Dolly Parton’s Song “Home” Should Be on the Radio
Yeah, we say it all the time. “Seriously, this song should be on the radio!”
But seriously, this song should be on the radio.
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Ever since Dolly Parton announced what became her 42nd album called Blue Smoke, there’s been a sense this is not just some perfunctory release from an older artist, but something that Dolly really wanted to do right; not necessarily a retrenching, but something that special care has been taken towards to let the album live its natural life and not be limited by a lack of attention or love. She planned a world tour out in advance to run parallel with this album, and has seemed to pull out all the stops in making sure Blue Smoke is not just another lazy release from a legacy artist.
Critics have been smiling on Blue Smoke left and right for finding a sensible balance between traditional and contemporary, earthy and entertaining. And that pragmatic, yet still indelibly Dolly approach is what endears the song “Home” to what is becoming a growing crowd.
Released as Blue Smoke‘s first live video, “Home” starts off with that deep, underpinned beat that while may not generated by a drum machine, is ambiguous enough to be mistaken as such. Complimented by an overlayed banjo track, these are the calling cards in 2014 for the intro to any radio-relevant country song. Rock-toned guitar then rolls in, announcing that this will not be one of the album’s traditional numbers, but a solidly country pop arrangement that aspires for a wide audience.
Nevertheless, “Home” reveals sincerity, and an authentic sentiment in the writing, told in a story very true to Dolly, however well-trodden it has been in her 60-year career. The structure of the song rises and swoons, with unintuitive, yet inviting turns, while Dolly’s voice is flawless, hitting the high notes as clean as when she was harmonizing with Porter Wagoner, with her little heartfelt warble as present as ever in the softer moments.
“Home” is certainly not a critical cut from Blue Smoke, but one that for the life of me I can’t find one reason to think it couldn’t live quite nicely on today’s country radio. The video is silly, but it’s also sincerely Dolly. There is a lot here that is very hard not to love. It may not be a country version of “Kokomo” that champions some historic popular music chart re-entry, but Sony should pony up the promo funds and see if they can’t get Dolly to crack the Top 20. Because if they did, she would.
Written by Dolly and Kent Wells.
1 1/2 of 2 guns up.
May 30, 2014 @ 1:37 pm
‘Dolly”™s voice is flawless, hitting the high notes as clean as when she was harmonizing with Porter Wagoner, with her little heartfelt warble as present as ever in the softer moments.”
I’ve been singing the praises of this album to friends ( music business and otherwise ) since first listen. WOW and WOW ! This artist and this record at this time could be all the ammunition NASH ICONS needs to launch an assault on mainstream airwaves and put some of these truly GREAT , inspiring artists ( Dolly -68 years old ..!! ..unbelievable ….but look at Tony Bennett – I realize he’s not a country artist but Tony is as inspirational as artistry comes- George Strait , Merle and , until his recent health issues , God bless him Glen Campbell ) The list is endless , in fact …Suzy Bogguss , Lee Ann Womack , etc..
This record is magic and pure fun top to bottom as only Dolly can combine the two . Its a clinic in how to write and perform a meaningful lyric , how to instill a song with an inspirational message with honest and sincere passion ,and its a blueprint for artistic , contemporary music arrangement with REAL players and singers KILLING it on every track and NEVER getting in the way of the song or the singer .
THESE ARE THE THINGS MISSING from mainstream radio music….regardless of the genre in question . Add to all of this the fact that nobody young or old can deliver onstage like Dolly does and you have a force to be reckoned with on all fronts ( no pun intended , although I’m certain Dolly would LOVE for that to be one ).
This song and this album , as indicated above , NEEDS to see the light of day beyond concert sales . Maybe not for Dolly’s sake ….but certainly for OURS as deprived listeners and fans . Great review , Trigger
May 30, 2014 @ 1:59 pm
Totally agreed — while not lyrically rich as “Coat of Many Colors,” there’s still some substance to it in addition to the catchy-as-hell tune and spirited performance. It’s fun, with a personal touch. 🙂
May 30, 2014 @ 2:21 pm
I’ve got this one the RSD 14 release and it indeed is a very good an solid song!
May 30, 2014 @ 6:40 pm
She’s amazing. I love the video – it’s SO Dolly. Man, if I have that much spunk, sass and spirit at 68 I’d be working it too! The only thing missing from that video is her trademark giggle at the end after she bows. If I had to have a dinner party with 5 guests either living or dead, she’d be one of them. Such a cool woman in so many ways.
May 30, 2014 @ 8:54 pm
Carla …you’ll find that trademark Dolly giggle a few times on the album .
As a songwriter , Dolly is -blow-my-socks-off inspiring . And could I PLEASE get an invite to that THAT party ???
May 30, 2014 @ 6:49 pm
Dolly is giving away a 7″ autographed copy of this song right now on her FB page. It’s drawn on Monday so you might wanna hop on over there pronto to enter!
https://www.facebook.com/DollyParton?fref=nf
May 30, 2014 @ 9:39 pm
If this has come out four years ago it would be all over the radio. It fits right into the 2010 pop country sound, right before I quit listening to the radio. Sounds pretty good actually.
May 30, 2014 @ 11:19 pm
Exactly. It reminds me of the early Taylor Swift sound, soft rock instruments mixed with banjo and fiddle, all harmonizing to produce an emotive and memorable melody.
May 31, 2014 @ 8:02 am
Darn catchy and nearly irresistable–thanks for spotlighting it, otherwise I can’t imagine I ever would have heard it. Good for her!
May 31, 2014 @ 8:28 am
Absolutely, if this were a Jennifer Nettles or Sara Evans song, there’s no doubt this would be in regular rotation on Country Radio.
May 31, 2014 @ 10:44 am
Dadgummit Trigger, I swear I”™m not trying to be negative about everything. I hesitate to even comment because I hate to seem that way; but what”™s the point of this write up? If you’re admitting the song is pop, then why would you want it on the radio; because it”™s Dolly? It seems to me that this is just another example of an artist compromising to fit in. In other words, this song will not help our cause, no matter who”™s singing it. So what”™s the point?
Why does Dolly get a pass?
May 31, 2014 @ 11:23 am
Clint …I’m not trying to answer for Trigger so I apologize for speaking out of turn . You make a valid observation , I think . . But I think one of the big concerns with contemporary country radio is the progressive lack of connection with any of the important elements that defined the country music genre in the past..particularly the substance of the lyric…but also as important , I think , is the disappearance of traditional instrumentation and vocal styling AND the traditional artists who helped to ensure these elements were always a part of the genre . Perhaps Dolly has submitted to a slightly more contemporary rhythmic approach with this particular song . But this ever- so- slight concession is far outweighed by the lyrical and musical content of not only THIS track but the entire record .As a package it is far more honest than just about anything contemporary artists are offering with the possible exception of Joe Nichols when it comes to including the REAL stuff on his records . Dolly has nothing to prove to anyone when it comes to her obvious love and dedication to tradition and I think that visible and ongoing conviction and commitment is a valuable commodity in a time where so many newer artists seem to ignore it in their work . As I said above :
” Its a clinic in how to write and perform a meaningful lyric , how to instill a song with an inspirational message with honest and sincere passion ,and its a blueprint for artistic , contemporary music arrangement with REAL players and singers KILLING it on every track and NEVER getting in the way of the song or the singer .
THESE ARE THE THINGS MISSING from mainstream radio music”¦regardless of the genre in question”
May 31, 2014 @ 2:52 pm
I gotta agree with you Albert. I’m okay with a little bit of pop in a country song as long as the song is well written and is coming from the heart. It doesn’t have to sound traditional for me to enjoy it. You can tell Dolly put a lot of thought behind this song and album. She’s more genuine than anybody else on the radio right now. Sometimes you just gotta forget about “genre guidelines” and just enjoy the good music at hand (this is obviously not the case for rap and EDM country). Look at The Mavericks’ album from last year. It didn’t exactly have a traditional sound and it was named SCM’s Album of the Year.
