10 Dolly Parton Songs You Probably Didn’t Know She Wrote
Most people know Dolly Parton as the voice behind “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors.”
But Dolly Parton was just as remarkable as a songwriter.
Over the course of her career, Parton estimated that she had written thousands of songs, with hundreds eventually recorded by herself or other artists.
Some became country hits.
Others were recorded by artists including Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Tina Turner and Kenny Rogers.
And one became one of the most famous pop recordings of all time.
Here are 10 songs you might not have realised were written by Dolly Parton.
1. “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston
This is easily the biggest surprise for many listeners.
Whitney Houston’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” became one of the defining songs of the 1990s after appearing in the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
But Houston didn’t write the song.
Dolly Parton did.
In fact, Dolly had already released “I Will Always Love You” nearly two decades earlier.
She wrote the song while preparing to leave her professional partnership with country star Porter Wagoner.
Although its lyrics sound like the end of a romantic relationship, Dolly intended the song as a farewell to Wagoner as she moved forward with her solo career.
Her original reached number one on the US country chart.
Dolly recorded it again for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and that version also reached number one on the country chart.
Then Whitney Houston turned the song into an enormous international hit in 1992.
One song. Two legendary singers. Several generations of listeners.
And it all began with Dolly Parton.
2. “Kentucky Gambler” – Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard took “Kentucky Gambler” to number one on the country chart in 1975.
The songwriter behind it?
Dolly Parton.
The song tells the story of a man who leaves his wife and children in search of a better life before becoming consumed by gambling.
It is classic Dolly storytelling: a complete story packed into a few minutes, with ambition, regret and consequences all playing a role.
Dolly recorded her own version as well, but Haggard’s recording became the bigger hit.
3. “To Daddy” – Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris scored a major country hit with “To Daddy” in the late 1970s.
The song was written entirely by Dolly Parton.
Rather than telling a conventional love story, “To Daddy” describes an unhappy marriage from the perspective of a child watching her mother eventually leave.
Harris released the song on her album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, and it became a top-five country hit.
It is another example of Dolly’s ability to write songs that sounded completely natural when performed by someone else.
4. “There’ll Always Be Music” – Tina Turner
Tina Turner singing a Dolly Parton song might not be the first combination that comes to mind.
But it happened.
Turner recorded “There’ll Always Be Music” for her 1974 debut solo album Tina Turns the Country On!
The album saw Turner interpret songs from a collection of major writers including Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and James Taylor.
Dolly Parton was among them.
“There’ll Always Be Music” demonstrated just how far Parton’s songwriting could travel beyond the traditional country music world.
5. “The Stranger” – Kenny Rogers
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers will forever be associated with “Islands in the Stream,” but their musical connection went beyond performing together.
Dolly wrote “The Stranger,” which Rogers recorded for his 1984 album What About Me?
The emotional story follows a young man confronting the father who abandoned his family.
It is not one of Rogers’ biggest hits, which makes it easy to miss, but it is a fascinating example of Dolly writing specifically from a male perspective.
She once explained that she deliberately became comfortable writing songs men could sing because the country industry offered more opportunities for male performers at the time.
6. “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” – Bill Phillips
Before Dolly Parton became Dolly Parton, superstar, she was trying to establish herself in Nashville as a songwriter.
“Put It Off Until Tomorrow” helped make that happen.
Country singer Bill Phillips released the song in 1966, with Dolly providing backing vocals.
It became a top-10 country hit.
The success was particularly important because it helped demonstrate that the young songwriter from Tennessee could write commercially successful songs for established artists.
Dolly later recorded the song herself.
7. “Fuel to the Flame” – Skeeter Davis
Another important early Dolly Parton composition was “Fuel to the Flame.”
The song was co-written with her uncle Bill Owens and recorded by country singer Skeeter Davis.
Released during the 1960s, it became one of the early successes that helped Parton establish her reputation as a Nashville songwriter before she became a major recording artist herself.
Dolly’s songwriting career is sometimes overshadowed by just how famous she eventually became as a performer.
Songs such as “Fuel to the Flame” show that the writing came first.
8. “I’m in No Condition” – Hank Williams Jr.
Hank Williams Jr. also recorded an early Dolly Parton composition.
“I’m in No Condition” is a breakup song about being emotionally unable to start another relationship after losing someone.
Dolly included her own version on her 1967 debut album Hello, I’m Dolly, but Williams also recorded the track.
It is a reminder of how early in her career other established country performers were already recognising the quality of Parton’s songwriting.
9. “Waltz Me to Heaven” – Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings recorded Dolly Parton’s “Waltz Me to Heaven” during the 1980s.
The song was connected to the soundtrack of the movie Rhinestone, which starred Dolly alongside Sylvester Stallone.
Dolly’s brother Floyd Parton originally performed the song for the soundtrack before Jennings released his own version.
Jennings’ recording reached the top 10 of the country chart.
Once again, Dolly had managed to write something that fitted another legendary country voice almost perfectly.
10. “Circle of Love” – Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles recorded “Circle of Love,” but the song was written by Dolly Parton.
The track was created for the television movie Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, which was inspired by Parton’s childhood.
Nettles, who portrayed Dolly’s mother Avie Lee Parton in the movie, later recorded the song for her Christmas album To Celebrate Christmas.
Dolly eventually released her own version too.
How many songs did Dolly Parton write?
Dolly Parton once estimated that she had written close to 3,000 songs during her career.
That number helps explain why there are so many surprising Dolly Parton songwriting credits scattered throughout country music history.
Her catalogue stretches far beyond the songs casual listeners immediately associate with her.
She wrote for herself.
She wrote songs that other country stars turned into hits.
She wrote from male and female perspectives.
And she created songs that could move between country, pop, soul and rock.
Did Dolly Parton write all of her own songs?
No.
Despite being one of music’s greatest songwriters, Dolly also recorded songs written by other people.
For example, one of her biggest early crossover hits, “Here You Come Again,” was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
That distinction is important.
Dolly was never interested in proving she had to write every track she recorded.
But when she did write, the results included some of the most recognisable songs in popular music.
Dolly Parton was a songwriter before she was a superstar
It is easy to remember the voice, the rhinestones, the films, Dollywood and the personality.
But songwriting sits at the centre of Dolly Parton’s career.
Long before she became one of the most recognisable entertainers in the world, she arrived in Nashville with songs.
And decades later, artists were still returning to them.
The clearest example remains “I Will Always Love You.”
Dolly Parton wrote a country farewell in the early 1970s.
Almost 20 years later, Whitney Houston transformed that same composition into one of the biggest pop recordings ever made.
That is the power of a great song.
And Dolly Parton wrote a remarkable number of them.