Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton

by Lydia R. Hamessley, Steve Buckingham (Foreword by)

Overview

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music.

Lydia R. Hamessley's expert analysis and Parton’s characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry. Hamessley reveals how Parton’s loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonate in so many of her songs. Hamessley further provides an understanding of how Parton combines her cultural and musical heritage with an artisan’s sense of craft and design to compose eloquent, painfully honest, and gripping songs about women's lives, poverty, heartbreak, inspiration, and love.

Filled with insights on hit songs and less familiar gems, Unlikely Angel covers the full arc of Dolly Parton's career and offers an unprecedented look at the creative force behind the image.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780252052408
Publisher:	University of Illinois Press
Publication date:	10/12/2020
Series:	Women Composers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	296
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Lydia R. Hamessley is a professor of music at Hamilton College. She writes on old-time and bluegrass music, with an emphasis on women and Southern Appalachia. She has also written about the banjo in nineteenth-century America; Appalachian murder ballads; and Peggy Seeger. She appeared in the BBC2 documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am which aired in the U.S. as Biography: Dolly

Table of Contents

Foreword by Steve Buckingham
Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction: Hello, I’m Dolly
1. “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)”--Dolly’s Musical Life
2. “Coat of Many Colors”--Dolly’s Songwriting Workshop
3. “My Tennessee Mountain Home”--Dolly’s Appalachian Musical Heritage
4. “These Old Bones”--Dolly’s Mountain Identity and Voice
5. “I Will Always Love You”--Songs about Love
6. “Just Because I’m a Woman”--Songs about Women’s Lives
7. “Me and Little Andy”--Songs of Tragedy
8. “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”--Songs of Inspiration
9. “There’ll Always Be Music”--Final Thoughts
Appendix A: Song List
Appendix B: Timeline
Appendix C: On Modes
Appendix D: “Wayfaring Stranger” and Dolly’s Compositional Voice: A Case Study
Notes
Further Reading
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Lydia Hamessley's book Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton offers a welcome addition to the scholarly discussion of Parton's oeuvre." —Journal of American Folklore

"Dolly Parton herself has said numerous times that she wants to be taken seriously for her music, and this book, well written by a musical expert with academic credentials provides convincing proof that she deserves to be. . . . Not one of those puff pieces." —Visual Parables

"Hamessley focuses on Dolly Parton's songwriting, paying specific attention to the music. . . . Unlikely Angel is a unique look at a globally iconic figure. . . . An in-depth discussion of songwriting and thematic analysis." —Journal of Appalachian Studies

​"Recommended." —Choice

​"Parton's world-class skills as a songwriter have never been the subject of such a precise and unique analysis as this. . . . Hats off to Hamessley for shining a light on the less familiar but perhaps most important aspects of the timeless artistry of Dolly Parton." —The Nashville Musician

"I’m so excited about the book Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton spotlighting Dolly's unmatched gift as a songwriter. Always honoring and forgiving, Dolly shines only the best light on circumstances that would've taken the rest of us out. She's the hero who continues to encourage those who wanted change or wished to go back, bringing to life a part of the country and an existence most of us didn't know or understand, all while making hard living seem like heaven on earth. Her magical combination of heart and genius is a most awe inspiring thing to witness, having a beauty and delivery like no other. Dolly's tales of family, faith, and romance have created an American treasure who has continued to enrapture the world for decades. What a gift for us to see life through hers." —Alison Krauss

​​​​"A dazzling close reading of Parton's songs and identity as a songwriter." —No Depression

​​"Hamessley is especially attuned to the subtle ways in which Ms. Parton interweaves old and new musical strands—for instance, by ornamenting her verses with archaic flourishes and stock phrases from centuries-old ballads." -Wall Street Journal

"A persuasive argument for taking Dolly Parton seriously as an artist. For folk and country music scholars, musicians, and fans." —Library Journal

​"Serious Dolly Parton fans and country music aficionados will be delighted by this in-depth gander into an icon's creative process. " —Booklist

"By examining [Dolly] thoroughly through her musical creations, author and music professor Lydia R. Hamessley gives a dynamic view of this remarkable star." —Bookreporter.com

"Meticulously researched . . . The fine, affectionate attention Hamessley pays to Parton's music offers all sorts of revelations: the old-world strangeness of Parton's lyrical diction, the Appalachian roots of the stirringly beautiful chest voice she employs on her 2002 song 'These Old Bones,' or how much more eerie her critically maligned tearjerker 'Me and Little Andy' becomes when you consider it within the tradition of the ghost story." —Lindsay Zoladz, Bookforum

"Detailed and savvy analysis of Parton's songwriting." —KCTV5

"What Hamessley adds to the current Dolly Parton cultural boom is a page-turning deep dive into Parton’s artistry, borne out in her choices as a composer and performer. Unlikely Angel insists on her complexity and seriousness as a songwriter, celebrating an indelible body of work." —Chapter 16

“Lydia Hamessley invites us on a deep dive into the world of Dolly Parton as songwriter. The book weaves together insightful analyses of the musical forms, cultural roots, and meanings found in Parton’s vast catalog, with Parton’s own accounts of her music. Hamessley unveils these songs as the heart and substance of Parton’s contributions to popular culture, and will inspire every reader to take yet another listen.”—Jocelyn R. Neal, author of Country Music: A Cultural and Stylistic History

From the Publisher

09/01/2020

As Hamessley (music, Hamilton Coll.) notes, country star Dolly Parton's skill as a songwriter isn't most people's first impression of her. Yet, as the author also observes, it's not possible for Parton to have had a career of such duration and crossover appeal if glitz and glam were all there were to her. Hamessley details Parton's songwriting process, her favorite themes and lyrical tropes, and her storytelling prowess, which owes a great deal to the Appalachian musical culture that was key to Parton's early musical development. The musicological analyses of some of Parton's songs are fascinating; while lacking in formal training, Parton had a sophisticated, intuitive sense for what makes a good hook, melody line, or chord progression. Her songwriting is sometimes criticized as overly sentimental, even clichéd, but, again, if that were all there was to it, it's doubtful her career would have been so influential. Besides, it's hard to argue that inclusive emotional honesty is something the world needs less of right now. VERDICT A persuasive argument for taking Dolly Parton seriously as an artist. For folk and country music scholars, musicians, and fans.—Genevieve Williams, Pacific Lutheran Univ. Lib., Tacoma

Library Journal

Dolly Parton jokes about being a prisoner of the “cartoon character” stage persona she herself created, but she is dead serious when it comes to her music. This audiobook reveals the songwriting skill and dedication of one of the nation’s most revered country and pop musicians. Narrator Janet Metzger tells how Parton went from dirt-poor Appalachian to self-made musical legend. Metzger’s skillful performance, delivered with a delightful Southern drawl when quoting Parton, paints a respectful picture of the first lady of country music, who fought for equality in a male-dominated business. The work inspires respect for the woman who has penned more than 3,000 songs, including hits like “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene," and will send listeners scouring their music collections. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile

Dolly Parton jokes about being a prisoner of the “cartoon character” stage persona she herself created, but she is dead serious when it comes to her music. This audiobook reveals the songwriting skill and dedication of one of the nation’s most revered country and pop musicians. Narrator Janet Metzger tells how Parton went from dirt-poor Appalachian to self-made musical legend. Metzger’s skillful performance, delivered with a delightful Southern drawl when quoting Parton, paints a respectful picture of the first lady of country music, who fought for equality in a male-dominated business. The work inspires respect for the woman who has penned more than 3,000 songs, including hits like “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene," and will send listeners scouring their music collections. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile