MY MUSIC

‘Joyful Noise’ soundtrack

Published January 10, 2012 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
Team Dolly

Dolly wrote three songs for the “Joyful Noise Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” including a love song, “From Here to the Moon and Back.”

Dolly’s starring role in the movie “Joyful Noise” (2012) led to her writing three original songs for the soundtrack to the Warner Brothers movie (her first leading role since “Straight Talk” in 1992).

Her three songs (“From Here to the Moon and Back,” “Not Enough,” and “He’s Everything”) were the newest in a list of over 3,000 songs published by Dolly who wrote her first song at the age of five. Dolly once said,

“Ever since I was a little bitty kid, I could just rhyme everything. Every story was a rhyme. It was always fun and it just kind of carried on over the years. I love to write. That’s my favorite thing of all. To me, I’d rather write than to sing. My biggest thrill is to write songs then go in the studio and hear them back.”

The movie features Dolly and Queen Latifah as competing choir members who end up working together to help their church choir win a national choral competition. The soundtrack has sold well over 100,000 copies since its release.

The song “From Here to the Moon and Back” was meaningful as Dolly said her husband, Carl Dean was her muse. “I needed to write a beautiful love song. I picked my husband, who I love, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll write some beautiful song about him.’ It was about my husband in the movie, played by Kris Kristofferson, so I thought in order to make it really real and really touching, I would write it about my real, true emotions about someone I really do love and have loved for more than half of my life.”

“Not Enough” is about coming together with others to solve problems when things are tough which is the common thread of the film itself.

“He’s Everything” is a gospel song written to highlight the church choir at the center of the movie. God was right at the center of why Dolly was involved in the movie,

“I really just felt for myself that [Joyful Noise] was a very uplifting thing for me. It was like good medicine for my own soul, and the fact that it’s to help, hopefully, uplift mankind. But I just think that we should just be praising God a little more than we are, to just glorify Him more.”

Team Dolly‘Joyful Noise’ soundtrack

‘Those Were the Days’

Published October 11, 2005 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
Team Dolly

Dolly releases 39th album, ‘Those Were the Days’

On Oct. 11, 2005, Dolly released her 39th studio album “Those Were the Days.” The album is a collection of Dolly and friends covering classic songs. Dolly invited a myriad of artists including:

  • Judy Collins
  • Roger McGuinn
  • Nickel Creek
  • Rhonda Vincent
  • Mindy Smith
  • Kris Kristofferson
  • Mary Hopkin
  • Keith Urban
  • Cat Stevens
  • Alison Krauss.

Dolly worried people would perceive that she was making a political statement with the inclusion of many of the album’s songs but said,

“I’m certainly not into any kind of political thing or protest. People who know me will know I’ve chosen these songs to really kind of uplift and to give hope, like they were written for at the time… I just felt it was a good time to bring a lot of these songs back… We don’t want to be at war, but of course we have to fight if we have to. We don’t want to lose our children in war but of course we do. So we write about it and sing about it, and it kind of helps us relieve our grief and express ourselves.”

The album reached as high as No. 48 on the Billboard 200 and No. 9 on the country album chart.

Team Dolly‘Those Were the Days’

Duet With Willie Nelson, ‘Everything’s Beautiful (In Its Own Way)’

Published December 10, 1982 / Last Updated August 23, 2015
Team Dolly is a collaboration of writers, editors, and publishers assembled by Dolly Parton Productions. Each member is dedicated to accurately publishing the latest news and historical archives of the living legend that is Dolly Rebecca Parton.

Managing Editor - Jacob Timmons
Creative Director - Sarah Chapman
Team Dolly

‘Everything’s Beautiful (In Its Own Way)’ duet with Willie Nelson scores as top 10 single

The song appeared on the compilation album “The Winning Hand.” The album featured songs by Dolly, Willie, Brenda Lee and Kris Kristofferson from their time at Monument Records.

The single, “Everything’s Beautiful (In Its Own Way)” reached No. 7 on the US Country Singles Charts.

Team DollyDuet With Willie Nelson, ‘Everything’s Beautiful (In Its Own Way)’