This was great, Pe. Like you, I have a lot of respect for Dolly, but I've never been a hardcore fan. While I have a lot of respect for her musicality, personality, and achievements on a commercial and cultural level, I tend to gravitate towards bigger voices. One of the things I always admired about her was that she always stayed true to her style but was never afraid to try new things. That blend of authenticity and fearlessness is rare. And your post here demonstrates that. I also love the approach you took. Rather than regurgitating the thousands of recent biographies and tributes, you jumped straight to her disco side. Very smart move. Excited to read the B-Side!
I haven't studied the extent to which Dolly's image altered in her shift from country to pop, but let's face it, her OTT style was a perfect fit for the excessive world of disco and I'm not surprised she stayed with this track throughout her career.
I'm fascinated by the art of the pop crossover but having said that it seems Dolly didn't have much of a pop profile here in the UK during the seventies; Jolene was Top 10 of course, but nothing else troubled the singles chart including Baby I'm Burnin'. Indeed, I was amazed to learn Dolly never had a top 5 single in the UK during her lifetime; I guess she was even more of a cultural icon than a purely musical one.
Come to think of it, did you ever have country hits? Big hits, I mean, in the UK? In the Benelux we never really did. It’s the same over here with Dolly. She didn’t have that many hits, but everybody knew, and still knows, her. And I genuinely think everybody respects her.
Her image stayed remarkably consistent throughout her career, Paul. She couldn’t care less what people thought or said. I think she genuinely loved her stage persona, because how else can you keep doing it again and again for all those years? But at the same time, she was a very savvy businesswoman. And it brought her quite a fortune. The royalties from “I Will Always Love You” alone must have amounted to many, many millions, and the song still generates money today. And then there’s everything else. She wrote an incredible number of songs.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but there’s even a song she wants released on her 100th birthday, 20 years from now. It’s locked away in a vault. Now that’s some serious long-term planning 😁 And certainly not something that was organised only when she knew she was going to die.
Anyway, I do agree with your point that she was absolutely ready for the peak disco look 😁 Thanks for reading, Paul. Have a great week!
I don't remember "Baby I'm Burnin'" but I didn't know "Faith" either, and that's the one that got the waterworks going again when I listened to it. She was such a wonderful role model for building bridges and being inclusive musically and in many other ways. She just went ahead and did it without fear for her career or reputation. We gotta love her for that. Thanks for this intro to some more of her music. Pe.
I couldn’t agree more, Ellen. Reading about her gave me that feeling of, “I would’ve loved to have known her.” She really did seem like a genuinely nice person.
Anyway, thanks for reading and for taking the time to react, Ellen. I really appreciate it. Wishing you a great week ahead!
I love this song! There's a great story from the guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, how they came up with that firework signature sound:
"Dolly Parton asked me to make fireworks one time," Baxter remembered of their collaboration. "I was working with my Roland guitar synthesizer, and she said, 'Can you just make it, like, reds and greens and sparkles?'"
"So I thought about it for a second, and then with one hand I played as many notes as I could while the other hand was working the Roland's [pitch] transposer, slapping it back up and down. She was going, 'Yeah, yeah, that's it. Whee!'"
This is an amazing story, Diggin’It 😁 Thanks for sharing it. It certainly confirms the connection with Studio 54 and the more commercial side of disco. These kinds of effects had become quite natural in many disco records by then, but knowing the story behind this one makes it even more fascinating.
Nicely done, Pe....I think you really nailed the '78 vibe that Dolly and RCA landed on. I remember the album coming in, and maybe even the 12-inch. That year, I was 23, and working at the largest Houston (TX) record store. I think with another artist not as fervently involved in her career (and image, let's face it), they would've let RCA just steamroll a campaign, including song and direction, and let the chips fall where they may.
But, Dolly, I'm confident, was so aware of what she wanted (and didn't want....to become Rick Dees, say), that she made sure to "reel in" the RCA suits if their suggestions got too outrageous or gratuitously tasteless. I mean, she even wrote the song ("Baby I'm Burning")....again, an artist less "with it" and conscious of her audience (even a "new one" she wanted to court), not only would've forced a misstep, but, likely worse, would've just let the label handle all the steps (and, history is cluttered with those roadside accidents)!
One look at the voluminous sessions players on the album (and single) tell you all you need to know....the "usual suspects" in the rock and country studios (Dr. John, a couple of Totos, David Foster, to name a few), sure, but, she was also keen and clever to hire those who had experience in the disco lane, as well, to lay down the tracks with her! She's even credited with assisting with the rhythm arrangements (with experienced pros, Gregg Perry and David Wolfert)! This is end-product awareness and control that rivals Barbra's! And, that's meant in nothing but the highest of compliments to her craft and diligence (and talents)! So many ways and reasons to miss Dolly.
