5 Shocking Revelations From the New Book ‘Dolly Parton: All the Songs’ — a Must-Read for Fans of the Country Queen

Over the course of an impressive career spanning more than 50 years, Dolly Parton has proven herself to be not just a musician but a cultural icon. Beloved by fans of all ages, the singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist and businesswoman is instantly recognizable, and her classic songs, from “Jolene” to “9 to 5,” remain some of the most popular country hits of all time.

Given Parton’s long reign as the queen of country, it’s no surprise that there are a number of books about her work. The latest addition to the Dolly canon is the most comprehensive one yet. The just-released book Dolly Parton: All the Songs is an album-by-album, track-by-track look at the entirety of her musical output. With 608 pages and more than 400 photos, the tome has something for everyone, from Dolly scholars searching out little-known facts to new fans who want to know more about her greatest hits.

While the book isn’t written by Dolly Parton herself, the authors, Simon Benoît, Damien Somville and Lalie Walker, did a dizzyingly deep dive, turning up all kinds of Dolly lore with a mix of a megafan’s enthusiasm and a scholar’s precision. Dolly Parton: All the Songs is the closest we’ll get to an encyclopedia of the musician’s work. Here are five fascinating facts we learned about some of her most beloved songs.

1. Dolly delayed recording “Coat of Many Colors” for years because of how personal it was

Parton wrote her evocative song “Coat of Many Colors” on the back of a dry cleaning receipt in 1969, but she didn’t record it until 1971. 

Given how popular the song ended up being, it’s surprising that she’d wait so long between writing and recording it, but as the book tells it, when Parton first wore the titular coat made from fabric scraps by her resourceful mother, she was mocked by her classmates for her poverty, and the childhood memories remained painful for years. After being bullied, “The cloak of pride became one of shame and sorrow. This was why Dolly Parton delayed recording this song so long.”  

2. Elvis wanted to cover “I Will Always Love You” — but Dolly wouldn’t let him

The 1974 song “I Will Always Love You” is one of Parton’s most beautiful ballads, and has been covered countless times, most notably by Whitney Houston in 1992. Long before that, none other than Elvis Presley wanted to do his own version of the song.

As the book describes, “Not long after the release of ‘I Will Always Love You,’ Elvis Presley offered to buy the rights to a cover version from Dolly Parton. But Elvis’s offer was too mean, and Dolly knew instinctively that, quite apart from it being important to her personally and emotionally, this was a very important song. She was forced to stand up to the King and reject his offer — she related later that she cried all night!”

3. “Jolene” was inspired by two unrelated stories from Dolly’s life

Parton put two of her most classic songs, “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” on the same album, and she’s even said she wrote them on the same day. “Jolene” is a poignant yet catchy anthem of vulnerability and romantic jealousy, and Parton drew inspiration from her own life.

As the book tells it, “The story here has a double autobiographical resonance. First, the name Jolene, which was the name of a little girl who asked Dolly for an autograph. Second, at the beginning of the first episode of Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings devoted to this song, Dolly describes how one day she caught a beautiful redheaded bank teller flirting with her husband. Dolly combines the two elements in the one song.”

4. Dolly refused to star in 9 to 5 unless she could write and perform the theme song

Parton made her debut as an actress in the 1980 workplace comedy 9 to 5. The film, which stars Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as a trio of put-upon office workers scheming to overthrow their sexist boss, was a big hit, and Parton’s title song remains an anthem of female empowerment.

Surprisingly, the theme song almost didn’t happen. The book recalls that, “Before accepting the offer to act in the movie 9 to 5, Dolly made one condition: She must be the one to compose the signature song. Today, we can see that she was absolutely right.”

5. Dolly said her supergroup with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris was one of her favorite projects

In 1987, Parton joined forces with fellow musical icons Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris for the supergroup Trio. The three singers sang in powerful harmonies, and their collaboration was fated to happen. As the book reveals, “When Emmylou Harris met Linda Ronstadt in 1973, the two rising stars found they had at least one thing in common: Their favorite female singer was Dolly Parton!”

Another fun fact about Trio? It was one of Parton’s proudest musical achievements. According to the book, “Dolly Parton was to say that, along with 9 to 5, this was one of the most meaningful collaborations she had been involved in. She observed that she must really like working with women.”