits, which was kind of fun.

Track 2: Something Special (written by D. Parton)

You may not know it, I don’t always show it/But you’re so important to me/So much that we've shared, you’ve always been there/I hope you always will be/‘Cause you are something special/Yes, you are something special to me Track 4: I Will Always Love You (written by D. Parton)

Bittersweet memories/That is all I’m taking with me/Goodbye, please don’t you cry/‘Cause we both know I’m not what you need/But I will always love you/I will always love you Track 5: Green-Eyed Boy (written by D. Parton)

I flew off to the wild blue yonder/‘Cause I had a dream and I had to go/But I’m filled with a sense of wonder/From the love I shared with a green-eyed boy/Lips as sweet as mountain honey/A body warm as homemade wine/But he had no dreams and no means for money/But he had me just anytime/Take me back, if just in memory/Fill my cup again with joy/The fire still burns in the old rock chimney/And I still burn for that green-eyed boy

Treasures (1996)

Parton's thirty-fourth country album was released September 24th, 1996 by Rising Tide & Blue Eye when she was 50 years old. With a run time of 41:53, the album had 3 singles released: Just When I Needed You Most (9/23/96); Peace Train (7/1/97); and Walking on Sunshine (8/10/99). Treasures peaked at #21 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #122 on the Billboard 200. This is another cover album, and it was alright but not as good as The Great Pretender. There's a lot of guest stars on this one too, but it works out.

Track 2: Today I Started Loving You Again ft. John Popper (written by M. Haggard, B. Owens)

Today I started loving you again/I’m right back where I’ve really always been/I got over you just long enough to let my heartache mend/And then today, I started loving you again/What a fool I was to think I could get by/With only these few million tears I’ve cried/I guess I should have known the worst was yet to come/And the crying time for me had just begun

Track 5: Before The Next Teardrop Falls ft. David Hidalgo (written by B. Peters, V. Keith)

If she brings you happiness, then I wish you both the best/It’s your happiness that matters most of all/But if she ever breaks your heart, if the teardrops ever start/I’ll be there before the next teardrop falls/Though it hurts to let you go, darling, I want you to know/I’ll run to you if ever you should call/And if I should ever hear that she's made you shed a tear/I’ll be there before the next teardrop falls Track 10: Satin Sheets (written by J. Volinkaty)

Satin sheets to lie on, satin pillows to cry on/Still I’m not happy, don’t you see/Big, long Cadillacs, tailor maids upon my back/Still I want you to set me free/I’ve found another man who can give more than you can/Though you’ve given most everything that money can buy/But your money can’t hold me tight like he does on a long, long night/No, you didn’t keep me satisfied

Hungry Again (1998)

Parton's thirty-fifth country album was released August 25th, 1998 by Decca & Blue Eye when she was 52 years old. With a run time of 42:31, the album had 2 singles released: Honky Tonk Songs (7/27/98) and The Salt in My Tears (11/9/98). Hungry Again peaked at #23 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #167 on the Billboard 200. This album was good, but admittedly a bit lackluster. It had some good moments on it, but a lot of it was fairly forgettable.

Track 2: The Salt in My Tears (written by D. Parton)

I’ve tried and I’ve tried for so long to please you, gave you every bit of my time/Gave you everything I could possibly give you, my body, my heart, and my mind/I turned my family and good friends against me, listened to my own heart break/And I did it all in the name of love, gave up myself for your sake/And you never cared about me/You only hurt and deceive/I realize after all of these years/That you ain’t worth the salt in my tears Track 8: I'll Never Say Goodbye (written by D. Parton)

I couldn’t believe it the day that you left/Cleaned out your closet, cleared off your shelves/Loaded your car and you drove out of sight/But I never said goodbye/I’ll never say goodbye/The door’s always open, I leave on a light/I’m always waiting in case you drop by/I’ll never say goodbye

Track 9: The Camel's Heart (written by D. Parton)

