Dolly Parton: 10 of the best

1 Dumb Blonde Although she didn’t write it, Dolly Parton’s breakthrough country hit from 1967 is the perfect introduction to the "beauty with brains" persona that would serve her so well for the next five decades. In an era when female country singers were largely cast as passive victims of circumstance, Parton’s breezy delivery of this proto-feminist hit was an early indication of her gifts as an interpretive singer. Giving her first major TV performance on the Porter Wagoner show in 1967 at the tender age of 21, she already looked every inch the star. 2 Just Because I’m a Woman The title track from her second studio album is a sharper, angrier cousin to Dumb Blonde. Written in response to her husband’s negative reaction to learning she wasn’t a virgin before they met, the song points an accusing finger at the hypocritical expectations of many men at the time – considered a somewhat daring subject for the highly traditionalist US country scene. As ever though, Parton stops short of haranguing her audience – the song hints at the possibility of mutual understanding and reconciliation. 3 Coat of Many Colors Throughout her career, Parton has drawn inspiration from her childhood in Tennessee. Essentially a description of grinding poverty and social isolation, Coat of Many Colors could easily come off as maudlin. Parton’s genius is to frame this sad tableau completely without bitterness. Her youthful protagonist seems unconcerned by the taunts she suffers from her schoolmates, drawing strength from the unconditional love of her mother. Sentimental? Absolutely – but at heart Coat of Many Colors is the story of a family on the precipice, holding themselves together in the only way they know how. 4 Jolene The key to Jolene’s enduring appeal lies in its simplicity. From the sparse, faintly sinister arrangement to the desperate but strangely pragmatic lyrics, Parton’s best-loved and most-covered song paints a vivid picture of a woman fighting a battle she knows she’s already lost. “I had to have this talk with you/ My happiness depends on you/ And whatever you decide to do, Jolene” – the protagonist knows she can’t prevent her husband from leaving her, so her last line of defence is to appeal to the mercy of the other woman. The haunting, desolate pitch of the singer’s final note is shot through with despair, suggesting her pleas have fallen on deaf ears. 5 I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston’s showboating rendition may have been the bigger hit, but it can’t touch the intimacy of Parton’s original. Bizarrely written about the end of a professional relationship (with her frequent duet partner and early champion Porter Wagoner) rather than a romantic one, nevertheless I Will Always Love You has endured as one of the all-time great breakup songs. There’s no self-pity or recrimination here, just a tender farewell from the perspective of somebody who understands that love alone isn’t always enough to make a relationship work.