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Who played the “nails” on Dolly Parton’s 1980 hit ‘9 to 5’?
The clacking rhythm in Dolly Parton’s 1980 hit ‘9 to 5’ sounds like typewriter keys, reinforcing the song and film’s office-work setting. Parton created it herself by tapping her long acrylic nails, turning an improvised beat into a defining part of the recording.
Parton said the song came to her on the film set when she had no guitar and tapped her nails while watching the crew work. The nail rhythm was initially a placeholder for the single, but it stayed in the final mix; the album liner notes credit “Nails by Dolly!”
In short
- Dolly Parton made the song’s typewriter-like beat with her acrylic nails.
- The rhythm began as an improvised beat on the film set.
- Her nail tapping remained in the final recording.