Did We Expect Dolly Parton’s Posthumous Chart Takeover?

Trending on Billboard The death of country music and entertainment icon Dolly Parton obviously led to a wide outpouring of grief and affection following its announcement last Tuesday (Aug. 25). Now, it’s also led to a major impact on the Billboard charts. For this week’s Billboard Hot 100 (dated Sept. 5), Parton posthumously re-charts five classic titles — “Jolene” (No. 16), “9 to 5” (No. 18), “Islands in the Stream” with Kenny Rogers (No. 26), “I Will Always Love You” (No. 27) and “Here You Come Again” (No. 43) — despite her death coming with just two and a half days to go in that Billboard tracking week (Aug. 21-27). Most impressively, “Jolene” and “Always” both reach new best placements on the chart, with the former surpassing its original 1974 high of No. 60, and “Always” passing the No. 53 peak it hit upon the 1974 ballad’s 1982 re-recording for the soundtrack to Parton film vehicle The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Did we see this huge Hot 100 return happening for Parton’s catalogue following her death? And might the songs hang around for longer than the next couple weeks? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. 1. Dolly Parton returns five songs to the Hot 100 this week, led by “Jolene” at No. 16. Is that more, less, or about what you would expect for her posthumous Hot 100 impact? Kyle Denis: Given that she passed mid-tracking week, this is about what I expected for her posthumous Hot 100 impact. I expect those returning songs to stick around for another week or two — and maybe even reach higher peaks. Lyndsey Havens: I’d expect more songs to re-enter the chart — but am not at all surprised that “Jolene” is leading the pack. Also, with $1 million on the line, the five songs that have re-entered (“Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Islands In the Stream” and “Here You Come Again”) are the exact ones I would guess. And while I would have liked to see some more peppered throughout, since the streams are so concentrated, that focus has helped push “Jolene” and “Always” into the top 40 for the very first time. Melinda Newman: I, frankly, expected — or maybe just wished — that “Jolene” and/or “I Will Always Love You” would have at least been in the top 10 given the phenomenal outpouring of love we have seen for Parton since her death. Both songs became omnipresent this past week, and radio stations who had ignored her for years were blasting her music. As impressive as her streaming gains were, I wish they had been more to carry her higher up the chart. Jessica Nicholson: Given the outpouring of love she has received on social media from fans, celebrities and fellow artists, the more than 32,000 letters written in Dolly’s honor on her official website, and radio stations across the country playing her music, this is less than I would have expected — even amid the strong current hits dominating the Hot 100 at the moment. Andrew Unterberger: Maybe a little more. Given how little of the chart week her catalog had to work with, I think five songs in the top 50 and two in the top 20 is a pretty incredible showing — and telling how much love these songs had amassed over the decades, despite only a few of them having been particularly huge chart hits in their own time. 2. “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” hit new highs on the Hot 100, with the former beating its previous best of No. 60 and “Always,” also from 1974, new at No. 27 (surpassing the No. 53 peak of its 1982 re-recording). Which of the two are you happier (or more surprised) to see hit the top 40 for the first time? Kyle Denis: It’s so incredible to see two enduring songs officially become top 40 hits. I’m not particularly surprised that either “Jolene” or “Always” returned to the Hot 100, but I’m a smidge happier that Parton’s original version of “Always” made it to No. 27. Lyndsey Havens: In terms of shock, both! Because it’s become more common for quick hits to have high and fast peaks on the Hot 100 these days, I sometimes forget that prior to streaming, that was far from true. There are so many songs that I would have thought, without a doubt, were top 10 hits — and these are surely two of them. So yes, I’m glad to see them surpass their prior peaks, but would still argue they should be able to reach even higher. Melinda Newman: It’s still shocking to me that Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You” never climbed higher than No. 53 until now, but I think that’s because it’s so hard to witness the 14-week No. 1 success of Whitney Houston’s version in 1992 and see Parton’s original never succeed to that degree (no diss to Houston). Of course, some of it is methodology and they way the charts were calculated in 1974, when Parton’s original version did top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Jessica Nicholson: I was happy to see “I Will Always Love You” reach a new high on the chart. The song itself has become such a standard in America’s musical lexicon — thanks to not only Parton’s solo version, but of course Whitney Houston’s powerful pop version and Parton’s 1995 duet version with Vince Gill — that it is great to see the original version reach a new high that reflects its enduring impact. Andrew Unterberger: “Jolene” has had such absurd cultural endurance that it felt wrong that it had still never hit the top half of the Hot 100 — it certainly seemed overdue some “Dreams”-type moment of cultural/streaming revival. Would’ve loved to see it finally come for a different reason, but it finally officially becoming one of the biggest songs in the country (and the entire globe) can hopefully be some very small comfort to fans this week. 3. We’ve seen artists like Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson experience multi-song chart returns this year that have not only swarmed the Hot 100 for a week or two, but continued to impact the chart for a month or longer. Do you think Dolly Parton’s chart comeback will be similarly long-lasting, or will it mostly be limited to the week or two following her death? Kyle Denis: I think it could go either way. With the Michael movie focusing on a selected portion of MJ’s catalog and “Beauty and A Beat” becoming the inarguable breakout song from Bieber’s Coachella set, those examples were explicitly built around specific albums or singles. Sure, we naturally gravitate towards two-to-three of an artist’s biggest songs when they pass, but with Parton boasting dozens and dozens of studio albums, collaborative efforts, standalone singles and more, I expect streams to be fairly scattered across her discography. If a song by Ms. Parton were to get a moment like “Billie Jean” or “Beauty,” my money is on “9 to 5.” From streamers adding the 1980 film back to their libraries to hilariously catchy vogue