“My Tennessee Mountain Home” (1972) – Dolly Parton * Written by Dolly Parton * Produced by Bob Ferguson * 45: “My Tennessee Mountain Home” / “The Better Part of Me” * LP: My Tennessee Mountain Home * Label: RCA Victor * Charts: Billboard country (#15)
Dolly Parton was a marvel who transcended category. I liked how Eric Weisbard shone the spotlight on her in his Top 40 Democracy (2014) as an artist who had always been media-savvy enough to diversify her image, but never at the expense of her traditional appeal. He explains her importance as a key player in, if not the very inventor of, something we might think of as the “centrist country radio format,” a profitable pop outpost that’s separate from the country genre.
Of course there’s plenty more to consider with such a multi-layered musician and conscientious public figure as Dolly Parton. She wrote the career trajectory playbook for the sort of A-list crossover country queen we’re familiar with today. And although she never turned away from her origins, her multiple charitable foundations and aid initiatives gave that roots sensibility an exclamation point.
When news arrived today that she was gone, I paid attention to the music my inner thoughts cued up, and there was “My Tennessee Mountain Home” right there at the forefront. It’s not surprising, because it’s the title track for the autobiographical album that guided me, during the era of Dolly the early ’80s movie star, toward a different appreciation of her. The song embraces you as something you want to sing right along with, and so you do. And if someone told you it doubled up as a church hymn, you’d believe it.