Part 3
But don’t take my word for it. Look at the evidence from The Graham Norton Show. In 2020, Dolly appeared on the show to promote her book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. Graham Norton had a surprise: a Dolly Parton impersonator named Mary, and a Kenny Rogers impersonator named Mark. They called them up and had them sing 'Islands in the Stream' over the phone. The audience went wild. But notice which song got the biggest reaction. It wasn’t 'Jolene.' It was the one that everyone knows from the movie — the one that makes people feel seen.
And then Dolly herself joined in. She performed '9 to 5' and 'Islands in the Stream' with the impersonators. The audience erupted. But here’s the key: the impersonators weren’t just copying her look. They were copying her spirit. And that spirit is the spirit of '9 to 5.' It’s the spirit of a woman who worked her way up from nothing, who wrote about the working class because she was the working class. That’s the Dolly that the consensus ignores.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. 'Jolene' is the song that made Dolly a star. Without it, there’s no '9 to 5,' no 'I Will Always Love You,' no Dollywood. It’s the foundation. And that’s true. 'Jolene' was released in 1973 and became her first major crossover hit. It put her on the map. It’s the song that made people pay attention. But a foundation isn’t the whole house. The consensus loves 'Jolene' because it’s the first Dolly song they heard — not because it’s the best one she wrote.
And that’s the strongest counter-argument. I get it. 'Jolene' is iconic. It’s been covered by everyone from The White Stripes to Miley Cyrus. It’s a masterpiece of storytelling. But it’s not her masterpiece. Her masterpiece is the one that makes you pull your car off the road. The one that makes you want to quit your job and start a revolution. The one that makes you feel like you’re not alone in the grind.
The next time someone says 'Jolene' is Dolly’s best song, ask them when they last listened to 'I Will Always Love You' or '9 to 5' all the way through. The consensus is safe, but it’s not right. Dolly’s real masterpiece is the one that makes you pull your car off the road. It’s the one that makes you feel seen. It’s the one that proves she’s not just a songwriter — she’s a voice for the working class.
But there’s another Dolly song that might be even better — and it’s the one she wrote for a movie that nobody remembers. That’s coming up next.
