Dolly Parton will forever be associated with classics such as “Jolene,” “9 to 5” and “Coat of Many Colors,” but long before she became one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world, she arrived in Nashville determined to make her living as a songwriter.
And she was remarkably good at it.
Parton wrote thousands of songs during her career, and many found their way into the hands of other performers. Country stars, pop singers and rock musicians have all dipped into the Dolly Parton songbook, sometimes turning her compositions into hits of their own.
Here are 10 of the most notable songs written or co-written by Dolly Parton and recorded by other artists.
1. “I Will Always Love You” — Whitney Houston
There really couldn't be another song at No. 1.
Dolly originally wrote and recorded “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to her longtime musical partner Porter Wagoner. Her recording became a country classic, but the song took on an entirely new life when Whitney Houston recorded it for the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
Houston transformed Dolly's tender country farewell into a towering pop and R&B ballad, creating one of the most famous vocal performances in popular music history.
The fascinating part is that underneath Houston's enormous arrangement remains the deceptively simple song Dolly wrote years earlier: a graceful goodbye to someone you still love.
It became perhaps the ultimate example of the strength of Parton's songwriting—a song capable of surviving a complete transformation in genre, arrangement and vocal style.
2. “Kentucky Gambler” — Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard scored a No. 1 country hit with Dolly's “Kentucky Gambler” in the mid-1970s.
The story song follows a Kentucky miner who leaves his family and heads west hoping gambling will provide a better life. As you might expect from a Dolly Parton story, things don't exactly unfold according to plan.
Haggard was practically born to sing material like this. His weathered delivery gave the song the feel of an old American folk tale, and his recording became particularly significant for Dolly: it was her first No. 1 as a songwriter for another artist.
Dolly later released her own recording on The Bargain Store.
3. “To Daddy” — Emmylou Harris
“To Daddy” is Dolly Parton storytelling at its most devastating.
The song tells the story of a mother who appears to tolerate an unhappy marriage for the sake of her family—until one day she leaves behind a note explaining that she has endured enough.
Dolly recorded the song herself, but her version remained unreleased for years. Emmylou Harris recorded it instead and released it in 1977, taking the song into the country Top 10.
Harris' restrained performance beautifully suits the lyric. There is no need for melodrama because Dolly's story supplies all the heartbreak necessary.
It remains one of the finest examples of Parton's ability to write about complicated women whose lives rarely fit neatly into traditional country-song stereotypes.
4. “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” — Bill Phillips
Before most of America knew the name Dolly Parton, people were already hearing her songs.
Dolly and her uncle Bill Owens co-wrote “Put It Off Until Tomorrow,” which country singer Bill Phillips recorded in the 1960s.
There's a wonderful twist: Dolly herself can be heard singing harmony on Phillips' recording. Her vocals were originally uncredited, but listeners and radio DJs began wondering about the mysterious female singer accompanying him.
The record climbed to No. 6 on the country chart and became an important early breakthrough for Dolly. The composition also earned BMI recognition as Song of the Year.
In other words, before Dolly Parton the superstar fully existed, Dolly Parton the songwriter was already opening the door for her.
5. “Fuel to the Flame” — Skeeter Davis
Another early Dolly Parton composition came courtesy of country star Skeeter Davis, already famous for songs such as “The End of the World.”
Dolly and Bill Owens wrote “Fuel to the Flame,” and Davis released it in 1967. The song reached No. 11 on the country chart and helped further establish Dolly's reputation within Nashville's songwriting community.
Parton also recorded the song herself for her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly.
Listening to these early compositions makes something very clear: the sophisticated emotional storytelling people would eventually associate with Dolly wasn't something she developed after becoming famous. It was there from the beginning.
6. “The Company You Keep” — Bill Phillips
Bill Phillips wasn't finished with the Parton-Owens songwriting team after “Put It Off Until Tomorrow.”