You come to me with teardrops on your eyes, expecting me to listen to your lies/You want me to forget and to forgive, enough, enough, this ain’t no way to live/I know you wonder why I’d leave like this after all the hurt I’ve put up with/This is the last time, this is the last straw, too late, too late now, it’s your time to crawl/She’s just the straw that broke the camel’s heart/It’s not her fault, it’s yours we fell apart/No more, I’m done, I want a brand new start/She’s just the straw that broke the camel’s heart

Precious Memories (1999)

Parton's thirty-sixth gospel album was released April 17th, 1999 by Blue Eye when she was 53 years old and is exclusively sold at her Dollywood theme park. With a run time of 35:33, the album had no singles released. This album was simple, pure, and good. It feels very back to Dolly's roots in a way we haven't had in quite a while.

Track 2: Power in the Blood (written by D. Parton)

Would you be free from the burden of sin/There's power in the blood, power in the blood/Would you o'er evil a victory win/There's wonderful power in the blood/There is power, power, wonder-working power/In the blood of the Lamb/There is power, power, wonder-working power/In the precious blood of the Lamb Track 4: Church in the Wildwood (written by D. Parton)

There’s a church in the valley by the wildwood/No lovelier place in the dale/No spot is so dear to my childhood/As the little brown church in the dale/Oh, come to the church in the wildwood/Come to the church in the dale/No spot is so dear to my childhood/As the little brown church in the dale Track 8: Softly and Tenderly (written by W. Thompson)

Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling/Calling for you and for me/See on the portal, He’s waiting and watching/Watching for you and for me/So why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading/Pleading for you and for me/Why should we linger and heed not His mercies/Mercies for you and for me/Come home, come home/Ye who are weary, come home/Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling/Calling, "Oh, sinner, come home"

The Grass is Blue (1999)

Parton's thirty-seventh bluegrass album was released October 26th, 1999 by Sugar Hill & Blue Eye when she was 53 years old. With a run time of 44:59, the album had 2 singles released: A Few Old Memories (10/25/99) and Silver Dagger (2/00). The Grass is Blue peaked at #24 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #198 on the Billboard 200, and won Best Bluegrasss Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards. I liked this album quite a bit. Dolly has a great vibe for bluegrass music, and the whole thing just really worked.

Track 2: Cash on the Barrelhead (written by C. Louvin, I. Louvin)

I got in a little trouble at the county seat/Lord, they put me in the jailhouse for loafing on the street/Well, the judge said, "Guilty," he made his point/He said,"Forty-five dollars or thirty days in the joint/Tat’ll be cash on the barrelhead, hon/You can take your choice, you’re twenty-one/No money down, no credit plan/No time to chase you, ‘cause I’m a busy man"

Track 4: I'm Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open (written by L. Flatt)

I just found out today the little game you play/While I been sleeping all my life away/You been stepping, so they say, between midnight and day/So I’m going to sleep with one eye open from now on/From now on, all night long/You won’t have a chance to treat your mama wrong/You been stepping so they say, between midnight and day/So I’m going to sleep with one eye open from now on

Track 8: Silver Dagger (written by D. Parton)

Don’t sing love songs, you’ll wake my mother/She’s sleeping here right by my side/In her right hand is a silver dagger/She says that I can’t be your bride/All men are fools, so says my mother/They’ll tell you again love and lies/And then they’ll go and court some other/Leave you alone to pine inside

Little Sparrow (2001)

Parton's thirty-eighth bluegrass album was released January 23rd, 2001 by Sugar Hill & Blue Eye a few days after her 55th birthday. With a run time of 52:41, the album had 4 singles released: A Tender Lie (4/2/01); Bluer Pastures (4/2/01); Seven Bridges Road (4/2/01); and Shine (7/9/01). Little Sparrow peaked at #12 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #97 on the Billboard 200, and Shine won Best Female Vocal Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards. This was another strong entry. Dolly really found and worked this bluegrass angle to her advantage and did it well.

