Dolly Parton Says 2 Signature Songs Were Written on the Same Day in 1973
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26
Dolly Parton Says 2 Signature Songs Were Written on the Same Day in 1973
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 26
Summary
A 2020 review of old tapes found “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” back-to-back on one cassette, leading Parton to say she may have written both in a single 1973 burst.
The pairing links two of her defining songs that pull in opposite emotional directions: “Jolene” pleads with a romantic rival, while “I Will Always Love You” turns a farewell into a vow of constancy.
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as she prepared to leave Porter Wagoner and go solo, and she later said the lyric softened a split that was, in reality, more about her needing independence.