American Songwriter has published a list highlighting three Dolly Parton songs celebrating enduring love, drawing on the country icon's decades-long career and personal history. The piece coincides with renewed attention on Parton's music following the death of her husband, Carl Dean, in 2025, and reflects her long-standing reputation as one of country music's most beloved storytellers on the theme of romance.

The selections span different eras and collaborations: "Love Is Like A Butterfly," a 1974 No. 1 hit and theme tune for her TV show Dolly, which uses her signature butterfly imagery to describe love as "gentle and rare"; "From Here To The Moon And Back," recorded separately with Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, with Parton praising Nelson's distinctive guitar style and phrasing; and "If You Hadn't Been There," written for Carl Dean, her husband of nearly 60 years, which she dedicated to him in an emotional Instagram tribute after his death.