I grew up with country music loving parents.
My mother's nickname was Dolly. (Not a joke - a lot of people thought it was her real name)
So, naturally, I grew up listening to a lot of Dolly Parton. That includes this song. I used to not really like it. I found it boring. As I grew older, I see the beauty of it.
The song was written for Porter Wagoner, on whose show Dolly Parton (not my mom) got her start. She had been on his show for five years and was leaving for a solo career - and this song was her resignation letter.
You thought it was a romantic breakup song, didn't you? It wasn't.
Anyway, the song topped the country charts twice. The first time was in 1974, and this was what the song sounded like then.
In 1982, Dolly Parton (not my mom) did a movie with Burt Reynolds called The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and she rerecorded and rereleased this song - and it topped the country charts AGAIN.
She would, of course, release the song AGAIN, as a duet with Vince Gill, in 1995. This version didn't top the country charts - it only reached #15.
Disappointing.
This version started off as THIS live performance, and was picked up by country music radio, which pressured Dolly's label to release it as a single - and it became a hit again.
As big a hit as this song was, it was an even bigger hit for another artist who shall remain nameless.
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