Dolly Parton may have passed away at the age of 80, but her songs, whether original compositions or covers, will endure as long as there are musicians who can bring them to life. From Whitney Houston to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, Kursiv Uzbekistan hand-picked seven hits that show why Parton’s musical legacy reaches far beyond country.
After Parton died in Nashville on 25 August, the tributes recalled her humour, generosity and unmistakable image. The deepest evidence of her influence, however, was already on record.
Parton wrote about separation, poverty, jealousy and thankless work in language that listeners could carry into their lives. Her songs survived dramatic changes of voice and genre; when she covered somebody else’s work, she brought it home to Tennessee.
Read more: «She had the softest heart and a backbone of steel»: Taylor Swift laments Dolly Parton’s death at 80
1) Whitney Houston — «I Will Always Love You»
Parton wrote the song as a farewell to her long-time collaborator Porter Wagoner. Her recording topped the US country chart twice, but Whitney Houston turned that intimate goodbye into a global declaration for The Bodyguard in 1992. The cover spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in the US, its quiet opening making the final vocal ascent feel even larger.
2) The White Stripes — «Jolene»
«Jolene» became Parton’s most frequently covered song, travelling through pop, rock, folk and a cappella music. The White Stripes stripped away the country polish to reveal the panic underneath: Jack White‘s cracking vocals and Meg White‘s drums turn a controlled plea into something bordering desperation.
3) Kelly Clarkson and Dolly Parton — «9 to 5»
The original «9 to 5» topped the US pop, country and adult contemporary charts, carrying its anger about workplace inequality in one of Parton’s brightest melodies. For the 2022 documentary Still Working 9 to 5, Kelly Clarkson and Parton slowed it into a weary ballad. The change suggests that the struggle described in 1980 has not disappeared.
4) Shania Twain — «Coat of Many Colors»
Parton built this autobiographical song around a coat her mother made from scraps when the family could not afford a new one. She reportedly wrote it on the back of a dry-cleaning receipt, turning childhood humiliation into a lesson about love and dignity. Twain recorded it with Alison Krauss and Union Station for a 2003 tribute album, then delivered a restrained performance at Parton’s 2006 Kennedy Center Honours.
5) Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves — «Here You Come Again»
Unlike most songs closely identified with Parton, «Here You Come Again» was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Parton nevertheless made it her own: it became her first platinum single and spent five weeks at the top of the US country chart. Perry and Musgraves revived its playful, wounded charm during a 2014 CMT Crossroads performance.
6) Dolly Parton’s own cover — «Stairway to Heaven» by Led Zeppelin
Parton approached Led Zeppelin’s rock monument as an Appalachian spiritual for her 2002 album Halos & Horns. Banjo, acoustic instruments and gospel voices replace the original’s gathering electric storm. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page approved the adaptation, demonstrating Parton’s rare ability to honour a famous song without treating it as untouchable.
7) Dolly Parton, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — «Let It Be»
By 2023, Parton was no longer merely borrowing a classic – she was inviting its history into the studio. Her recording for Rockstar featured Paul McCartney on vocals and piano, Ringo Starr on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood on percussion. The result feels less like a star-studded novelty than musicians gathering around a song about accepting what cannot be changed.
The listening need not end here. Taylor Swift remembered Parton as a woman of «true grace and true grit», while Paul McCartney recently gave a separate emotional farewell during his final Late Show appearance with Stephen Colbert.
Kursiv Uzbekistan has also examined the enduring commercial value of recorded music through Britney Spears’ catalogue sale. Parton understood that a catalogue was more than property: it was a way for a song to keep finding new voices — and new lives.
