Dolly Parton never had children of her own, but she sort of did. The Country Music Hall of Fame member reveals in a 1976 interview that she feels almost like her songs are her own children.
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"Every song of mine is like a child," Parton explains. "I don't have children of my own, but I conceive an idea for a song and carry it in my mind until it's time for it to be delivered. I labor over it, then it's born, and I watch it grow. Some of them are beautiful children, some of them not so beautiful, but each has its own personality."
Parton goes on to share why she isn't always happy with the way other people record her songs.
"It's a great compliment to me for people to record my songs," Parton acknowledges. "But sometimes I'd just as soon they didn't have, if it's gonna change the personality of it ... I can't say I ain't happy with it, 'cause you make the same money. Although if you're a writer from the heart, it ain't the money. 'Cause if you do something good, the money'll come anyway. But there have been times when it's been like someone taking one of your kids and doing plastic surgery on its face."
Why Dolly Parton And Her Husband Carl Dean Never Had Children
Parton is mourning the loss of her husband, Carl Dean, who passed away earlier this year. Married in 1966, Parton says that it is because she did not have children, she has the superstar career she still enjoys today.
"Since I had no kids, and my husband was pretty independent, I had freedom," Parton tells Oprah Winfrey. "So I think a big part of my whole success is the fact that I was free to work."
The East Tennessee native also enjoys the relationship she has had with other people's children, including her nieces and nephews.
"I didn't have children because I believed that God didn't mean for me to have kids so everybody's kids could be mine," Parton says. "So I could do things like Imagination Library, because if I hadn't had the freedom to work, I wouldn't have done all the things I've done. I wouldn't be in a position to do all of the things I'm doing now."
