Dolly Parton gave one last gift to her many fans and admirers upon her death this week at age 80. In a time of corrosive political polarization, she was mourned by those who otherwise delight in disagreeing disagreeably.
In 2019, The New York Times headlined a story on Dolly’s appeal: “Is There Anything We Can All Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton.” This week, it updated its reporting with polling data: “Dolly Parton Was Someone We Could All Agree On. Even in Polls.”
Why was Dolly so beloved? Over the course of a six-decade career, she was principally a songwriter — her publishing catalog contains more than 3,000 songs. She told stories in her songs, stories of faith and friendship in the face of adversity, told with a certain femininity, both delicate and determined. And she decided to stay out of politics, both for commercial reasons — customers have diverging politics — and because politics ought not be primary in a healthy culture, and songwriters care for the culture.
She called herself a “songteller,” the title of Dolly’s 2020 book, Songteller, relating her “life in lyrics.”
“I know that there are many songwriters in this world who are much
