Dolly Parton releases emotional song as tribute to late husband, Carl Dean
Dolly Parton has released the emotional new track, ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’, as a tribute to her late husband Carl Dean.
Parton initially announced Dean’s death on March 3rd, sharing on social media: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”
At this stage, no cause of death has been revealed. Dean was 82 and first met Parton on the very first day she moved to Nashville from rural Tennessee to embark upon a music career in 1964.
“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton once joked when describing their first meeting (via the AP). “He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”
The iconic singer has now released ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’ to honour her life partner, who was by her side for more than six decades.
On the new song, Parton sings, “If you hadn’t been there, Where would I be?, Without your trust, Love and belief, The up’s and down’s, We’ve always shared, And I wouldn’t be here, If you hadn’t been there.”
She also sings of Dean: “Oh, you are my rock (Mm), A soft place to land, My wings, my confidence, You understand, You’re willingness, Beyond compare, No, I wouldn’t be here, If you hadn’t been there.”
In addition to sharing ‘If You Hadn’t Been There’, Parton said in a statement of the song’s message: “This is a love note to family, friends, and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me.”
Throughout her career, Parton was constantly inspired to write by her love of Dean, leading to the birth of beloved songs such as ‘Jolene‘.
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