Dolly Parton has written and performed a shocking number of hit songs since she burst upon the the music scene in 1955. Still active at age 78, Dolly Parton wedding songs are staples at weddings, because she knows how to tell a story in her songs. She calls herself a ‘songteller.’
The likes of Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo look up to her legacy. But they have a lot to learn from Dolly, especially in the lyrics department, where Parton shines. Take the song “Jolene,” about whom the ‘songteller’ tells us shamelessly flirted with her husband. What a killer chorus:
“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
I’m beggin’ of you please,
Don’t take my man.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don’t take him just
Because you can.”
Over four-hundred artists have covered this song alone! Suffice it to say, though, it’s not a wedding song.
Or take her iconic song, “I Will Always Love You.” It was a #1 hit on the Country charts in 1974 AND 1982. As if that wasn’t enough, Whitney Houston covered in the the movie, The Bodyguard, and made it into another #1 hit in 1992, this time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Again, it’s not a wedding song.
Or take her 1977 crossover hit, “Here You Come Again,” which she did not compose herself. Nonetheless, it topped the Country charts five weeks running and made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, firmly establishing Parton as more than ‘just’ a country singer.
And again, it’s not a wedding song.
All of this is a prelude to the delightful songs that ARE wedding songs.
Dolly Parton wedding songs suck you in because she’s telling a story in song, stories expressed with lovely lyrics delivered in her inimitable style. And what is that style? Dolly describes it this way:
“I don’t know if my style has description, except that it’s just me. It’s my soul and my feelings. In high pitch! I think what soul I have in my voice, the feeling that’s there, is strictly from my church-singing days. I get a feeling from singing gospel songs that I never get from singing anything else. But that same soul and feeling and sincerity cross over into anything I sing. But I think the expression and all that sort of thing definitely comes from those early singing experiences.”
Let’s look at some awesome Dolly Parton wedding songs:
Pure and Simple
You gotta love the lyrics to the chorus:
“It’s so pure, it’s almost sacred,
Simply put, it feels divine.
I just love you, pure and simple,
Pure and simple and sublime.”
Love is Like a Butterfly
Again, a lovely chorus:
“Love is like a butterfly, as soft and gentle as a sigh,
The multicolored moods of love are like its satin wings,
Love makes your heart feel strange inside,
It flutters like soft wings in flight,
Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing.”
From Here to the Moon and Back
There’s a lot of depth in this Dolly Parton wedding song:
“From here to the moon and back,
Who else in this world will love you like that?
Love everlasting I promise you that,
From here to the moon and back,
From here to the moon and back.”
What an artist!
Are you a Dolly Parton fan? Let us know and we’ll play them at your wedding celebration on equipment so good, Dolly herself would approve. We are Columbus’ wedding entertainment specialists. Check out Columbus Pro DJs’ availability without obligation today.
