The 15 Best Dolly Parton Songs, Ranked

A legendary singer-songwriter, performer, actor, respected philanthropist, and all-around cultural icon -- Dolly Parton has done it all. The "I Will Always Love You" singer even has her own theme park, Dollywood.

So you'd be forgiven if you overlooked the depth of her songwriting prowess. But the Smoky Mountain dynamo has written some of the most cherished tunes in country music history. Her songs -- out of the over 3,000 she's written -- run the gamut of love, loss, faith, the power of single women, and home. Even on songs she didn't write, Parton sings with such sincerity that you can't imagine them coming from anyone else.

 

From a classic country kiss-off to a world-class examination of jealousy and pain, here are the 15 best Dolly Parton songs, ranked. (You are doing yourself a favor if you go listen to our playlist immediately).

Read More: What Would Dolly Do? Carly Pearce, Lainey Wilson + More Share What They Learned From Dolly Parton

15. "Dumb Blonde"

This 1967 country hit was written by songwriter Curly Putnam, but it perfectly summed up the suffer-no-fools persona that would make the whole world fall in love with Dolly. "Just because I'm blonde don't think I'm dumb 'cause this dumb blonde ain't nobody's fool," she sang, letting everyone know that underestimating Dolly Parton would be the most foolish thing of all. Women everywhere love the way she challenged the "dumb blonde" persona, acting as a true champion for women throughout her career.

14. "To Daddy"

This 1977 country song was written from the perspective of a daughter looking back on her parents' marriage. It became a No. 3 hit for Emmylou Harris, who recorded it for her album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. This wasn't the first time Parton wrote a hit song for someone else. Parton's "Down From Dover" was recorded by Nancy Sinatra and Merle Haggard scored a No. 1 with "Kentucky Gambler" in 1975. Of course, several years later she'd have her biggest hit with Whitney Houston's recording of "I Will Always Love You."

13. "Islands in the Stream"

This Bee Gees-penned duet with Kenny Rogers features one of Parton's most memorable vocal performances. The song was a worldwide smash, hitting the top of the U.S. Billboard Country charts in 1983.

12. "The Last Thing On My Mind"

Dolly Parton has had such a long career, it's easy to forget that her early years in Music City singing on The Porter Wagoner Show led to some of her best work. Wagoner and Parton's 1967 duet "The Last Thing On My Mind," written by Tom Paxton, went to No. 6 on the country chart. Dolly and Porter would go on to have a string of top 10 hits for RCA over the next six years with songs like "If Teardrops Were Pennies" and "Just Between You and Me."

11. "My Tennessee Mountain Home"

The Smoky Mountains were possibly the greatest muse for the Sevierville, Tenn. native. She once wrote a song about Robert F. Thomas, the mountain doctor who delivered her. She penned "Tennessee Homesick Blues" for the film Rhinestone. But perhaps her greatest ode to the region is 1973's "My Tennessee Mountain Home," inspired by her life growing up as a little girl in the Tennessee mountains.

10. "Just Because I'm a Woman"

"Just Because I'm a Woman," a stand against sexist double standards, proved that Parton wasn't afraid to push boundaries even in 1968. The way she sings this song makes it an anthem for women everywhere.

9. "The Bargain Store"

"The Bargain Store," written and recorded by Parton for her 1975 album of the same name, uses secondhand goods as a metaphor for the narrator's broken heart. The almost-eerie arrangement captured the agony of loneliness in a way that only Dolly can.

8. "The Grass is Blue"

"The Grass is Blue," from Parton's 1999 bluegrass album of the same name, further proved that no one could write about heartbreak and desperation quite like her. The album helped boost Parton's career and, along with the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, brought bluegrass to mainstream audiences.

7. "Joshua"

Parton's 1971 hit "Joshua" became her first single to hit No. 1 on the country charts. Parton mined her Appalachian roots once again for this hard-driving jam about a Tennessee woman and a burly mountain man.

6. "9 to 5"

Hollywood came calling for Dolly in the '70s and '80s. For the classic 1980 comedy 9 to 5, Parton penned the ultimate ode to overworked and underpaid women, giving a voice to the growing movement of women who demanded equal pay for equal work.

5. "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That"

The irresistible "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That" from Parton's 1989 album White Limozeen follows a woman who just can't help pining for a no-good cowboy in "painted on jeans." Produced by Ricky Skaggs, the song is Parton at her best.

4. "Here You Come Again"

"Here You Come Again," written by Barry Man and Cynthia Weil, was Parton's first huge crossover hit. The song would lead to further success on the pop charts and won Parton a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal in 1979.

3. "Coat of Many Colors"

"My coat of many colors that my mama made for me/made only from rags but I wore it so proudly," Parton sings in this heart-wrenching story song about Parton's own upbringing as a poor girl in Tennessee. It's one of the best songs she's ever written and showcases the soul-baring lyrics that made her a country music icon. It's also inspired a pair of TV movies.

2. "I Will Always Love You"

Widely considered one of the best love songs ever written, "I Will Always Love You" captures the pain of loving someone you can't be with. Written as a goodbye to her mentor and frequent singing partner Porter Wagoner, the song has taken on a life of its own. Dolly Parton scored a No. 1 hit with the song twice and entered the top 20 with the track yet again in 1995 as a duet with Vince Gill. The song was also on the soundtrack for one of Parton's films, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. In 1992, Whitney Houston famously recorded the song for The Bodyguard soundtrack, taking it to the top of the pop charts for 14 weeks.

1. "Jolene"

Perhaps no Dolly Parton song has inspired as much fervor as "Jolene." You're cheating yourself if you don't go listen to this song immediately. The tune about a woman-to-woman conversation captures the pain of jealousy as the narrator begs the gorgeous Jolene not to take her man. Parton says the song has been covered more than any other she's written. And with good reason. There isn't a soul alive who hasn't felt what Dolly sings of in the song. "Jolene" is Parton's best work.

Honorable Mentions: "Love is Like a Butterfly," "Two Doors Down," "But You Know I Love You," "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You"

This story was previously published on Jan. 17, 2020. It was updated on Jan. 19, 2022.

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