Track 1: Little Sparrow (written by D. Parton)

Little sparrow, little sparrow/Precious, fragile, little thing/Little sparrow, little sparrow/Flies so high and feels no pain/All ye maidens, heed my warning/Never trust the hearts of men/They will crush you like a sparrow/Leaving you to never mend/They will vow to always love you/Swear no love but yours will do/Then they’ll leave you for another/Break your little heart in two

Track 2: Shine (written by E. Roland)

Give me a word, give me a sign/Show me where to look and tell me, what will I find/What will I find/Lay me on the ground, fly me in the sky/Show me where to look and tell me, what will I find/What will I find/Yeah/Oh, Heaven, let your light shine down/Oh, Heaven, let your light shine down/Oh, Heaven, let your light shine down/Oh, Heaven let your light shine down Track 5: Seven Bridges Road (written by S. Young)

There are stars in the southern sky/Southward as you go/There is moonlight and moss in the trees/Down the seven bridges road/I have loved you like a baby/Like some lonesome child/I have loved you in a tame way/And I have loved you wild

Halos & Horns (2002)

Parton's thirty-ninth country/folk/bluegrass album was released July 9th, 2002 by Sugar Hill & Blue Eye when she was 56 years old. With a run time of 57:12, the album had 4 singles released: Dagger Through the Heart (7/8/02); If  (10/7/02); Hello God (11/11/02); and I'm Gone (2/4/03). Halos & Horns peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, #58 on the Billboard 200, and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards. I ended up really liking a lot of this album. It's a good blend of "traditional" country and bluegrass.

Track 2: Sugar Hill (written by D. Parton)

Up on Sugar Hill we’d go walking/Hand in hand while the south wind blowed/Bob whites calling, black crows cawing/Counting the warts on a toad in the road/Down in the mill pond swimming naked/Showing more than we should’ve showed/We were just kids exploring nature/Learning more than we should’ve knowed/Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories/Stealing sugar on the mountainside/Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar/Sweeter than candy and cake and pie Track 5: If (written by D. Gates)

If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can’t I paint you/The words will never show the you I’ve come to know/If a face could launch a thousand ships, then where am I to go/There’s no one home but you, you’re all that’s left me too/And when my love for life is running dry, you come and pour yourself on me/If I could be two places at one time, I’d be with you/Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way/If the world should stop revolving, spinning slowly down to die/I’d spend the end with you and when the world was through/Then one by one, the stars would all go out/Then you and I would simply fly away Track 7: These Old Bones (written by D. Parton)

These old bones will tell your story, these old bones will never lie/These old bones will tell you surely what you can’t see with your eye/These old bones, I shake and rattle, these old bones, I toss and roll/And it’s all in where they scatter tells you what the future holds/Oh, she lived up on the mountain 11 miles or so from town/With a one-eyed cat named Wink, a billy goat and a blue tick hound/Her graying hair was braided and wrapped around her head/And her dress was long and faded and her home a rusty shed/In a little pouch of burlap tied with a piece of twine/There were bones all shapes and sizes gathered through the course of time/She’d throw them out before you, she swore that she could see/The present, past, and future, he could read your destiny/Everybody knew about her, came to get their fortune read/Concerning health and wealth and power, who to love and when to wed/Well, I just like helping people, I’m just glad that I could help/Well, I know everybody’s secrets, but I keep it to myself

For God and Country (2003)

Parton's fortieth country/gospel/patriotic album was released November 11th, 2003 by Welk Music Group & Blue Eye when she was 57 years old. With a run time of 75:40, the album had 2 singles released: Welcome Home (11/03) and Light of a Clear Blue Morning (5/04). For God and Country peaked at #23 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #167 on the Billboard 200. This all-American album was made right in the midst of the huge patriotic upswing in country music post 9/11. I wasn't crazy about all the spoken interludes, but the music was good, even if it felt long.