He also recorded “The Company You Keep,” another Dolly Parton and Bill Owens composition. Released in 1966, the song became another country Top 10 hit.
Its success was important because it proved that the first Phillips hit wasn't simply a lucky break. Dolly was developing into a songwriter capable of repeatedly creating commercially successful material for established performers.
These early songwriting victories helped convince the Nashville music industry that the young woman from East Tennessee was far more than an aspiring singer.
7. “I'm in No Condition” — Hank Williams Jr.
Before Hank Williams Jr. developed the rowdier musical identity that would define much of his later career, he recorded a Dolly Parton composition called “I'm in No Condition.”
Released in 1967, the song is another fascinating artifact from Dolly's earliest Nashville years.
Parton eventually included her own version on Hello, I'm Dolly, alongside several songs that other performers had already recorded.
That debut album therefore wasn't simply an introduction to a new singer. In some ways, it was Dolly finally getting the opportunity to sing songs that Nashville had already begun recognizing as the work of a talented young songwriter.
8. “The Seeker” — Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard returned to the Dolly Parton songbook with “The Seeker.”
Dolly originally released the spiritually searching song herself in 1975, taking it near the top of the country chart. Haggard subsequently recorded it for his 1976 album It's All in the Movies.
“The Seeker” reveals another dimension of Dolly's writing. Rather than telling a conventional romantic story, the lyric is essentially a conversation with God—a humble admission that the narrator doesn't have all the answers and is still searching for direction.
Haggard's interpretation demonstrates how easily Dolly's deeply personal writing could become universal in someone else's hands.
9. “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” — The Great Dolly Songbook
Some Dolly Parton songs became so closely associated with her that it is easy to forget how often other singers embraced them.
“Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” written after Dolly's professional split from Porter Wagoner and her decision to take greater control of her career, became one of her most enduring songs of hope and renewal.
Over the years, numerous performers have interpreted the composition, helping establish it as something larger than a single Dolly Parton recording. Its message—surviving a difficult period and finally seeing daylight ahead—has made it particularly adaptable for other singers.
It is a reminder that Dolly's greatest gift wasn't merely writing songs that sounded good when she sang them. She wrote songs in which other people could find themselves.
10. “Jolene” — A Song That Became Everyone's
Technically, “Jolene” was written for Dolly Parton herself, but no discussion of her songwriting legacy outside her own recordings feels complete without acknowledging what happened to it afterward.
The song became one of the most frequently reinterpreted compositions in Dolly's catalog, recorded by artists spanning country, rock, pop, folk and alternative music.
The White Stripes famously transformed it into something raw and almost desperate. Decades later, Beyoncé reimagined the song for Cowboy Carter, rewriting portions while retaining Dolly's famous central character and concept.
“Jolene” demonstrates something extraordinary about Parton's songwriting. Remove the country arrangement, change the tempo, change the singer, change the decade—even change parts of the lyric—and the emotional architecture of the song remains recognizable.
That is the hallmark of a truly great composition.
Dolly Parton Was a Songwriter First
The rhinestones, wigs, movies, television appearances and larger-than-life personality sometimes overshadow one simple fact about Dolly Parton:
She was one hell of a songwriter.
Long before the world knew her as Dolly, Nashville knew there was a young woman from East Tennessee who could write songs.
Bill Phillips helped introduce those songs to country radio. Skeeter Davis recorded them. Hank Williams Jr. sang them. Merle Haggard took one to No. 1. Emmylou Harris turned one into a country classic. And eventually Whitney Houston took a Dolly Parton composition and sent it soaring around the world.
Perhaps that is the greatest compliment any songwriter can receive.
Dolly's songs didn't require Dolly.
Other singers could step inside them, rearrange them, reinterpret them and make them their own—and yet somewhere underneath, the unmistakable storytelling heart of Dolly Parton remained.
She didn't simply leave behind a collection of great recordings.
She left behind a songbook.
Top 10 Hits She Gave Away Playlist
