In her discography, Dolly Parton has pretty much every type of hit in the book. If you want a song about jealousy, you’ve got “Jolene”. If you want a song about love and yearning, look no further than “I Will Always Love You”. But, for every ballad she wrote, Parton also had a few fun songs up her sleeve. In honor of her recent passing, here are three Dolly Parton songs that make me wanna get up and dance.
“Two Doors Down”
This country pop hit of Parton’s from 1978 is the perfect combination of glitter and guitar strings. It puts an optimistic spin on heartbreak, as the narrator sings about a new love, being quite literally right around the corner.
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I think I’ll dry these useless tears and get myself together
I think I’ll wander down the hall and have a look around
‘Cause I can’t stay inside this lonely room and cry forever
I think I’d really rather join ’em two doors down, yeah.
“Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That”
Released as the first single from her album White Limozeen, Dolly Parton scored her 22nd No. 1 with “Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That” on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. In this song, Parton sings about a relationship that wasn’t necessarily good for her, even though she seems to forget that fact whenever she sees her ex in person.
Here comes my baby draggin’ my heart behind
He’s drivin’ me crazy who says love is blind
He’s got a wanderin’ eye and a travelin’ mind
Big ideas and a little behind
Out with a different woman every night
But I remember when he was mine.
“9 To 5”
I couldn’t make a list of catchy Dolly Parton songs without acknowledging the most renowned of them all, “9 To 5”. Parton wrote this song for the 1980 movie of the same name, which follows the lives of three working women. This song was Parton’s only solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Parton wrote this song by rubbing her long, acrylic fingernails together to create a sort of typewriter-esque sound. Her nails were also used as a percussive instrument on the track.
Photo by: Harry Langdon/Getty Images
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