remixes, “9 to 5” could be the secret to a long-lasting chart comeback for Aunt Dolly. Lyndsey Havens: I don’t know if it will be as long lasting as Bieber’s “Beauty and a Beat,” which has just refused to let up post-Coachella, but I would think that at “Jolene” and “9 to 5” may stick around for quite some time, benefitting from boosts that come from artists covering them live and fans revisiting Dolly’s originals. Melinda Newman: Sadly, I think it will be limited to a week or two unless there is a concerted effort at country radio to put “I Will Always Love You” or “Jolene” back in regular rotation or there is some new marketing campaign at streamers to boost her play. Jessica Nicholson: It is possible that the songs could stay on the charts past a couple of weeks, especially given that her estate has previously stated they have multiple business initiatives they are working on rolling out — including Dolly’s soon-to-open SongTeller Hotel. Andrew Unterberger: I thought there would be some chance that “Jolene” would strike enough fans anew and go re-viral enough in its own right that it could remain a chart contender well into September. But given that all of the re-charting titles have started to slide pretty decisively back down the daily charts on streamers like Apple Music and Spotify, it seems pretty likely that following this next week, where they’ll have a full week of elevated streams to work with, they’ll pretty quickly begin to fall off the Hot 100. (That said, she does still have seven of the top 10 on iTunes …) 4. Is there something that you think Parton’s team or label should be doing in the months or years to follow to ensure that her musical legacy continues to endure well past her death — or do you think her music has already proven what it needs to that it will continue to stand the test of time in that sense? Kyle Denis: I think Dolly Parton herself knew just how to ensure the health of her musical legacy, considering the litany of projects she was working on up to her passing, including a stage musical opening on Broadway next spring, a biopic and one last song only meant to be heard on her 100th birthday. And with contemporary stars like Beyoncé (“Tyrant”) and Sabrina Carpenter (“Please Please Please” remix) giving Ms. Parton her flowers while she could still smell them, clearly her music has long proven what it needs to — and it will continue to stand the test of time. Lyndsey Havens: I’d bet Dolly has already taken care of that for them — and it’s just a matter of doing as she says, even still. I definitely don’t think there’s anything left to prove, nor has there been for some time, but I would argue that anything to come from Parton’s team and estate would be in service to her fans and less about her. And in terms of legacy? This point has been well discussed, but I’d argue that because her musical legacy is so intertwined with her overall impact on the world, we will see her legacy most lived out in how we treat each other. Melinda Newman: Parton’s music needs no further validation following her death; she’s had 60 years of hits. However, given that she was on so many labels and her greatest hits collections tend to focus on the classic RCA years (including 2003’s Ultimate Dolly Parton, which re-entered the Billboard 200 at No. 5 this week), it might be smart to do an all-encompassing best-of set that spans the early Monument years through 2023’s Rockstar. That would also likely appeal to younger fans who know they love Dolly but aren’t as familiar with her broader catalog. Jessica Nicholson: Dolly and her team have always handled her music, business and legacy with thoughtful care and much foresight. I’m sure her team will continue finding new ways to keep introducing new generations to her music. Andrew Unterberger: Boy it is tempting to do some fantasy casting for a Dolly Parton biopic, isn’t it? Hard to imagine who could pull it off, though you have to imagine there will be motivation for plenty of actresses to try. That sounds like it will happen at some point in the next decade, and (if done right) will probably result in more gains like this for Parton’s catalog — but before that, I’d like to see her label(s) put some effort into some thoughtful reissues for some of her most beloved albums. As celebrated as Parton’s entire catalog is, many listeners (including myself) can be a little fuzzy on the specifics, and a reissue campaign to put the focus back on the specific albums could certainly help with that. 5. Which Dolly Parton song have you returned to (or enjoyed returning to) the most in the past week? Kyle Denis: “Try Being Lonely” from her 1968 Just Because I’m a Woman album has been my comfort song for the past week. But “Islands in the Stream,” “Eagle When She Flies,” “Light of Clear Blue Morning,” “Two Doors Down,” “Baby I’m Burnin’” and “Sing for the Common Man” have all returned to rotation. Needless to say, Aunt Dolly is my most-played artist of the week by a country mile. Lyndsey Havens: “Jolene” is such a staple in my weekly listening already, that I’ve found myself gravitating more toward the lowest charting of her five songs that re-entered the Hot 100, which is “Here You Come Again.” With each listen, it reminds me that even Dolly was, in a sense, just a girl — singing about how even she could come undone or be shaken to the point of needing to get herself back together, only to crumble all over again. Not that she’d ever let anyone see her sweat; no, we only got to hear about it. And that’s always been plenty enough. Melinda Newman: There have been a few. I always loved “9 to 5,” but, for some reason the line “poured myself a cup of ambition” struck me as particularly smart. The one that really took on new meaning for me, though, was “Coat of Many Colors.” Even as others have revered it, it always felt a little cloying and treacly to me. But not this week. It feels beautifully triumphant. Instead of letting the other kids at school who are making fun of her homemade coat of rags bring her down, Parton feels nothing but pride in her mother’s love and handiwork. In many ways, it’s the song that best exemplifies Parton’s lifelong message to her fans — be proud of who you are and where you came from. Jessica Nicholson: I keep returning to Dolly’s 1977 song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.” Andrew Unterberger: I’m a child of the alt-rock ’90s, so I will always have a particular fondness for her rendering of Collective Soul’s “Shine,” from 1999’s The Grass Is Blue. Many critics point to that cover as proof of her ability to elevate middling material, but I love the original — so to me, it’s proof of her ability to look past the trappings of era and genre when it comes to the history of American popular music and locate the really special songs that she connects with in an audibly specific and personal way.