After Dolly’s passing I watched a reel by Ben Rector commenting on how he had been on the golf course and a wealthy man also playing commented to him about Dolly’s passing and they shared in the sadness. Awhile later Ben had left the golf course and stopped at a mini mart. The woman behind the counter raised the topic of Dolly and they also shared in a moment of sadness. He commented on the peculiarity that two people with such different backgrounds would feel compelled to speak with a stranger to lament the passing of the same woman and share in the sadness.
Dolly wasn’t for one kind of person. She was for everybody. Her loving nature, kindness and joyful demeanor was like an invitation for all to come and share in this grand experiment of life. Her attitude was one of, “you don’t think I can do it? I’ll prove you wrong,” and she championed those struggling to find their own strength.
I wrote “The Rainbow” as a tribute to Dolly Parton upon hearing she passed yesterday. Music is often a way I process feelings and experiences. She was an incredible woman whose unparalleled career is outweighed only by her love of others, which we see through glimpses of the life she led philanthropically, in interviews, and with her family and friends.
The final line in the chorus is a quote from Dolly herself. “If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” It’s not common for the rainbow to come before the rain but in her case, it did. I felt the spirit of her as I worked on this song yesterday and today and that was a beautiful thing.
The piano in the chorus contains a modified melody of her iconic hit, “I Will Always Love You,” communicating that although she is gone, we will always have love in our hearts for Dolly.
Her strength amazes me. After she wrote that song, Elvis wanted to record it but she would’ve lost her rights to the song and although it was so hard making that choice, knowing how incredible that would be, she refused. She wasn’t willing to compromise what she valued. Whitney Houston later sang it and it was huge but Dolly had no idea at the time what would come of that song. She just knew she needed to be true to herself and she was.
The reference to Dolly being a farmer like her daddy, but farming songs, was inspired by the announcement of her passing shared by her nephew, Bryan Seaver. She planted seeds like dreams of what could be in hopefuls, young and old alike.
This project came together fast. I began the writing process yesterday afternoon, recorded all the instruments last night (guitar, vocals, bass, piano) and the video. After some final tweaks this morning with color grading and creation of the thumbnail for YouTube, it’s now out in the world. I hope it communicated a bit of Dolly’s history and allows you to feel in part the incredible nature of this woman who has given us so much.
She has been and continues to be an inspiration to me of how living life with purpose and intention, led by love, is legacy in the making. Her legacy lives on in the ways she touched our lives and encouraged us forward.
To say Dolly will be missed is an understatement as evidenced by the millions simultaneously grieving her passing and celebrating the beauty of a life lived well. Love is at the root of it all and Dolly knew that. She lived that way.
May we all follow that example and share her confidence that if there’s something to be done, we can do it, stepping forward boldly. Though we now experience the rain, how grateful we are for the Rainbow that graced the world for many years and whose light will continue to shine for years to come.
We love you Dolly, always.
Listen to, “The Rainbow” here.
Very nice.
Thank you 💛