Variety selects 30 of Dolly Parton’s greatest songs, mixing major hits, lesser-known tracks, songs she did not write and one she gave to another performer. The list presents Parton as an exceptional American songwriter whose catalogue spans country, pop, humour, heartbreak and feminist-minded social commentary.

– “I Will Always Love You” is highlighted as Parton’s original, restrained farewell to professional partner Porter Wagoner.
– “9 to 5” is praised as a pop-inflected working-class anthem, built around the line “Pour another cup of ambition”.
– “Just Because I’m a Woman” is noted for confronting sexual double standards in the 1960s.
– “The Bargain Store” offers a more hopeful reflection on past relationships and emotional worth.
– The article says Parton reportedly wrote “The Bargain Store” and “I Will Always Love You” on the same night.
– The selection also includes “Here You Come Again”, written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Emmylou Harris’s hit version of Parton’s “To Daddy”, and novelty bonus track “I’ll Oilwells Love You”.