Track 3: God Bless the USA (written by L. Greenwood)

If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life/And I had to start all over with just my family by my side/I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today/‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can’t take that away/And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free/And I won’t forget the ones who died who gave that right to me/And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today/‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land, God bless the USA Track 9: There Will Be Peace in the Valley for Me (written by T. Dorsey)

Peace in the valley for me some day/Well, I’m tired and so weary, but I must travel on/’Til the Lord comes and calls me away, oh, yes/Where the morning’s so bright and the Lamb is the light/And the night is as bright as the day, oh, yes/There will be peace in the valley for me some day/There will be peace in the valley for me, oh, Lord, I pray/There’ll be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble I see/Only peace in the valley for me, oh, yes

Track 16: Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree (written by I. Levine, L. Brown)

I’m coming home, I’ve done my time/Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine/If you received my letter telling you I’d soon be free/Then you’ll know just what to do if you still want me/If you still want me/Just tie a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree/It’s been way too long, do you still want me/If I don’t see a ribbon ‘round the old oak tree/I’ll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me/If I don’t see a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree

Those Were the Days (2005)

Parton's forty-first country/folk/bluegrass album was released October 11th, 2005 by Sugar Hill & Blue Eye when she was 59 years old. With a run time of 43:50, the album had 4 singles released: Imagine (9/27/05); Both Sides Now (12/05); The Twelfth of Never (1/06); and Where Do the Children Play (3/20/06). Those Were the Days peaked at #9 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #48 on the Billboard 200. This cover album takes 60s and 70s hits and puts a bluegrass spin on them. It was really cool to hear them done in this style with so many fun special guests.

Track 3: Where Have All the Flowers Gone? ft. Norah Jones & Lee Ann Womack (written by P. Seeger, J. Hickerson)

Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing/Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago/Where have all the flowers gone, young girls have picked them, everyone/Oh, when will they ever learn, oh, when will they ever learn/Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing/Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago/Where have all the young girls gone, gone for husbands, everyone/Oh, when will they ever learn, oh, when will they ever learn Track 6: Me and Bobby McGee ft. Kris Kristofferson (written by F. Foster, K. Kristofferson)

Busted flat in Baton Rouge heading for a train, feeling nearly faded as my jeans/Bobby thumbed a diesel down just before it rained and it took us all the way to New Orleans/I took my harmonica from my dirty red bandana, I was blowing low while Bobby sang the blues/With them windshield wipers clapping time and Bobby’s hand in mine, we finally sang up every song that driver knew/Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose/Nothing ain’t worth nothing, but it’s free/Oh, and feeling good was easy, Lord, when Bobby sang the blues/Feeling good was good enough for me, good enough for me and Bobby McGee Track 10: If I Were a Carpenter ft. Joe Nichols (written by J. Hardin)

If I were a carpenter and you were a lady/Would you marry me anyway, would you have my baby/If you were are a carpenter and I were a lady/I’d marry you anyway, I’d have your baby/If a tinker were my trade, would you still find me/I’d be carrying the parts you made, following behind you/Save my love through loneliness, save my love through sorrow/I’m giving you my onlyness, give me your tomorrow

Backwoods Barbie (2008)

Parton's forty-second country album was released February 26th, 2008 by Dolly Records when she was 62 years old. With a run time of 48:20, the album had 5 singles released: Better Get to Livin' (8/28/07); Jesus & Gravity (2/12/08); Shinola (7/21/08); Drives Me Crazy (1/12/09); and Backwoods Barbie (3/3/09). Backwoods Barbie peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #17 on the Billboard 200. This album is much more straightforward country after close to a decade of straight bluegrass. It's very fun, and overall feels like the color pink.

Track 3: Drives Me Crazy (written by R. Gift, D. Steele)

I can’t stop the way I feel/Things you do don’t seem real/Tell you what I got in mind/‘Cause we’re running out of time/Just turn loose and let it be/This waiting ‘round is killing me/You drive me crazy/Like no on else/You drive me crazy/And I can’t help myself Track 4: Backwoods Barbie (written by D. Parton)

I grew up poor and ragged, just a simple country girl/I wanted to be pretty more than anything in the world/Like Barbie or the models in the Fredricks’ catalog/From rags to wishes in my dreams, I could have it all/I’m just a backwoods Barbie, too much makeup, too much hair/Don’t be fooled by thinking that the goods are not all there/Don’t let these false eyelashes lead you to believe/That I’m as shallow as I look, ‘cause I run true and deep Track 6: Only Dreamin' (written by D. Parton)

