Dolly Parton knew how to tell a story.
She sang of a woman pleading with a beautiful redhead not to steal her man, a little girl proudly wearing a coat her mother stitched from scraps and an exhausted employee pouring herself a cup of ambition before another day at work. For more than six decades, Parton turned those stories into songs that traveled far beyond the mountains of East Tennessee where hers began.
Parton, the country music icon, singer-songwriter, actor and philanthropist, died Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 80. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced her death on behalf of the Parton and Owens families in a video posted to Parton’s Instagram account.
Remembering Dolly Parton: We will always love her for the joy she gave us
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” said Seaver, who also served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades. Seaver reflected on the doors his aunt opened not only for her family, but for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers around the world.
“Dolly was a farmer, just like her daddy,” Seaver said. “He farmed the soil. She farmed songs and happiness.”
And what a harvest she left behind.
Parton wrote hundreds of songs about love, poverty, heartbreak, home, independence and the lives of ordinary people. Some became country standards. Others crossed into pop, were reinvented by artists generations later, or simply became so embedded in American culture that it’s hard to imagine a time before them.
Choosing only 10 is nearly impossible, but these songs help tell the story of Dolly Parton.
“Dumb Blonde” 1967
Before the rhinestones, Hollywood and global superstardom, Parton arrived with a warning: Don’t underestimate the blonde. Written by Curly Putman, “Dumb Blonde” appeared on her 1967 debut, “Hello, I’m Dolly,” and became one of her earliest hits. Parton didn’t write it, but its wink and bite fit the persona she would spend decades perfecting.
“Coat of Many Colors” 1971
One of Parton’s most personal songs came straight from her childhood in East Tennessee. “Coat of Many Colors” recalls her mother stitching together a coat from scraps of fabric and the ridicule Parton faced when she proudly wore it to school. Rather than dwell on the cruelty, she transformed the memory into a story about family, dignity and realizing that love can make you feel rich even when you have very little.
“My Tennessee Mountain Home” 1973
No matter how far Parton traveled, the Smoky Mountains were never far from her music. The title track from her 1973 album looks back toward the East Tennessee home she left when she headed to Nashville to pursue music.
“Jolene” 1973
That guitar riff arrives, Parton sings a name, and you already know what’s coming. Inspired in part by a bank teller whose attention toward Parton’s husband, Carl Dean, became a running joke between the couple, “Jolene” turned jealousy into vulnerability. Rather than attacking the other woman, Parton pleads with her and openly acknowledges her beauty. More than 50 years later, artists are still covering and reinventing one of country music’s most recognizable songs.
“I Will Always Love You” 1973
One of the world’s most famous love songs began as Parton’s goodbye to a professional partner. She wrote “I Will Always Love You” while preparing to leave “The Porter Wagoner Show” and strike out on her own. Parton’s recording topped the country chart twice, before Whitney Houston’s towering 1992 rendition for “The Bodyguard” transformed the song into a global phenomenon.
“Love Is Like a Butterfly” 1974
Butterflies became one of Parton’s most recognizable symbols, and this gentle 1974 No. 1 country hit captures why. “Love Is Like a Butterfly” compares love to something delicate and beautiful that can flutter unexpectedly into your life. Released during the same period as “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” the song showed a softer, more whimsical side to her songwriting.
“Light of a Clear Blue Morning” 1977
Parton wrote “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” during a period of transition after separating professionally from Porter Wagoner, turning her newfound freedom into a song about emerging from darkness. Nearly 50 years later, she revisited its message for her 80th birthday, releasing a 2026 version with Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah and Lainey Wilson.
“Here You Come Again” 1977
“Here You Come Again” helped take Parton from country star to mainstream pop presence. Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the piano-driven track became a major crossover hit, topping the country chart and reaching the pop Top 10.
“9 to 5” 1980
The famous “typewriter” rhythm opening “9 to 5” wasn’t made by a typewriter at all; Parton created it by clicking and rubbing together her acrylic fingernails. Written for the workplace comedy starring Parton alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, the song turned frustrations about bad bosses, low wages and workplace inequality into an irresistible anthem. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Parton an Academy Award nomination.
“Islands in the Stream,” with Kenny Rogers 1983
Written by the Bee Gees, “Islands in the Stream” paired Parton’s vocals with Kenny Rogers’ warmth and became a No. 1 pop hit. Parton and Rogers remained close friends and collaborators for decades. The duet became inseparable from their friendship and is also one of the most recognizable recordings in both of their catalogs.