June 1, 2014 @ 8:40 am
Because she is absolutely adorable and love her music. When I’m standing in Walgreens and “Jolene” starts playing, I forget about sunscreen.
She gets a pass for everything. She is one blessed woman.
August 17, 2014 @ 7:15 pm
I agree with Clint to a point, instead of Dolly, with the massive boatload of talent that she has, falling into line and doing,playing and singing the way that just about every artist that wants to have a song on the charts does now is a little disconcerting. She’s following them, instead of the way it should be, them following her. But, a lot of female country singers today (as well as a lot of male country singers also), when asked who’s been one of their major influences, not just as a great singer,player or writer, and Dolly’s name will usually be at the top of the list. But, by the same token, looking back through past albums and songs she’s written, ‘Home’ may not be as much a ploy to get her some radio airplay (and I constantly badger the DJ’s around here about why they never play Dolly anymore.) One of the jack a….guys claimed he didn’t even know Dolly had a new album out! The upbeat tempo,positive message, beautifully flowing lilt of the song can be found in a lot of Dolly’s tunes.I know, I know, it’s sure not ‘Coat of many Colors, Down From Dover(which, incidentially, is one of my all-time fav Dolly-penned tunes) but,it IS a song about that place deep inside everyone, the place to go to at the end of a hard-working day, where you can throw that wig in one direction and you’re 5-inch stiletto heels the other way. Straight Talk,which most have forgotten about, (though it was a great movie, in my opinion, and did modestly well) that song, along with the tune Nine to Five, all have that basic upbeat rhythm, soooo, in a way,artists today are just now (well,within the past 10 years or so) writing and performing the type of songs that were being written and performed by Dolly years ago, along with all the old standard country tunes that have become a part of the very fabric of Dolly, and of country music and music in general. I had something of an argument with a good friend (and huge Dolly fan) several years ago about the ‘Treasures’ CD she put out that was just covers of some of her all-time favorite songs.I was like, so…don’t you also have you’re favorite songs through the years that have made an indelible mark on you, kinda like a ‘soundtrack’ of where your life was then.He said yes, for sure. Also, if you’ve written over 3,000 songs in your music career, had many, MANY other artists, from opera singers to rock and rollers record, and have had big hits with the songs you’ve written, isn’t that o.k.? Well, yes that’s fine. SO,here’smy point, when you’ve been in the business as long as Dolly has,written, recorded,produced,toured non-stop so the public can see you’re for real, not to mention the success she’s had with some of her movies, a number 1 autobiography, success in many lucrative business ventures, when you add all that up, you’ve WAY more than proved yourself, on many fronts,not to mention all the philoanthropical (sic, where the heck is my spellcheck) causes that Dolly supports behind the scenes, with all that she’s accomplished in life, for herself and others, in my mind, all this affords Dolly the latitude to do whatever the hell she wants, and be totally justified while doing it!! Dolly is an angel. Love you Dolly….
May 31, 2014 @ 3:04 pm
Honestly if I heard this on the radio I’d listen the first time (just because of Dolly’s distinctive voice) but the next time I heard it I’d change the channel.
It’s not a bad song it’s just not that good.
June 1, 2014 @ 8:27 am
This song makes me smile, and makes my feet start dancing in a legitimate country *two-step*, not a line dance. Lyrics that mean something, a voice like an angel, Dolly’s personality shining through in every note … yeah, a bit more of a pop sound but with this song, I’ll take it!!!
Her mention of Hank isn’t just lip service to one of the greats as so many of them do nowadays; it actually fits in the lyric. And nice to just hear about beverages like sweet tea and drinking wine at home rather than driving down the road in a truck getting wasted. This song DOES need to be played on the radio!
Hats off to Dolly!
June 1, 2014 @ 9:15 am
Thanks gold dust/cami jo. I agree.
June 2, 2014 @ 9:45 am
If Dolly’s “Coat of Many Colors” doesn’t make you cry, you must be dead. It makes me cry for many, many reasons.