Oh, I know I’m only dreaming 'cause I’ll awake and you’ll be gone/And my tears will still be streaming as my broken heart beats on/Yes, I know I’m only dreaming, but I’ll just keep dreaming on/I will dream about the pleasures that we shared in days gone by/And I’ll remember and I’ll treasure every kiss and your kind eyes/And I will dream that you still hold me in your arms as you did then/And I recall each thing you told me, hear your voice as I did then/Yes, I know I’m only dreaming, but I’ll dream and I will, too

Better Day (2011)

Parton's forty-third country album was released June 28th, 2011 by Dolly Records and Warner Music Nashville when she was 65 years old. With a run time of 42:22, the album had 2 singles released: Together You and I (5/23/11) and The Sacrifice (10/11/11). Better Day peaked at #11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #51 on the Billboard 200. This album was alright, but it did feel a little stiffer than Backwoods Barbie. It still had some good moments, though.

Track 3: Somebody's Missin' You (written by D. Parton)

Somebody’s missing you, longs to be kissing you/You’d better listen, you mean all the world to me/You’re on somebody’s mind just almost all the time/Bet you already knew somebody’s missing you/The days go slowly by when I’m away from you/I long to see your smile and feel the warmth of you/I’ve loved you for so long, but still we feel brand new/At home, inside your arms, somebody's missing you Track 5: Country Is as Country Does (written by D. Parton, M. Davis)

I can live in a mansion or a double-wide, eat sushi raw or my catfish fried/Wherever I am, then that’s where I belong/‘Cause I’m quite content with who I am, and if you ain’t, well, kiss my ham/Country is as country does and I’m country to the bone/Country is as country does, it’s the way I am and it’s the way I was/It’s the way I always will be, that’s for sure/Country born and country bred, countrified and country fed/A country heart and a country head ‘cause I’m country to the core Track 8: I Just Might (written by D. Parton)

What to do and where to start, things are falling all apart/Trying hard to move ahead but keep losing ground instead/Still I have to take a chance putting fear and doubt aside/Had no warning in advance, nothing left to do but try/And I just might make it work, I just might make it after all/I just might rise above the hurt though I’ve suffered quite a fall/But I have to get a grip and hold on to it like a vice/Have to face the falling chips, I just might make it, I just might

Blue Smoke (2014)

Parton's forty-fourth country album was released January 31st, 2014 by Dolly Records and Sony Masterworks a few weeks after her 68th birthday. With a run time of 46:43, the album had 4 singles released: Blue Smoke (12/10/13); Home (4/22/14); Try (7/7/14); and Unlikely Angel (2/16/15). Blue Smoke peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #6 on the Billboard 200. This was ok, but a little on the generic side. Again, good moments, but not the strongest overall package.

Track 4: You Can't Make Old Friends with Kenny Rogers (written by C. Smith, D. Schlitz, R. King)

What will I do when you are gone/Who’s gonna tell me the truth/Who’s gonna finish the stories I start/The way you always do/When somebody knocks at the door/Someone new walks in/I will smile and shake their hands/But you can’t make old friends/You can’t make old friends/Can’t make old friends/It was me and you since way back when/But you can’t make old friends

Track 7: Lay Your Hands on Me (written by R. Sambora, J. Bongiovi)

Lord I’m ready, I’m willing, and You’re able/To feel my empty cup at the Master’s table/‘Cause I’m thirsty, I’m hungry, my eyes aching/You say Your love is mine for the taking/Lord, what I am is exactly what you see/And I’m asking you to rescue me/Forgive if my sins and set me free/Lord, if you want me then/Lay Your hands on me, lay your hands on me/Lay Your hands on me, lay Your hands on me/Lay Your hands on me, lay Your hands on me/Lay Your hands on me

Track 11: From Here to the Moon and Back with Willie Nelson (written by D. Parton)

