Dolly Parton is famous for her big hair and powerful voice. She has made a huge impact on entertainment through her charity work, charm, business smarts, and her talent for writing catchy country songs.
Parton is known for hits like "Jolene" and "9 to 5." But she has written over 3,000 songs in her seven-decade career. In 2015, she even wrote a song sealed in a time capsule, set to open in 2046. Luckily, most of her other songs are available now.
Parton wrote many hits for other artists. One early song was "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," which she co-wrote with her uncle Bill Owens. Bill Phillips recorded it, and it reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1966. This was the first of many times Parton helped other artists succeed with her songs.
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Start Your News DetoxThis was also a smart business move. Parton wrote in her 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, "I love to write songs for men." She explained that there were not many women in country music to write for back then, especially those who didn't write their own songs like Loretta Lynn. So, she focused on writing songs that men could record, or songs that could work for anyone.
Parton helped open doors for female songwriters in country music. She did this with her own fame and her amazing songwriting skills.
Songs You Didn't Know Dolly Parton Wrote
"I Will Always Love You" // Whitney Houston
Many people link "I Will Always Love You" to Whitney Houston's powerful voice. But Dolly Parton originally wrote it in an afternoon in 1973. Amazingly, she also wrote "Jolene" that same day.
Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" about leaving her music and business partner, Porter Wagoner. He had hired her for his TV show and helped her become a star.
Parton told DJ Howard Stern in 2023 that she felt she needed to move on. She knew her destiny was to keep doing what she felt called to do. She was torn about leaving. She wondered how to make him understand her appreciation but also that she had to go. She decided to write a song.
The next morning, she played it for Wagoner, who cried. He told her it was the best song she had ever written and said she could leave if he could produce the song.
The song was a huge hit. Elvis Presley wanted to record it, but his manager demanded half the songwriting rights. Parton refused. Nearly two decades later, Houston made it famous in the movie The Bodyguard.
"There’ll Always Be Music" // Tina Turner
Parton released this song with Porter Wagoner in 1973. It's a tribute to the power of music. Tina Turner included it on her 1974 covers album, Tina Turns the Country On!
In 2023, after Turner's death, Parton said she didn't remember how Turner's cover came about. But she was grateful. She said she is always honored when someone wants to sing her songs.
Parton had another song in mind for Turner for her 2023 album Rockstar. But Turner was too ill to record it. Parton told Today that she loved Tina Turner and was sad the recording didn't happen. She had a perfect song called "Stay Out Of My Bedroom" that she might record with someone else later.
"Fuel to the Flame" // Skeeter Davis
Parton co-wrote this song with her uncle Bill Owens. Skeeter Davis released it in 1967, and it became a hit. Davis was one of the first successful solo female country artists, which also inspired Parton's career.
"Rainbowland" // Miley Cyrus
Parton co-wrote this duet with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. They recorded it for Cyrus’s 2017 album Younger Now. Parton said in a 2017 interview that the song is about loving each other better, being kinder, and sweeter to live in "rainbow land." She called it a good song for the current times.
The song caused a stir in 2023 when a Wisconsin elementary school banned it. They said its lyrics "could be controversial." Cyrus’s charity, the Happy Hippie Foundation, responded on X (formerly Twitter). They told the students to "keep being YOU" and that they would "make all of us more understanding and accepting."
"To Daddy" // Emmylou Harris
Parton wrote this song in 1975. She gave it to her friend Emmylou Harris, who released a cover in 1979. It became a hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song is from a child's perspective. It describes a mother who endures years of neglect from her husband before leaving him.
Parton giving the song to Harris caused a big fight with Porter Wagoner, who was angry she gave it away. Parton later recorded her own version.
"Circle of Love" // Jennifer Nettles
Parton wrote this song for the 2016 film Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love. The movie is based on her childhood in the Smoky Mountains. In the film, Jennifer Nettles, who plays Parton’s mother, sings the song.
Nettles also included the song on her holiday album To Celebrate Christmas. Parton later released her own version on her 2020 album A Holly Dolly Christmas. The two artists also sang the song together on The Voice.
"Waltz Me to Heaven" // Waylon Jennings
Parton wrote this song specifically for country star Waylon Jennings. He released his version in 1984. That same year, she also released a version for the soundtrack of the film Rhinestone, with her brother Floyd on vocals. Parton starred in the film with Sylvester Stallone and wrote almost the entire soundtrack.
Deep Dive & References
Think You Know Dolly Parton? Her Hit Songs for Other Artists Will Surprise You - Yahoo Entertainment, 2023 Dolly Parton's song sealed in a time capsule won't be opened until 2046 - Mental Floss, 2023 Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics - Dolly Parton, 2020 Dolly Parton on Whitney Houston, Elvis Presley and the story behind I Will Always Love You - BBC, 2024 Dolly Parton on Tina Turner, 'Rockstar' album and why she's not retiring - USA Today, 2023 Songs Dolly Parton Wrote for Other Artists: Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers & More - Grammy.com, 2024 Dolly Parton on 'Rainbowland' with Miley Cyrus: 'It's a good song for the times right now' - Taste of Country, 2017 Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton's 'Rainbowland' banned at Wisconsin elementary school - Entertainment Weekly, 2023 What The Hell Do You Think You’re Doing?’: The Emmylou Harris Song That Incited a Fight Between Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner - American Songwriter, 2024 Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love - DollyParton.com The Story Behind the Only Song Dolly Parton Wrote for Waylon Jennings, “Waltz Me to Heaven” - American Songwriter, 2024
