Dolly Parton turned 77 on Jan. 19, and instead of buying herself something nice, the country legend and lifelong philanthropist decided to give the gift of music on her special day. The singer announced a new song, entitled "Don't Make Me Have To Come Down There," in an Instagram reel that's garnered more than 200k likes.
Parton began the video message in characteristically adorable fashion, singing a few lines of "Happy Birthday" to herself. Then she explained how she was commemorating her big day, saying, "Somebody said, 'What are you gonna get on your birthday?' I said, 'I'm not gonna get. I'm gonna give.' I've got a song that I'm dropping on my birthday."
Parton revealed that the new track was inspired by a dream she had in which she saw God looking down on humanity from a mountain and issuing a quaint warning: "Don't make me have to come down there."
"It woke me up," she explained. "I got up, and I started writing this song and over a period of weeks and months, I finished it as things would come to me. I just felt like I should drop it on my birthday."
"Don't Make Me Have To Come Down There" is a buoyant mix of acoustic guitar and pop sounds. It's a story told largely from God's perspective as he chastises mankind for its moral shortcomings: "Politics, earthquakes, erratic weather. Pandemics, war, and hate. Still you'd rather turn a deaf ear, a blind eye."
But, of course, the song is not all doom-and-gloom. Parton injects the track with her signature humor and wordplay, transforming God's wrath into the angry protestations of a put-upon mother, with lyrics like, "I am wondering whether I should take my Bible Belt and whip you into shape."
The new song comes as speculation around Parton's upcoming rock album (her first foray into the genre) ramps up. In a Jan. 17 appearance on The View, Parton revealed that the record will feature duets with a whole host of rock legends, including Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks and John Fogerty.
No official release date has been specified for the rock album, entitled Rock Star, but fans can expect the record to drop sometime this year.
