By HP pop culture guru Pat Reeder
This week has appropriately been filled with tributes to Dolly Parton (the latest: a petition to rename the Nashville Airport to “Dolly Parton Airport,” which is the best idea we’ve heard in years.) We and Amb. Huckabee have both shared the debut-episode interview she graciously gave to help launch “Huckabee” on TBN. Sadly, we never got her on to perform, but for this week’s look back, we found a beautiful song with an inspiring message that we think she would love. It’s “Fair Winds,” by her good friend Larry Gatlin, who has appeared on a number of news channels to pay tribute to her.
Of course, this week, I’m picking Dolly Parton songs. Who else? But while other tributes focus on her monster hits, she wrote and recorded thousands of great songs, and there are many hidden gems. So I thought I’d spotlight a few that you might not have heard, in hopes it encourages you to go to your favorite streaming service and explore her vast catalog. The only problem will be picking just three. Pardon me if I lean more toward her early country songs with a strong mountain music influence than her pop crossover era.
First up, a 1970 appearance on Porter Wagoner’s show that illustrates Dolly’s love of her family. This was truly the era of big hair! Those ethereal harmonies by sisters Stella and Cassie raise goosebumps, and Dolly’s guitar work is impressive, as are her humorous asides about their minor flubs (she was wrong; it’s perfect the way it is.) Bonus: that proud older couple in the audience are her grandpa and her mother, the woman who actually sewed the famous “Coat of Many Colors.”
Speaking of ethereal female harmonies, Dolly teamed up with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris for two incredible albums (“Trio” and “Trio 2”) that should be in everyone’s collection. Here’s a gorgeous live performance of “High Sierra.” One commenter quotes his late grandpa as saying, “This is what three angels sound like.”
FYI: For another inspiring track from “Trio 2” led by Emmylou, look up “When We’re Gone, Long Gone” and thank me later.
Finally, “Love Is Like A Butterfly” was a #1 country chart hit and the theme to Dolly’s TV show, but it was before her crossover success so it’s not as well known. The arrangement on the record is wonderful, but I wanted to share this live solo version to show both her gorgeous voice and her excellent guitar picking (often with long fake nails), which YouTube music vlogger Rick Beato praised.
Also, check this out for a guitarist’s appreciation of Dolly’s skills on a stunning live solo performance of “Coat of Many Colors.”
Now, please indulge me as I share a personal memory about why I picked “Love Is Like A Butterfly.”
When I was in high school in the small town of Clifton, Texas, we had a wonderful guidance counselor named Alma Spence. She wore big colorful glasses and had a silly sense of humor and a big heart that was open to every kid in school. In that place and time when standards were rigidly enforced and bullying tolerated, anything different about you made you a target. Mrs. Spence’s office (and sometimes even her home) were safe havens for any misfits who needed one. She could turn on a dime from wacky faculty member to fiercely protective mama bear. She didn’t just help kids get into college, she helped them survive and learn to love and accept themselves, even if others didn’t.
One day, she discovered “Love Is Like A Butterfly” and fell in love with it (her joyful enthusiasm for random things was another thing that made her special.) She brought her record player and the 45 to school one day and played it over and over in her office, telling everyone who entered how beautiful it was and insisting on sharing it with them.
Some of the kids made fun of her for that. To this day, I’m ashamed that I didn’t speak up to defend her, as she would have for me. I was scared that being a chubby, glasses-wearing, straight A student who admitted that I, too, loved Dolly Parton’s “Love Is Like a Butterfly” wouldn’t have gone over well with the redneck bully crowd – although I bet they also loved Dolly and just wouldn’t admit it.
As you play that song over and over (and you will), I hope you’ll also give a thought to Mrs. Spence. It strikes me that one of the best ways to pay tribute to the universally-beloved Dolly Parton is to follow her example, and show kindness and acceptance to everyone you meet. Don’t just like her, BE like her. Maybe someday years later, people will remember you as fondly as we all remember Dolly and as I remember Alma Spence.
Having a hot, sticky weekend? Fortunately, the Babylon Bee has been working overtime to generate fake news, so you won’t have to.
Thanks for listening.