Couldn’t agree more, Brad. Researching songs and artists always leaves me with more respect for the craft and the career afterwards. In some cases, much more respect, and Dolly certainly falls into that category.
I know how easy it was to fall into the “disco trap” at the time. That’s why I gave the example of the Beach Boys. Dolly didn’t, but she was fully on board with what she was doing. I love the story @digginit added. It’s such a great example of how she was loving every minute of it without ever losing her own character.
She was very smart. The “Madonna of country.” 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Brad! Really appreciate it.
I have never heard this! Like you, not a country fan but always had deep respect for Dolly. The song is actually a lot of fun. I would have loved to hit the floor to this.
Looking at the dance chart result (#15), you definitely weren’t the only one, MK 😁 Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react. Really appreciate it!
This was great! I’d never heard “Baby I’m Burnin’” before but it was fantastic!
One song you mentioned — “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” by Rod Stewart — was a track I always loved as a kid (along with “Passion”). But I certainly wasn’t any sort of music critic at 7 years old! Wasn’t “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” well received (commercially at least)? Did Rod Stewart regret his foray into disco?
Great questions, Mark. The song will definitely get its own episode, and I’ll go deeper into the story behind the song, Rod and disco. It’s not quite as black and white as it might seem.
It became one of his biggest hits and, as far as I know, remained on the setlist throughout his career, but I don’t think it was exactly his favourite song from his repertoire 😁 That said, he did record other tracks that were very dancefloor-adjacent, like “Passion.”
I expect I’m going to have a lot of fun researching this one. 😁 Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to react, Mark. I really appreciate your support!
I'd "discovered" Dolly Parton with "Here You Come Again." I guess I connected with her enough to then buy the "Heartbreaker." I don't remember listening to it much but I loved "Baby I'm Burnin'" and "I Really Got the Feeling" which was on the "B" side of the single. They had interestingly marketed the former to pop and disco stations and the latter to country radio. What a crossover time for Dolly! I think it brought her to a wider audience than she'd ever had before. So glad for that!
This was great, Pe. Like you, I have a lot of respect for Dolly, but I've never been a hardcore fan. While I have a lot of respect for her musicality, personality, and achievements on a commercial and cultural level, I tend to gravitate towards bigger voices. One of the things I always admired about her was that she always stayed true to her style but was never afraid to try new things. That blend of authenticity and fearlessness is rare. And your post here demonstrates that. I also love the approach you took. Rather than regurgitating the thousands of recent biographies and tributes, you jumped straight to her disco side. Very smart move. Excited to read the B-Side!
Thanks Andy. She was a great artist indeed. Thanks for sharing! Have a great start of the week!
I haven't studied the extent to which Dolly's image altered in her shift from country to pop, but let's face it, her OTT style was a perfect fit for the excessive world of disco and I'm not surprised she stayed with this track throughout her career.
I'm fascinated by the art of the pop crossover but having said that it seems Dolly didn't have much of a pop profile here in the UK during the seventies; Jolene was Top 10 of course, but nothing else troubled the singles chart including Baby I'm Burnin'. Indeed, I was amazed to learn Dolly never had a top 5 single in the UK during her lifetime; I guess she was even more of a cultural icon than a purely musical one.
Come to think of it, did you ever have country hits? Big hits, I mean, in the UK? In the Benelux we never really did. It’s the same over here with Dolly. She didn’t have that many hits, but everybody knew, and still knows, her. And I genuinely think everybody respects her.
Her image stayed remarkably consistent throughout her career, Paul. She couldn’t care less what people thought or said. I think she genuinely loved her stage persona, because how else can you keep doing it again and again for all those years? But at the same time, she was a very savvy businesswoman. And it brought her quite a fortune. The royalties from “I Will Always Love You” alone must have amounted to many, many millions, and the song still generates money today. And then there’s everything else. She wrote an incredible number of songs.
I don’t know if you’ve seen this, but there’s even a song she wants released on her 100th birthday, 20 years from now. It’s locked away in a vault. Now that’s some serious long-term planning 😁 And certainly not something that was organised only when she knew she was going to die.
Anyway, I do agree with your point that she was absolutely ready for the peak disco look 😁 Thanks for reading, Paul. Have a great week!
I don't remember "Baby I'm Burnin'" but I didn't know "Faith" either, and that's the one that got the waterworks going again when I listened to it. She was such a wonderful role model for building bridges and being inclusive musically and in many other ways. She just went ahead and did it without fear for her career or reputation. We gotta love her for that. Thanks for this intro to some more of her music. Pe.
