Discussing the remainder of this particular album, however, is a tougher exercise, where even if it defies particular expectations and conventions of country music albums of its time, it does seem to have that same very loose thread running throughout. It’s one of those songs that would justify any collection it’s on, not only as a great standalone song, but also as one of the singular best country songs of all time. It’s the art of subtlety at its most potent and heartbreaking level. With the titular item’s magic compared to the Biblical story of Joseph, to me it’s more about showcasing a faith – a strength – that can’t be broken, not even by one of the most universally relatable examples of childhood trauma: bullying.Īgain, another paradox where the beauty is self-evident but the true magic cuts deeper. A gentle touch in the firmer acoustics keeps the perspective grounded, but it’s a track that belies just simple nostalgia. Like similar albums of the era, though, the main discussion point always stems from its signature title track, Parton’s own rag-to-riches story told from the heart, in which she calls back to her childhood and the time she was ridiculed for the cherished coat her mother made her out of fabric scraps. Unlike similar albums of the era, this was a mostly self-written effort comprised of Parton originals, as well as three Wagoner cuts. Take, for instance, 1971’s Coat of Many Colors, Parton’s seventh studio album for RCA Records. She wasn’t afraid to break through with her own perspective, and the results show in a solo career that predates her eventual split from Wagoner as his musical partner. But despite a bigger breakthrough that came from her joining Porter Wagoner’s touring entourage and popular television show (also in 1967), you’d be mistaken to think that Parton was just another cog in Nashville’s male-dominated machine, or that she merely stood in Wagoner’s shadow. We discussed Loretta Lynn’s ascent to stardom last time, and because of both her and Patsy Cline’s contributions to putting strong female perspectives at the forefront of country music, Parton had always figured she arrived in Nashville at just the right time. That, of course, feeds into the underlying paradox from before. She broke through in 1967, when her own “Dumb Blonde” – a take-no-prisoners song about smashing sexist stereotypes – revealed a young performer unafraid to put forward her own perspective in country music. Connections came and went, but nothing truly solidified until Parton graduated from high school and moved to Nashville for good. Through her uncle on her mother’s side, Bill Owens, she was able to get settled in Nashville at a young age and further work on her budding musical talent. She’s also a product of grinding poverty, one of 12 children born to a musically inclined but dirt-poor Appalachian family in the Smoky Mountains near the town of Sevierville, Tennessee. Parton is a performer with a smooth tone, playful attitude, and public image all her own, but she’s also at her very heart an incredibly accomplished songwriter, able to keep perspectives generally upbeat but never one to shy away from a darker reality, either. She’s got it all.īut I think, if anything, it’s also too easy to note just the accomplishments and discount the talent beneath. She’s an international celebrity with a slew of iconic songs to her name, as well as even some notable movie credits and her very own tourist park. If you want to keep it simple, you call her arguably one of the most well-known and universally adored artists in all of music – yes, country or otherwise. I’ve always considered Dolly Parton to have a paradoxical balance to her career, where for every descriptor one can use to summarize her image and legacy, there’s far more beneath the surface that adds an essential missing piece to the conversation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |