R.I.P. Dolly Parton

Last week we lost two icons. I will be taking the next two days to write about them.

The first one that passed away was Dolly Parton. I was sitting down on my couch and my wife texted me to let me know. I didn't believe her at first. I had just read something that Parton had written about how she was sick, but she was going to fight it as long as she could. This was only a few days before her passing. Then I got the text and checked it out and found out it was real. Dolly Parton was officially gone.

This is such a bummer. Not only was Parton an icon. She did so many wonderful things in the world of country music and acting. "I Will Always Love You" is one of the greatest songs ever written. It is so beautiful, meaningful and elegant. "Jolene" is one of the best songs ever written about a scorned lover. "9 to 5" is fun and upbeat and so easy to sing along with. I could go on and on about her music. She was such an exceptional writer, she could play the hell out of a guitar and her voice was so ironically her own. No one else out there sounds like she did.

As far as acting, the first thing I saw her in was "9 to 5". She is more than up to the task with the other great performers in that movie. When she arrives on screen, she fully takes the whole movie over. It is all hers from there on out. "Rhinestone" is a terrible movie, but not because of her. She gives it her all and she tries everything she can to save that sorry excuse for a movie. She lent her voice to so many kids shows and cartoons. She had that voice that is instantly recognizable and she used it for some great work. She also did her own music videos, as well as appearing in tons of other artists, artists who idolized her, videos. She also had a theme park in her name, Dollywood. And she gave as much back to the community as possible.

And, as I mentioned before, she was so much more than just a musical artist and actor. She was a humanitarian. She tried and gave to any kind of non for profit or charity that she believed in. She was instrumental in helping get the Covid vaccine out there and running when it was needed most. She championed other artists. My brother showed me a letter that she wrote to Eminem years back and it was amazing to see how polite and kind she could be in a letter. She wanted equality for everyone. I read that she got into a Dolly Parton lookalike contest and was beat out by a drag queen. She cheered and was so happy for that person. She didn't begrudge them or say bad things, she was happy and made sure that the winner knew how happy she was. She would appear on talk shows and make jokes at her expense and others. I love the "Letterman" clip that has resurfaced online as of late where she mentions that people don't "recognize that she also has a great ass".

Dolly Parton never let the fame get to her head. She always knew and remembered where she came from. She never stopped working hard. That is what those close to her have been saying lately. She worked all the way up to her final days. She wanted people to be happy with what she did and did as much as she could. I've also read that she has a ton of unreleased music she was working on prior to her death, and that her estate is more than likely to release it when they feel ready. I cannot wait to hear it. I have been going back and watching some of her older clips too, and she was the same when she was young and new on the scene. She was always happy and bouncy and fun when she was on the tv or on a movie screen. She never let that die. She always had an upbeat spirit that was infectious in the best way possible. She was loved the world over. No one has come out and said anything bad about her or tried to take her down a peg since her passing. She was one of the few people that crossed borders and was loved by everyone she came in contact with, or was a fan of hers. It felt like she had so much more left to give. She was taken far too soon. She was only 80. She seemed like she was ready to fight the cancer, or whatever illness took her.

This one stinks. This one hurts. Dolly Parton was a big part of my life, but also hundreds of millions of other people. My niece, who is in her early 20's, is just as devastated by this as me, my wife and my folks. Dolly Parton is going to be severely missed. I wish she were still here. At least she is with her husband wherever she may be right now. I hope she is jamming with other music legends wherever she is now as well.

Rest In Peace Dolly Parton. Gone way too soon and you will be sorely, sorely missed. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Happy Birthday to Great All Around Person Dolly Parton

Today is Dolly Parton's birthday. Look, I'm a very late convert to Dolly Parton. I've always known who she is, why she's famous and that she has millions of fans. But, it wasn't until recently, namely the pandemic and the rollout of the vaccine, that I really paid attention to Parton. After what I have learned, I’m a big fan of Dolly.

From what I have read and been told by those close to me, Parton was involved in some way helping the COVID vaccine come out, and come out as fast as it did. I will forever be grateful to her for this. She helped usher in this new normal, and because of her tireless efforts, we are back to some kind of normalcy in America. She is an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. She has never given up her political leanings, but she has always been a supporter of same sex marriage and has always loved that she is an icon within the community. She helped with a telethon after wildfires broke out in the Smoky Mountains. She works with Red Cross and HIV/AIDS related charities. She has an honorary doctorate from the University of Tennessee. Dollywood has been a massive success. She has won multiple awards. She has written books. She revolutionized writing rights for songwriters. Colonel Parker tried to goose her out of money for the song "I Will Always Love You". He claimed that it was standard procedure for a songwriter to hand over half the publishing rights when another artist, namely his artist Elvis Presley, covered a song. Parton refused and the rest is history. Parton was not only a genius songwriter, but a genius business person. She has earned an endless amount of money during her career. She's gone on to do multiple genres of music. She is a country icon, but she has also done pop and rock records. She has covered old blues standards. She has a Christmas album. She's even done bluegrass. Not to be outdone on the stage, she is also a fairly accomplished actor. I just recently watched "9 to 5" with my wife, and Parton was the best one in the whole movie. Her music is all over soundtracks. She's appeared on "Grace and Frankie". She has multiple Hallmark Christmas movies. She has lent her voice to many, many animated movies and shows. She has almost an entire "Simpsons" episode dedicated to her. She's been married to the same person for over 50 years. She's never had kids, but she loves them. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has countless awards, including an Oscar. And she just performed at halftime of a Thanksgiving NFL game. She is a wonderful, beautiful star.

Dolly is 78 years old today, but you would never be able to tell. That is amazing. Dolly Parton is a national treasure. I wish I had come to her stuff earlier in my life. I was a snob when I was younger about music and movies. I still have snobbish tendencies, but it is getting better. I would not have watched "9 to 5" or listened to her music in my 20's. Now, being 41, I loved "9 to 5" and I will pop on "Jolene" at the drop of a hat. I love that tune. Happy Birthday Dolly Parton. Here's to many more and keep doing all that you do for the country. You are one hell of an awesome person. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

SeedSing's Advent Calendar of Awesome Holiday Music: Day 21 - Hard Candy Christmas

ed note: This article was originally published on December 21st, 2015

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a new awesome holiday song for every day of Advent. This is the greatest music of the season. Enjoy.

Day 21: Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton (and the cast of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas)

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten,

 Eleven Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen,Sixteen,Seventeen,Eighteen,

Nineteen, Twenty

The winter solstice can be one of the most dark and depressing days of the year. It is the day with the shortest amount of daylight. Many a December 21st we have been lucky if there were any daylight at all since the weather tends to be very dreary. My feelings on the depressing nature of the first day of winter slightly changed with the 2010 Doctor Who holiday special "A Christmas Carol". The episode introduced the idea that the winter solstice meant we were halfway through the dark. Everyday from here until late June was going to bring more and more light to our world. December 21st was not a day to be dreary, it was a day to think about new beginnings.

In 1978 "Hard Candy Christmas" was the second to last song on the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas The Carol Hall penned tune gained immortality when Dolly Parton took ownership of the melancholy song in the film version of the play. "Hard Candy Christmas" is not really even about Christmas, it is about finding your next step. Because the festive holiday is put into the title, "Hard Candy Christmas" has been locked into the December song rotation. Dolly has performed it on numerous Christmas specials, and many other musicians have covered the song for Christmas themed albums. Without any direct mentions of yuletide imagery, "Hard Candy Christmas" became winter holiday music tradition.

Late December is always a time for reflection. The year is nearly finished, and everyone gets into a what next mood. "Hard Candy Christmas" acknowledges that things are tough, but we will make it through the hard times maybe and something else. The song fits in perfectly with the beginning of winter. The next 10 days are going to be filled with parties, family, and memories. Our worst moments are going to back into our minds. Many of us will not have the easiest of times on Christmas Day. Yet we should not fear, the dark is halfway gone and we can make it through. We can leave the sorrow behind and find our next victory.

Now that we have made it halfway through the dark together, it is time to dream about what is next. What are you going to do with the growing daylight? Tomorrow may seem tough, but don't let your sorrow bring you way down. You could learn to sew, maybe just lie low, or you could find someone to settle down with. Me, I may just get drunk on apple wine.

RD Kulik

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He will not let a drop of apple wine get near him this year, that way he may lose some weight. Help all of SeedSing avoid a hard candy Christmas by supporting us.