Dolly Parton – Page 23 – Country Universe

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Daddy”

August 1, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 1

1969| Peak: #40

“Daddy” is the first in a string of provocative Parton singles that absolutely bewildered country radio.

Here, a daughter addresses her cheating father, who is leaving her mother behind for a woman who is younger than 23, the age of our unhappy narrator here.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Yours Love”

July 28, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 5

1969 | Peak: #9

Perhaps the least satisfying Wagoner & Parton singles are the ones that fall in the “let’s pledge our true love” category.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. Stop and think about the very best solo songs by Parton and by Wagoner. How many of them are sweet love songs?

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)”

July 26, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 6

1968 | Peak: #25

A frighteningly candid depiction of Parton’s impoverished childhood.

Going to bed hungry. Watching her mother suffer with illness because they can’t afford a doctor. Working from sunrise to sunset, only to see a hail storm destroy your crops.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Jeannie’s Afraid of the Dark”

July 16, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 5

1968 | Peak: #51

“I write a lot of sad songs. Some of them are just plum pitiful.” – Dolly Parton

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “We’ll Get Ahead Someday”

July 16, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 0

1968 | Peak : #5

Porter & Dolly scored a double-sided hit single in 1968, with both sides establishing a subgenre within their catalog.

The A-side, “We’ll Get Ahead Someday”, became their first top five hit. It’s the first single of theirs that casts them as the playfully quarreling husband and wife.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Just Because I’m a Woman”

July 8, 2011 Leeann Ward 5

1968 | Peak: #17

While we continue to notice tangible gender inequities in country music today, particularly the ratio of male artists versus female artists that are played on mainstream radio, the gap between what male and female artists can sing about has narrowed considerably. Moreover, it’s certainly not uncommon to hear a range of topics from female singers that reveal the strength of independent minded, empowered women.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “Holdin’ On to Nothin'”

July 5, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 2

1968 | Peak: #7

A large part of the appeal of these classic duets is that it feels like you’re eavesdropping on a real couple.

Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton, “The Last Thing on My Mind”

June 28, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 5

When the chemistry is there, it’s there from day one. The pairing of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton was electric, and all of the elements that made it work were clearly evident on their first single.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Something Fishy”

June 25, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 3

1967 | Peak: #17

If Parton hadn’t recorded this herself first, she could’ve pitched it to Loretta Lynn, who might’ve elevated this to something a bit above purely ridiculous.

Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Dumb Blonde”

June 21, 2011 Kevin John Coyne 4

1967 | Peak: #24

Few titles could be a less apt description for the singer delivering the song. What’s more surprising is that after establishing herself as a songwriter in Nashville, her first major single release was written by somebody else.