Alright, so I found myself going down a bit of a rabbit hole recently, focusing on Dolly Parton back in the 1970s. Wasn’t really planned, just sort of happened. I was listening to some old country mix, and ‘Jolene’ came on. Course, I know the song, who doesn’t? But it got me thinking, like, really thinking about that whole period for her.
Getting Started
So, the first thing I did, I just started pulling up her albums from that decade. We’re talking stuff like Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, My Tennessee Mountain Home. Didn’t just skim ’em either. I sat down and actually listened, you know? Put the phone away, just listened to the stories she was telling. It’s different when you actually focus.
Then, I got curious about what she looked like back then, performing these songs. So, next step, searching for old TV appearances. Took a bit of digging, not everything’s super high quality, obviously. Found a bunch of clips, some from the Porter Wagoner show she was on for ages. That was interesting. Seeing that dynamic play out.
What I Found Out
Man, the songwriting. That’s what really hit me. We all know she can write, but going through those 70s albums back-to-back… it’s incredible. So many songs about her childhood, poverty, strong women. Real specific stories, not just generic stuff.
- Coat of Many Colors – gut punch every time.
- Jolene – simple, but man, the emotion.
- I Will Always Love You – the original version, from ’74 I think? Way before Whitney. It was for Porter Wagoner, apparently, when she decided to leave his show. Knowing that backstory changes how you hear it.
And her image was really taking shape then. The big hair was getting bigger, the outfits more sparkly. But listening to the songs, especially the early 70s stuff, there’s this real grounded, almost raw feeling. It’s quite the contrast. You see the glamour starting, but the lyrics are pure Appalachian storytelling.
I also noticed how she was carefully starting to cross over. Still very country, but you could hear hints of pop sneaking in on some tracks later in the decade. Smart move, obviously, looking back now. She wasn’t just sticking to one thing.
Some Thoughts
Spent maybe a whole weekend on this, just bouncing between albums and old performance clips. It’s funny, you think you know an artist, especially someone as famous as Dolly. But taking the time to actually go through a specific period like that, chronologically… you see the growth, the changes, the things that stayed the same. Her voice was always incredible, but the confidence just grows and grows through the decade.
It kind of reminded me of going through old family photo albums. You see the changes, remember little details. This felt like that, but for a musician’s work. Made me appreciate her artistry a lot more than just knowing the big hits. She was building that empire brick by brick, song by song, even back then. Solid stuff.
