The Dolly Parton song that was so good “a monkey could have made it a hit”
In 1977, some disgruntled Dolly Parton fans felt like she’d betrayed her roots. The success of her pop-leaning record, Here You Come Again, made it seem like she had prioritised sheen over authenticity.
As we know, that wasn’t the case. Parton has racked up enough achievements and milestones over the years for us to know her legacy doesn’t centre around being a sellout, nor does it solely encompass her position as the queen of country music. There are many faces to Parton’s story, each nuance as glorious as the next, with no space for simple descriptions or assumptions.
That said, when Parton first made tracks in any space that wasn’t reflective of her initial Nashville presence, people weren’t happy. Parton had made a name for herself as an everyday southerner whose music mirrored the common hardships felt by anyone who’d had a far-from-luxurious upbringing. She talked about family and personal matters with a familiar poetic flair, becoming a country force many sought comfort in.
But as with most artists who eventually want to progress and develop on a bigger scale, Parton’s shift was inevitable. It’s a common feature of all artists across most eras. They’ll start somewhere and earn a dedicated following, and eventually shift their craft into something more appealing on a mass scale, which is good for longevity and career survival but seen as a sellout to the few who have been there from the beginning.
That’s not always the case, and often, the success that follows such humble beginnings is enough to drown out the negativity of the disgruntled few. But with Parton, diluting her country charm with pop sensibilities wasn’t something that people took lightly. But with Here You Come Again, people, or critics, seemed far more forgiving, even if she herself thought that the songs came off a little too polished.
Looking back, Parton sees the funny side. At the time, in ‘77, reviews of the record were pretty kind. Which was an especially considerable feat considering how the response to her previous release, New Harvest…First Gathering had been less than kind. But with Here You Come Again, some argued that those wanting to gatekeep Parton’s talents had no legs to stand on when she’d so eloquently pulled off talents in other places. But speaking to Playboy in 1978, Parton made it clear that, while she had her reservations, she also realised it was the best thing she could have done for her career.
“That [album] was the first thing that I did after I made the change, and it was not exactly what I had in mind,” she mused. “But it proved to be the smartest thing. I knew ‘Here You Come Again’ would be a hit song, but I don’t know if I should be identified with it, because it’s so smooth and pop-sounding. That’s such a good song that a monkey could have made it a hit. Well, you’re looking at a million-dollar monkey.”
She also reflected on those who might have felt put out by her pivot, saying, “I was kind of afraid that people would think, Boy, this is too drastic. I just didn’t want country people to think that I totally left them. That was such a polished pop sound! But it was the biggest country record I ever had, as well.”