I could hold out my arms, say I love you this much/I could tell you how long I will long for your touch/How much and how far would I go to prove/The depth and the breadth of my love for you/From here to the moon and back/Who else in this world will love you like that/Love everlasting, I promise you that/From here to the moon and back/From here to the moon and back

Pure & Simple (2016)

Parton's forty-fifth country album was released August 19th, 2016 by Dolly Records and RCA Records when she was 70 years old. With a run time of 33:00, the album had 3 singles released: Pure and Simple (7/8/16); Outside Your Door (7/29/16); and Head Over High Heels (9/16/16). Pure and Simple peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #11 on the Billboard 200. This was as advertised, pure and simple. It's a good mix of sweet and sassy, just like Dolly.

Track 1: Pure and Simple (written by D. Parton)

Every time I think about you, I get chills along my spine/It’s a feeling I’m not used to, can't believe you’re really mine/Other love’s so complicated, broken hearts and twisting minds/Then you came and I’m elated, so unlike the other times/It’s so pure it’s almost sacred/Simply put, it feels divine/I just love you, pure and simple/Pure and simple and sublime Track 5: Can't Be That Wrong (written by D. Parton)

So often in my dreams, I hold you close against my skin/Waking up, I wish that I could sleep and dream again/‘Cause only when I sleep can I not hear how it’s a sin/How cheaters never win, their heartaches never end/Torn Between Two Lovers on the jukebox and I’m thinking how I could’ve wrote that song/Wondering if God loves us when we’re cheating, but why He lets us feel things if it’s wrong/I guess I should be singing Rock of Ages/Amazing Grace, some of those good songs/Can’t find it in my heart to ask forgiveness/Anything that feels this right can’t be that wrong

Track 8: I'm Sixteen (written by D. Parton)

I’m 16, bursting at the seams/I’m back in my teens, caution to the wind, yeah/You love me, and what could be more rejuvenating/I am young again, yeah/I’m 16, I’m 16/Loving you is a dream and life is a breeze/Kicking up my heels, haven’t had such thrills/Since I was 16, cruising ‘round the Tasty Freeze/It goes to show you’re never old unless you choose to be/And I will be 16 forever just as long as you love me

I Believe in You (2017)

Parton's forty-sixth children's/country album was released September 29th, 2017 by Dolly Records and RCA Records when she was 71 years old, with all proceeds from album sales going to benefit her Imagination Library Program. With a run time of 31:23, the album had 1 single released: I Believe in You (9/15/17). I Believe in You peaked at #20 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #173 on the Billboard 200. This is a really cute kid's album. I also love that she does a storybook reading of Coat of Many Colors at the end.

Track 4: I Am a Rainbow (written by D. Parton) I am a rainbow, I am a rainbow/I’m every color, I’m every hue/I am a rainbow, I am a rainbow/I know that you are a rainbow, too/To make a rainbow, you must have rain/Must have sunshine, joy, and pain/Lots of hues and different shades/And poof, like magic, a rainbow’s made

Track 5: I'm Here (written by D. Parton)

Got your pajamas on, a story book, a song/A hug so tight, a kiss goodnight, I’ll leave the night light on/No need for you to fret, no need to be upset/I’m just outide, so close your eyes, you’re safe and sound at home/I’m here, I’m near, close enough to hear you when you call/I’m here, don’t fear, 'cause I’m the one who love you most of all/Don’t cry, here’s why, you’re always in my heart and on my mind/I’m here, is that clear, but even mommies need a little time sometimes/I’m here/I’m near/Don’t fear/You’ll be just fine

Track 9: Responsibility (written by D. Parton)

Now every time Dick, Harry, or Hank/Every Betty, Susie, or Jane/Let’s be honest, let’s be frank/Everybody has to work/Everybody has a job to do/Like putting on your clothes or tying your shoes/Taking out the trash or cleaning your room/Don’t get caught then howling at the moon/R-E-S, P-O-N, S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y/R-E-S, P-O-N, S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y/R-E-S, P-O-N, S-I-B-I-L-I-T-Y//Responsibility/That’s right/Responsibility/Once again/Responsibility

