Dolly Parton: Waiting for the Song to Arrive
Dolly Parton: Waiting for the Song to Arrive My songs are like my children. They come from my heart, and I never know when one’s gonna show up. Dolly Parton I always say my songs are gifts. They’re little messages that come to me, and I just try to deliver them the best I can. Dolly Parton Dolly Parton was one of the most prolific songwriters in American popular music, credited with writing thousands of songs over the course of her life. Yet for all the success that followed—the records, concerts, movies, television appearances, awards, and business ventures—Parton regarded herself fundamentally as a songwriter. She once explained that if she had to choose only one of her many occupations, songwriting would win. “The songs lead to everything else,” she wrote. “Everything that I am starts with that song.” ( Smithsonian Magazine ) You can’t help wondering where a song like that actually starts. Sure, Parton understood the craft—she knew how to build characters, f...