Tag Archives: Dolly Parton

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Song of the Day #5,600: ‘Islands in the Stream’ – Kenny Rogers & Kenny Rogers

Throwing back to the week of October 29, 1983, we find Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton topping the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Islands in the Stream.’ The duet spent two weeks at #1, and gave each of the country legends their second chart-topper on the Hot 100. (Bonus points to any commenter who can name the previous #1 for one or both artists).

‘Islands in the Stream’ was written by the Bee Gees as an R&B song but it got a pop country makeover when it landed with Rogers and Parton. The song was released on Rogers’ album Eyes That See in the Dark, on which every track was written by Barry Gibb (most with brother Maurice).

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Song of the Day #5,497: ‘Coat of Many Colors’ – Dolly Parton

Getting back to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2022, we arrive at a musical legend whose excellence nobody can deny: Dolly Parton. Parton is the first female country artist inducted into the Hall.

Parton herself questioned whether she belonged in the Rock Hall and initially declined the nomination, stating that she wasn’t “worthy” of the honor. That’s not how the admission process works, however, so she made it on the ballot whether she wanted to or not. Eventually she embraced the honor and performed, with typical charm and humility, at the induction ceremony.

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Song of the Day #4,137: ‘JJ Sneed’ – Dolly Parton

The final song I’ll feature from the upcoming Dolly Parton anthology series Heartstrings is ‘JJ Sneed,’ a nice counterpart to ‘Jolene.’

While ‘Jolene’ depicted a woman deathly afraid that a temptress would steal away her man, ‘JJ Sneed’ gives us a narrator who sees her man tempted by another woman and responds by shooting him dead. I guess that’s… progress?

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Song of the Day #4,136: ‘Down From Dover’ – Dolly Parton

Our next song from the upcoming Dolly Parton anthology series Heartstrings is ‘Down From Dover,’ which first appeared on the 1970 album The Fairest of Them All.

While the album performed well both commercially and critically, this song proved controversial. It tells the story of an unwed pregnant waiting in vain for the father of her baby to return to her from Dover. Things don’t end well.

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Song of the Day #4,135: ‘Sugar Hill’ – Dolly Parton

Like yesterday’s track, ‘Sugar Hill’ appears on Dolly Parton’s 2002 album Halos & Horns. Dolly has released 50 studio albums in total, starting in 1967.

This sweet song follows a couple from childhood through getting married and having children of their own. In a nice bit of casting, the older lovers in the Heartstrings episode based on this song will be played by Patricia Wettig and Timothy Busfield, who played a married couple on the 80s show Thirtysomething.

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