The incredible moment Dolly Parton wrote two of her biggest hits: “That was a good writing day!”
It’s often the case that when people say they hate country music, they’re not including Dolly Parton in this claim, despite the singer being one of the genre’s biggest stars. The musician has managed to transcend the boundaries of genre, and for decades, she’s released countless instantly recognisable hits, making her an international treasure in the process.
Parton began singing when she was a child, even performing in her local church when she was just six years old. It only took her a few years to begin singing on radio shows, with the young musician demonstrating vocal talents far beyond her years. As she started writing songs—many of which she penned for other artists—Parton knew that she couldn’t do anything else but music. Thus, she kept writing and recording, eventually releasing her first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, in 1967.
The successful record, which contained songs like ‘Something Fishy’, gave Parton her first song to reach the top 20. From there, she began singing with Porter Wagoner, a popular country star, who helped to expose her skills to a wider audience. As a result, Parton found herself routinely making the top 20, both with and without Wagoner. It seemed as though Parton was able to attract listeners that weren’t typically into country with her powerful lyrics and equally poignant voice.
In 1973, she released a song that would end up becoming one of her most well-known – ‘Jolene’. Everyone knows the classic hit, with Parton begging a woman she sees as superior not to “take my man”. She describes the agony of hearing her lover call out another woman’s name in his sleep, so beautifully conveying her pain: “You could have your choice of men/ But I could never love again/ He’s the only one for me/Jolene.”
However, a little-known fact about the making of ‘Jolene’ is that Parton wrote the song when she was feeling particularly productive, so much so that she ended up going to bed that night with a track that would become another one of her most famous compositions, ‘I Will Always Love You’. Although it later became better associated with Whitney Houston after she covered it for the movie The Bodyguard, Parton’s more tender and vulnerable version also charted well, hitting number one on the US Hot Country Songs chart in 1974. It even took the crown again when Parton re-recorded it in 1982, with this version also hitting number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
She revealed the impressive fact on The Bobby Bones Show in 2018, exclaiming, “That was a good writing day!” Both songs are staples of Parton’s repertoire, and it’s incredible to think that on one fateful day in 1972, she penned both “at the same time”. Still, it shouldn’t come as an overwhelming shock as Parton is known for her intense writing habits. The singer finds it essential to write as many songs as she can every day, even if only some of them end up being usable.
She once wrote 20 songs in one day, recording 15 of them. Clearly, getting as many ideas and emotions down onto paper as possible – which just seems to come very naturally – helps Parton to come up with her best work. Astoundingly, during one of these sessions, both ‘I Will Always Love You’ and ‘Jolene’ made their way into the world.
