The Story – Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is one of those rare celebrities who seems almost impossible to hate. She’s spent decades treating people with kindness, staying humble despite her success, giving millions of children free books through her charity, helping communities in times of need, and never forgetting where she came from. Even people who aren’t fans of her music usually respect her generosity, humour, and the way she treats others. You don’t have to love country music to appreciate the kind of person she is.

— Superme2027 on YouTube

This post is part tribute to the late legendary country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton and part spotlight on her exceptional performance of Brandi Carlile’s song The Story. I mentioned Dolly’s version in my post about Carlile’s original, but after listening to it a few times since, I thought it warranted its own post, especially in light of Dolly’s recent passing on 25 August 2026.

Dolly’s cover of The Story appeared on a 2017 charity album called Cover Stories, which featured various artists covering songs from Carlile’s album of the same name. First, I want to recount how Dolly’s version came about, because it’s a doozy:

Carlile asked Parton to record the song, suggesting she lower the key. She later called her letter “about the stupidest thing I think I’ve ever put down in writing.” Parton enthusiastically accepted the offer, replying, “Honey, do me a favor. Don’t drop the key. I think I can handle it.” Hearing the finished recording, Carlile conceded, “She just completely takes me to school.”

I second Carlile’s reaction. Dolly definitely takes her to school, particularly on those high notes. On that point, I actually wrote the following about Carlile’s version:

It’s supposed to peak at 2:52 as Carlile virtually yells ‘All of these lines across my face’, and that scream-singing feels way overdone. It’s disappointing because the song carries so much passion and authenticity up until that moment, and that delivery definitely takes me out of it.

Dolly Parton transforms this song, infusing it with dimensions that only a long life could provide. You believe every line she sings. Then there’s her voice, which is utterly beautiful, rich in timbre and expression, and arguably all the more moving for the years of life experience behind it.

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I’m not nearly as well acquainted with Dolly’s vast musical catalogue as most country music fans, but, like many of you, I have fond memories of some of her more mainstream career highlights.

As a little tacker, I remember watching the 1980 movie 9 to 5, in which she starred. It remains one of the first movies I recall seeing. Her title track was a huge hit and saturated the airwaves. It was fun revisiting the official video, featuring scenes from the movie, which I hadn’t seen since way back then.

A couple of years later, in 1983, came her monster duet hit with another recently departed country icon, Kenny Rogers. The song, Islands in the Stream, was written by the Bee Gees. Someone left this lovely comment: “I bet these two are performing this in heaven right now.”

Then, in 1992, came the release of The Bodyguard, starring pop diva Whitney Houston. I was on two weeks’ leave in Singapore when I saw the movie with a work colleague. The mega-hit song from it, of course, was Whitney’s version of I Will Always Love You.

A lot of people didn’t know at the time, including yours truly, that the song was written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973. On a side note, isn’t it bizarre to think we live in a world without either Dolly or Whitney in it?

Over the decades, I’ve listened to Dolly’s original many times, and I now consider her country-steeped version the only one I’m settled on listening to for the remains of the day. This song will always be Dolly’s.

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I regret that this post comes nowhere near doing justice to Dolly’s long and illustrious career or her extraordinary philanthropic work. But in the little I’ve encountered of her music, the impact has been pretty BIG. Frankly, I just feel privileged and grateful to have a post with her name attached to it.

Rest in peace, Dolly.

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am

But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true
I was made for you

I climbed across the mountaintops
Swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you

Oh because even when I was flat broke
You made me feel like a million bucks
You do
I was made for you

You see the smile that’s on my mouth
It’s hiding the words that don’t come out
And all of my friends who think that I’m blessed
They don’t know my head is a mess

No they don’t know who I really am
And they don’t know what I’ve been through
Like you do, and I was made for you

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am

Oh but these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true
I was made for you
Oh yeah, well it’s true
That I was made for you