It seems fitting that this week's Three Tune Tuesday should be dedicated to Dolly Parton, the Queen of Country Music, who died last week.
I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of Dolly Parton. I don't own any of her records, I've never been to her concert, and I turned down my sister's invitation earlier this year to go to Nashville and Dollywood. That said, I don't dislike her, and I enjoy watching her on TV. I think she's a great singer, a greater artist, particularly in her recent years given her age.
For many, Dolly Parton comes across as very artificial. Her rather exaggerated looks and make up, big hairstyle, hourglass figure that she was not afraid of accentuating. Yet beneath all that there was much more. There was a person born in poverty, 1 of 12 children living in a small cabin, whose father was illiterate. Her humble beginnings didn't define the rest of her life, but propelled her to become a global star, and a philanthropist who was determined to help people.
She was successful not only as an artist, but also a person who could unite people on all fronts. Left and right, black and white, straight and gay.
Light of a Clear Blue Morning
With so much crap happening in the world today, we all need more positivity and light shining down onto us. Dolly Parton has brought a lot of this to many through her philanthropy work. But as a musician, her most powerful tool is to do this through her songs. Hope is what drives us, without that, we might as well pack our bags and leave.
The Grass is Blue
This is my second favourite Dolly Parton song and was included in one of Dolly's bluegrass albums released in 1999. Bluegrass is a type of folk song that originated in the Appalachian region in the 1940s. The song is about the pain of a girl after her relationship ended,and how she dealt with it. Instead of just sitting around and crying, she found a way out by pretending that the opposite of everything is true. Like many of Dolly's songs, the lyrics are simple, to the point, and very moving.
I've had to think up a way to survive Since you said it's over Told me good-bye I just can't make it one day without you Unless I pretend that the opposite's true
I will Always Love You
It probably won't be a surprise that my all time favourite is Dolly Parton's most famous song. I first heard I will Always Love You when Whitney Houston sang it in The Bodyguard, a movie about a diva singer falling in love with her bodyguard. Whitney Houston is another great singer who died too young, I blame that on bad influence, but that's another story. Like many, I grew up listening to the 1992 powerful ballad version by Whitney Houston, with scenes from the movie clearly etched in my mind.
However, when Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 it had a totally different meaning. Back in those days, Dolly was a side kick for 7 years on a TV show hosted by Porter Wagoner. When she wanted to leave the show to develop her solo career, Wagoner refused and made things very difficult for her. He even threatened to sue her for all future earnings after she left the show. Dolly was not bitter over all this, but she figured that the only way she could get through to him and make him understand was to do what she did best, through her songs.
If I should stay I would only be in your way So I'll go, but I know I'll think of you each step of the way And I will always love you I will always love you
This soft, tender version about a platonic loving relationship between two people is a big contrast from Whitney Houston's epic dramatic version about a relationship that couldn't be. It makes me sad when I listen to it. The lengths Dolly had to go to to fight for her future. Luckily, she had talent on her side and left her mark on this world.
