A Story to be Told: A tribute to Dolly

By Dennis Hartley

(Originally posted on Digby’s Hullabaloo on August 25, 2026)

I tell you there will always be music
As long as there’s a story to be told
There will always be music
‘Cause music is the voice of the soul
There will always be music

-from “There’ll Always be Music”, written by Dolly Parton

In my 2022 review of the documentary Leonard Cohen: A Journey, A Song, I wrote:

Several years ago, I saw Tom Jones at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Naturally, he did his cavalcade of singalong hits, but an unexpected moment occurred mid-set, when he launched into Leonard Cohen’s “Tower of Song”. Jones’ performance felt so intimate, confessional and emotionally resonant that you’d think Cohen had tailored it just for him. When Jones sang, I was born like this, I had no choice/I was born with the gift of a golden voice, I “got” it. Why shouldn’t Tom Jones cover a Cohen song? I later learned “Tower of Song” has also been covered by the likes of U2, 8Nick Cave, and The Jesus and Mary Chain. A truly great song tends to transcend its composer, taking on a life of its own. The reasons why can be as enigmatic as the act of creation itself.

Today, we lost the composer of many, many “truly great songs”. In fact, Dolly Parton wrote an estimated total of 3,000 songs over her lifetime, 450 of which she officially released (the only other artist I can think of who comes close is Prince, who reportedly had several thousand unreleased songs languishing in the vaults when he died).

Dolly Parton was, of course, much more than a singer-songwriter, and the tributes have been pouring in accordingly. Digby summarized Dolly’s legacy beautifully earlier today:

She was an international superstar, a national treasure, an icon, a brilliant songwriter, and a true mensch in every way.

I think of her and Willie Nelson as the two symbols of the best of America, representing the heart and soul without all the strife and hate. They both managed to evade the politics and culture war nonsense and just be beloved by everybody because of the sheer force of their inherent decency and talent. And of the two, Dolly is the one who most openly put her money where her mouth was with everything from books and library programs for poor kids to the development of the COVID vaccine. She had strong principles and lived by them, but, miraculously, without making enemies along the way.

Amen.

Back to how a great song can transcend its composer. Assuming you are familiar with Whitney Houston’s take on “I Will Always Love You”, here are interpretations of 10 Dolly Parton songs that stay on message throughout a diversity of genres from country to skate punk; proving beyond a doubt that Dolly’s music is indeed “the voice of the soul”.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – “Jolene“