I couldn’t agree more, Ellen. Reading about her gave me that feeling of, “I would’ve loved to have known her.” She really did seem like a genuinely nice person.
Anyway, thanks for reading and for taking the time to react, Ellen. I really appreciate it. Wishing you a great week ahead!
I love this song! There's a great story from the guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, how they came up with that firework signature sound:
"Dolly Parton asked me to make fireworks one time," Baxter remembered of their collaboration. "I was working with my Roland guitar synthesizer, and she said, 'Can you just make it, like, reds and greens and sparkles?'"
"So I thought about it for a second, and then with one hand I played as many notes as I could while the other hand was working the Roland's [pitch] transposer, slapping it back up and down. She was going, 'Yeah, yeah, that's it. Whee!'"
This is an amazing story, Diggin’It 😁 Thanks for sharing it. It certainly confirms the connection with Studio 54 and the more commercial side of disco. These kinds of effects had become quite natural in many disco records by then, but knowing the story behind this one makes it even more fascinating.
Nicely done, Pe....I think you really nailed the '78 vibe that Dolly and RCA landed on. I remember the album coming in, and maybe even the 12-inch. That year, I was 23, and working at the largest Houston (TX) record store. I think with another artist not as fervently involved in her career (and image, let's face it), they would've let RCA just steamroll a campaign, including song and direction, and let the chips fall where they may.
But, Dolly, I'm confident, was so aware of what she wanted (and didn't want....to become Rick Dees, say), that she made sure to "reel in" the RCA suits if their suggestions got too outrageous or gratuitously tasteless. I mean, she even wrote the song ("Baby I'm Burning")....again, an artist less "with it" and conscious of her audience (even a "new one" she wanted to court), not only would've forced a misstep, but, likely worse, would've just let the label handle all the steps (and, history is cluttered with those roadside accidents)!
One look at the voluminous sessions players on the album (and single) tell you all you need to know....the "usual suspects" in the rock and country studios (Dr. John, a couple of Totos, David Foster, to name a few), sure, but, she was also keen and clever to hire those who had experience in the disco lane, as well, to lay down the tracks with her! She's even credited with assisting with the rhythm arrangements (with experienced pros, Gregg Perry and David Wolfert)! This is end-product awareness and control that rivals Barbra's! And, that's meant in nothing but the highest of compliments to her craft and diligence (and talents)! So many ways and reasons to miss Dolly.
Never will there be another like her.
Couldn’t agree more, Brad. Researching songs and artists always leaves me with more respect for the craft and the career afterwards. In some cases, much more respect, and Dolly certainly falls into that category.
I know how easy it was to fall into the “disco trap” at the time. That’s why I gave the example of the Beach Boys. Dolly didn’t, but she was fully on board with what she was doing. I love the story @digginit added. It’s such a great example of how she was loving every minute of it without ever losing her own character.
She was very smart. The “Madonna of country.” 😁
Thanks for reading and reacting, Brad! Really appreciate it.
I have never heard this! Like you, not a country fan but always had deep respect for Dolly. The song is actually a lot of fun. I would have loved to hit the floor to this.
Looking at the dance chart result (#15), you definitely weren’t the only one, MK 😁 Thanks for reading and for taking the time to react. Really appreciate it!
This was great! I’d never heard “Baby I’m Burnin’” before but it was fantastic!
One song you mentioned — “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” by Rod Stewart — was a track I always loved as a kid (along with “Passion”). But I certainly wasn’t any sort of music critic at 7 years old! Wasn’t “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” well received (commercially at least)? Did Rod Stewart regret his foray into disco?
Great questions, Mark. The song will definitely get its own episode, and I’ll go deeper into the story behind the song, Rod and disco. It’s not quite as black and white as it might seem.
It became one of his biggest hits and, as far as I know, remained on the setlist throughout his career, but I don’t think it was exactly his favourite song from his repertoire 😁 That said, he did record other tracks that were very dancefloor-adjacent, like “Passion.”
I expect I’m going to have a lot of fun researching this one. 😁 Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to react, Mark. I really appreciate your support!
Oh wow, that’s something to look forward to!!
This was great Pe. Thank you for focusing on this under appreciated aspect.
I thought you would like this one Taz 😁 Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to react. Really appreciate it.
I'd "discovered" Dolly Parton with "Here You Come Again." I guess I connected with her enough to then buy the "Heartbreaker." I don't remember listening to it much but I loved "Baby I'm Burnin'" and "I Really Got the Feeling" which was on the "B" side of the single. They had interestingly marketed the former to pop and disco stations and the latter to country radio. What a crossover time for Dolly! I think it brought her to a wider audience than she'd ever had before. So glad for that!
Absolutely. In many ways that period was the start of it all. Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave a reaction Dan. Much appreciated.