Dolly Parton Is Still Doing That Rock Album, Wrote Song For Her Induction
Dolly Parton will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday (11/5). The class of 2022 also includes Pat Benatar,…
Dolly Parton will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday (11/5). The class of 2022 also includes Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon.
Dolly talked with Pollstar and vowed to earn her spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She said she plans to do a full rock and roll album. "When I got nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought, 'Well, no better time to do it. I had always wanted to do it. My husband is a big hard rock' n' roll fan, and for years I thought, 'One of these days I'd like to do an album mainly just for him, just to kind of do it.'"
She added, "When I got nominated, I thought, 'Why not just go ahead and do it while the iron's hot? Maybe have some of the greats, the legends of rock 'n' roll, sing along with me."
Due to her busy schedule, she has not worked on the new album yet; Parton said, "I'm gathering all that stuff and notifying a few people. When I get leveled out from finishing the movie [Run, Rose, Run]; hopefully, I'm going to have a real good album. I'm looking forward to it."
Dolly is no stranger to rock music and has done covers of rock and pop songs for years. "All those things from the rock field were my husband's idea. Though he did not like it when I was going to do [Led Zeppelin's] 'Stairway to Heaven.' I did it kind of bluegrass-style when I did it, but when I do the rock album, I'm going to actually re-record it – and do it more true to the regular record."
She is even trying to get some rock royalty to join her, "I'm trying to see if [Led Zeppelin singer] Robert Plant might sing on it. Maybe [Led Zeppelin guitarist] Jimmy Page might do the pick-up part on it. I'm looking forward to dragging in some of the great classic people, girls, and boys, to sing on some of the songs. I'm not far enough along to discuss who and what, but I am going to do an album."
As for this weekend's induction, she said, "I have to honestly say, I'm very grateful and honored, but I'm also the kind of person – I had to do a rock album because if I'm going to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I'm going to by God earn it! (laughs) That's my attitude toward it. There's no way I'm not going to do an album, so people can see that I could and can do it."
She added, "I was like a whole lot of people; I always felt the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was for rock 'n' roll people who spent their lives, time, energy, and talent in the rock 'n' roll field. I didn't realize all the people who had gotten in who weren't really rock 'n' roll, but I still stand by my thing. When I said I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to take votes from someone who'd spent their life in that. But I said, if they put me there, I will accept gracefully. And I will. I even wrote a song about the whole situation to sing at the ceremony. A fine, cute little rock 'n' roll song that'll probably go on the rock 'n' roll album. It’s called “Rockin'’’: "You know I’ve been rockin’ since the day I was born…" You know, listening to Elvis and Journey and Chuck Berry, all those great people. It's a fine little song, and it's real rock-y, so I'll have something fun to play off of to ease some of the tension."
Dolly Parton made headlines recently when she respectfully bowed out of her nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. While she said she didn't want to take votes away from anyone else in the running for the 2022 Induction class, she was not removed from the ballot, which had already gone out to the voters.
No, her name isn't one of the first you think of when you think of Rock and Roll, but the country icon has covered many pop and rock songs in her storied career, making many of them her own while giving each of them a country feel.
We take a look and rank the best pop/rock covers Parton has recorded and included on her many albums over the last five decades.
21. "Blowin' in the Wind" (2005) - Those Were The Days
Photo Blue EyeOriginal: Bob Dylan – Dolly recorded her version of this classic song for her 2005 album of covers. A classic protest song, it's from Dylan's second album, 1963’s The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan album.
20. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" (1984) - The Great Pretender
Photo RCAOriginal: Pete Seeger (songwriter) – The lyrics consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. This was made a hit in 1965 by The Byrds.
19. "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" (1984) - The Great Pretender
Photo RCAOriginal: Gale Garnett – Dolly's version of this already bright song breathes new life into the "sunshine." Dolly’s version won the Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording in 1965.
18. "Peace Train" (with Ladysmith Black Mambazo) (1996)
Photo Sugar HIllOriginal: Cat Stevens (1971) Parton had the song set to a dance mix.
17. "After the Gold Rush" (with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris) (1999) - Trio II
Photo RCAOriginal: Neil Young (1970) – The Trio's version of this classic song won a Grammy in 2000 for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. When it came out, Parton said of the song, "I loved the song on Neil Young's album. But I didn't know what the song meant. Linda and Emmy knew Neil, so we called him and asked him. He said, 'I have no idea.' I thought that was so funny. I think it's about the Second Coming or the invasion of aliens, or both."
16. "Shine" (2001) - Little Sparrow
Photo Sugar HillOriginal: Ed Roland – Dolly gave an excellent country sound to this song that was released as the debut single for alternative rock band Collective Soul in 1993.
15. "Release Me" (1982) - Heartbreak Express
Photo RCAOriginal: Eddie Miller, Dub Williams, Robert Yount - Originally released in 1966 by Engelbert Humperdinck, Parton is one of many artists who have covered this classic pop hit.
14. "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" (1976) - New Harvest, First Gathering
Photo RCAOriginal: Gary Jackson, Carl Smith (songwriters) - This was another iconic hit that Dolly put her own spin on. R&B legend Jackie Wilson first recorded the song in 1967.
13. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" (1993) - Slow Dancing With The Moon
Photo RCAOriginal: Jackie DeShannon (1969) - It’s so “Dolly” you’d almost think that she wrote it.
12. "The House of the Rising Sun" (1980) - 9 to 5 And Odds Jobs
Photo RCATraditional – Dolly arranged this traditional song with Mike Post in 1980. This song's most successful commercial version came in 1964 by the British rock band The Animals.
11. "Great Balls of Fire" (1979) - Great Balls of Fire
Photo RCAOriginal: Jerry Lee Lewis (1957). Dolly loved this song so much that she named her 1979 album after it. Parton knew Jerry Lee, and in 1988 he joined her for a duet on her ABC TV variety show "Dolly!"
10. "Walking on Sunshine" (1996) - Treasures
Phto Sugar HillOriginal: Katrina and the Waves – Kimberley Rew wrote this song for Katrina and the Waves' 1983 debut full-length album. Dolly takes the music to a new level giving it an upbeat country beat.
9. "If" (2002) - Halos & Horns
Photo Sugar HIllOriginal: Bread (David Gates) – Recorded in 1971 by Bread. Parton's version of this song was released as a single in the U.K.
8. "Imagine" (2005) - Those Were The Days
Photo Sugar HillOriginal: John Lennon – Dolly's version of this classic 1971 John Lennon song hits the mark. During an interview for this album, I asked Parton what came to mind when she heard the word "imagine"? In true Dolly style, she quipped, "imagine" how much money I would have made if I wrote the song."
7. "Lay Your Hands on Me" (2014) - Blue Smoke
Photo Dolly RecordsOriginal: Bon Jovi (Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora 1989) – Parton's version of this song is epic and very different from the original rock song.
6. "Crimson and Clover" (2005) - Those Were The Days
Photo Sugar HillOriginal: Tommy James and The Shondells (1968) – Dolly's version is a classic of its own as she incorporates the banjo and features the song's original creator Tommy James.
5. "Drives Me Crazy" (2008) - Backwoods Barbie
Photo Dolly RecordsOriginal: Fine Young Cannibals (1988) – This is the song Dolly added to her Backwoods Barbie album, and she joked at the time, her husband Carl, a big rock fan, just "hates" it when she “ruins” a song like this for him.
4. "Stairway to Heaven" (2002) - Halos & Horns
Photo SugarhillOriginal: Led Zeppelin (1971) - Considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time, it was bold for Dolly to take a swing at this one, but it worked and got a lot of attention for ‘Halos & Horns.’
3. "Time for Me to Fly" (1989) - White Limozeen
Photo RCAOriginal: REO Speedwagon (1978) – A big hit for REO, Dolly really shines in this song that she turns into a bluegrass staple.
2. "The Twelfth of Never" (with Keith Urban) (2005) - Those Were The Days
Photo SugarhillOriginal: Johnny Mathis (1957) – This is the one song released as a single from this 2005 album. Keith Urban sings along with Dolly, and that same year, Parton was the surprise guest and sang it with him when Urban played a show at CRS (Country Radio Seminar).
1. " Help!" (1979) - Great Balls of Fire
Photo RCAOriginal: The Beatles (1965) This song has been covered by so many, but Dolly makes it her very own. I love the banjo she adds to the classic tune. Dolly once spent time in the early 1970s with Paul McCartney and his wife when they visited her backstage at the Grand Ole Opry.
