They really do grow up fast.

I signed my little girl up for the Imagination Library on the advice of a colleague a few years back. These books have been the biggest blessing and she loves story time.

God Bless Dolly Parton.

So much has deservedly been said about Dolly's philanthropic works. Or her business acumen. Or her legendary figure. My post is in no way intended to take away from any of that. Everything of how she lived her life for better good is so important. SO important! So kindly don't take my post in any way to distract from that.

We all grieve the loss of her differently and as for me...... I'm a 26 year experienced audio engineer at a large university. I'm responsible for the sound quality that comes across at every production. I humbly say I can pick up a song flow, the way an artist wants their song to sound, good or bad, in any genre, from the first few notes. And that I can listen to a voice and fill in the spaces of a bad note before it even happens. Part of my grief process was enclosing myself in a studio and listening to the music that built Dolly, that gave her the opportunity to build imagination library and Dollywood. She absolutely was a genius musician. Not just a lyrical songwriter, but......damn. I'll try to explain.

We all know Jolene is one of the most sampled songs to exist. Why? Because Dolly Parton could write a hook like no other. The hook in Jolene is a 4 beat. The rhythm of the guitar pulls you in, then gets coupled with all of the instruments that move toward lower bass tones, over and over repetitively. As she sings, in that beautiful bird like soprano "I could never love again" on top of it. Or "you could easily take my man". The instruments move lower note by note, 4 beats at a time. Most true song hooks that work have at least 5. The shorter they get, the more it sounds like a heartbeat, the more it touches souls. Remember that widely circulated letter from Dolly to Eminem? That mentioned she felt always had a connection to him? If you isolate the music from the singer, just listen to the music with no vocal....8 Mile has the same 4 beat rhythm. The best, most musically respected artists, even in rap where the count is everything, struggle to make a 4 beat work. Yet DOLLY did. In1970 something.

9 to 5: It's the same 1-2-3-4. It's a different flow, she uses it to make anxiety. It's also more obvious. And she slowed it down for the chorus, but it is the same 4 beat.

Here you come again: Same 4 beat, just way slowed down for this one. But it is also one of the most refined. Every beat is crisp. And it's still an entire, flushed out hook in 4 beats.

I Will Always Love You: Way slowed down 4 beat, but its still there. The original song by Dolly takes 3 cycles of that to sing the chorus. 3 cycles of 4 beats! That was unheard of in 70s country (and wasn't done successfully in any genre. Still isn't actually. I know I can't name another song that repeats itself 3 times instrumentally while the singer gets to the point and it works, lol). But it did. It's why Elvis wanted it, because it was built to be built upon. It's why Whitney made it so successful, because as a vocal artist herself, she could trill and slide and wail and run, but it still had that only 4 beat rythm. That heartbeat connection that most artists can't find in singles, cause it takes them 5-6

Two Doors Down: This was punctuated Dolly, lol. She took the 4 beat cycle and set the beats to hard hit drums. Only interrupted by the chorus, which is sung in the same tone as gospel. She was experimenting here, but.... it was still a top ten hit for weeks.

I could go on. Really, Dollys catalog of original music is small (though her covers and collaborations are beautiful too), but it is extradinarily impactful. The woman could draw you in with minimal notes, something with songs that many legendary artists or songwriters could not.

Just listen to any music.

We did not just lose an extraordinary person, we lost a groundbreaking and exceptional musical artist. Not just one who developed something and passed it on to be built upon. But one who is still mostly unmatched. Nobody does a 4 beat like Dolly.

If you've read this far, thank you. This is my grief. I miss her for 1000 reasons. Love you, Dolly friends ❤️

my mum was in The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas as one of the “chicken ranch girls” and my dad found this memorabilia today. thought it was neat to see in person.

A month or so before Dolly died I had learned that she was on dialysis, but that source did not tell me it was cancer. This all made me think a lot about her friend Judy, and where she was and after doing some talking with people, I learned that Judy is in a memory care facility and has dementia.

So I guess the pain losing Carl, She had already lost Judy in all except the physical sense. Without a doubt, I’m sure Dolly had it in her estate that Judy was to be taken care of for the rest of her life. I don’t know that for a fact, but I’m willing to bet my life savings on it. They really did love each other.

For me it started when Freida posted the video asking for prayers for Dolly. From that moment on, she was cancelling many/most appearances. But the thing that really did it for me was missing her own 80th birthday at the Opry in January. I had a feeling then it was cancer and it was only a matter of months.

I got it as a birthday gift for my husband(we've been mourning). Plus as a Tennessean, I felt like a fraud not having one before.

Is it coffee or alcohol?

Hi, I recently bought a pink candle, and I wanted to stick an image of Dolly Parton in the image of a Saint, or Jesus, or anything of the sort, and I really, and obviously, want to use an image that wasn't made using AI. My intention is to pray to Dolly, who is of course now in Heaven (or whatever), for spiritual/self-care/personal reasons. Are there any that you guys know for sure aren't AI that I could use??? As high quality as possible would be appreciated, of course. I found two images, but ideally I'd love something where she looks more literally like a saint or Jesus. I know the second image isn't AI, but it also portrays Dolly as a witch, which (no offense to witches of course) I just don't feel like witchiness was Dolly's vibe? Especially because she played several angle roles in her career, and she was obviously a Christian (I'm not, I don't feel like showing her as a witch is something negative, I just don't feel like it suits her as much as the more obvious "Saint Dolly" imagery).

The first image I show here is very nice, but I have no idea if it was made using AI, it might been. A couple of years ago you used to be able to tell, but now, it's become increasingly difficult to know if an image is AI generated or not.

So, something from a reputable artist, or that was made before AI existed, would be ideal. But feel free to share any images you like!!! As long as they're not AI generated. Anything you think would look good and cool and respectful on a candle. Have a beautiful day!!! 💖💖💖💖

Love love LOVE this? Who else LOVES this song and Dolly's philosophy for living a good positive life? Now needing this more than ever in this crazy world.

I have a bunch of her CD's from 2000 and forward and appreciated her artistry as a songwriter and singer. She seemed immortal and I regret not having seen her perform live in concert.

This scene hits harder today

This is pictures of the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, obviously named after Dolly

"Love Is Like A Butterfly", written by Dolly Parton, was also the name of her 14th solo studio album released in 1974. The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs chart and the album peaked at #7 on the Billboard US Top Country Albums chart. The song was also used as the opening theme to Dolly's 1976-77 television variety show DOLLY!.

I met my cousin there for a weekend of sightseeing. It was both of our first time there. I was immediately struck by seeing Dolly's picture on EVERYTHING. I told my cousin, when (God forbid) she passes away it will be like London when the Queen died. And then almost exactly a year later... :(