Run, Rose, Run (2022)

Parton's forty-eighth country/bluegrass album was released March 4th, 2022 by Butterfly Records when she was 76 years old, serving as a soundtrack to her first novel of the same name. With a run time of 38:43, the album had 3 singles released: Big Dreams and Faded Jeans (1/14/22); Blue Bonnet Breeze (2/11/22); and Woman Up (And Take It Like a Man) (3/4/22). Run, Rose, Run peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #34 on the Billboard 200. I wrote about this one in 2022, and I still think it's a lot of fun. Now I need to get this book and read it, I guess.

Track 3: Demons ft. Ben Haggard (written by D. Parton)

Give me a chance, girl, open your eyes now/I’m not the enemy here/I’m a soft heart to lean on, a shoulder to cry on/Two good lips to kiss away the tears/If you’re looking to fight, you have come to the wrong guy/With you, I refuse to throw darts/I’ve had enough fighting, I’m more into righting/What’s wrong when it’s broken apart/Demons, demons/We’ve both had enough of our own/Demons, demons/We don’t have to fight them alone

Track 5: Snakes In the Grass (written by D. Parton)

Snakes in the grass, you’d better move fast/You’ll be poisoned or be strangled to death/Their fangs, they bite deep, and their venom will creep/Inside you ’til you’re gasping for breath/And you can’t get away from these God awful snakes/They will bite and suck ’til they bleed you dry/And when they’re done with you, they’ll be stalking someone new/Aw, trust me, you’ll be lucky to survive

Track 6: Blue Bonnet Breeze (written by D. Parton)

Blue bonnet breezes bring precious memories to mind/Blue bonnet breezes stirring up memories of romance and passion, making a sweet place in time/A girl and a boy with high hopes enjoyed doing whatever they please/With love in their eyes ‘neath the wide open sky, making love in the blue bonnet breeze/The story is old, has often been told of a rich city boy and a poor country girl/Their families tried hard to keep them apart, but they became each other’s world/He’d ask her to marry, of course she said yes when he knelt there on his bended knee/They promised forever, no matter whatever, as they kissed in the blue bonnet breeze

Rockstar (2023)

Parton's forty-ninth rock/country pop album was released November 17th, 2023 by Butterfly Records & Big Machine when she was 77 years old, justifying to herself her nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With a run time of 141:18, the album had 7 singles released: World on Fire (5/11/23); Magic Man (6/15/23); Bygones (6/16/23); We Are the Champions / We Will Rock You (7/21/23); Let It Be (8/18/23); What's Up? (9/22/23); and Wrecking Ball (10/20/23). Rockstar peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and #3 on the Billboard 200. I wrote about this one in 2023, and I still absolutely love it. She truly honored where these songs came from while making them her own and having a blast while doing it.

Track 5: Magic Man (Carl Version) ft. Ann Wilson (written by A. Wilson)

Cold late night, so long ago, when I was not so strong, you know/A pretty man came to me, I never seen eyes so blue/You know I could not run away, it seemed we’d seen each other in a dream/Seemed like he knew me, he looked right through me, yeah/"Come on home, girl," he said with a smile/"You don’t have to love me yet, just get high a while/But try to understand, try to understand/Try, try, try to understand I’m a magic man"

Track 10: Purple Rain (written by P. Nelson)

I never meant to cause you any sorrow/Never meant to cause you any pain/Only wanted one time to see you laughing/I only want to see you laughing in the purple rain/Purple rain, purple rain/Purple rain, purple rain/Purple rain, purple rain/I only want to see you bathing in the purple rain

Track 29: Let It Be ft. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr written by P. McCartney, J. Lennon)

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me/Speaking words of wisdom, let it be/And in my hour of darkness, she is standing right in front of me/Speaking words of wisdom, let it be/Let it be, let it be/Let it be, let it be/Whisper words of wisdom/let it be

This was a MARATHON, but I had so much fun and I hope you did, too. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!