Feb.07

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This Week in Freudenfreude: Tryin' to Get Up That Great Big Hill of Hope

When we look around for material for this feature, you might be surprised how often writing an item about Dolly Parton is a real possibility. Or maybe you wouldn't be surprised at all. We have gone with her once or twice before, and today we're going to do so again. In part, because while she is undoubtedly Christian, she embraces the charitable and tolerant aspects of Jesus' ministry. From where we sit, that stands in marked opposition to the behavior we describe above, in "Donald Trump: He Was Nailed to the Cross for Me." And in part, because this week marks the anniversary of the release of her album Jolene (February 4, 1974). It wasn't her first album, but it was the one that really put Parton on the map, and launched her on the path to superstardom.

Here is a list of news items about Parton from just the last week, most of which could plausibly have served as the basis for this item, all by themselves:

• Entrepreneurial Spirit, Part I: The title track from Jolene is about a red-haired woman who tried to steal Parton's husband away from her. For this reason, the singer says she could not tolerate red wine for decades. But this week, perhaps in a version of exposure therapy, Parton announced that her vineyard will begin selling a red wine... called "Jolene." For those who want to get their drink on, it will retail for $14.99 a bottle.
  
  
• Entrepreneurial Spirit, Part II: Also on the Dolly-as-businesswoman front, the 40th anniversary of the founding of Dollywood is imminent (it's a couple of weeks away). The Knoxville News Sentinel had a story about how Parton's investment in the park, and thus in the poor, rural town of Pigeon Forge, served to revitalize the area.
  
  
• Garden Variety: This week, the Spartanburg Regional Medical Center will open a new hospital. And the entrance of the hospital will feature a "healing garden," paid for by a $100,000 donation from Parton. The donation is in honor of Parton's mother Avie Lee Parton, who was born nearby (at home, as was the custom in that day).
  
  
• Reading is Fun...damental: For a number of years, Parton has been part of a group that operated the "Imagination Library," an organization that delivers free books to children around the world, mostly in very poor communities. The service was suspended in some areas, due to funding issues, followed by the pandemic, but this week, thanks to extra money being kicked in by the Dollywood Foundation, it's back.
  
  
• Number One: Despite her substantial work as an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Parton is still keeping her hand in the game as an artist. Her most recent album is Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith, and Fables, which brings together recordings that represent five generations of her family. This week, the album debuted at the top of the U.K.'s Country Compilations chart. That's the eleventh time Parton has pulled off that particular feat.
  
  
• Just Duet: In addition to doing her own albums, Parton has also gotten in the habit of recording duets with other prominent artists (Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash, among others, also liked to do this in the latter stages of their careers). The most recent duet to be released is a cover of "What's Up?" by Four Non-Blondes, backed by Linda Perry, who wrote the track and played guitar on the original version. Perry is also an extremely out lesbian, so apparently not every Christian sees being LGBTQ as an offense against God. Anyhow, it's pretty rockin' (and is also the source of the headline for this item). On Wednesday, details of Parton's next duet were unveiled; it will be a rendition of Sabrina Carpenter's "Please Please Please," with Carpenter as the backing musician.
  
  
• Broadway Bound: Parton also has a musical in the works, titled Dolly: An Original Musical. Yesterday, it was announced that there will be preview showings in Nashville this summer, before the production heads to Broadway early next year.

Let us not forget that Dolly Parton is 79 years old, and this is just one week's worth of stuff. Clearly, she is working much longer hours than just 9 to 5. We tip our caps to her.

Have a good weekend, all! (Z)