# The 1975 lyric Dolly Parton was proudest of: “Most clever”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1975-lyric-dolly-parton-was-proudest-of-most-clever/
- Published: 2026-10-25T15:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-25T15:08:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-1975-lyric-dolly-parton-was-proudest-of-most-clever/
- Topics: Art, Culture

## Key points

- Parton called ‘The Bargain Store’ one of her cleverest songs.
- Some radio stations thought its lyrics were vulgar.
- She said the bargain store represented a broken heart.

## Summary

Dolly Parton said she was proudest of the cleverness of her 1975 song ‘The Bargain Store’, whose lyrics were misunderstood by some radio stations as suggestive. She explained that the song was about a woman with a broken heart inviting someone to help repair it, rather than the innuendo some listeners read into it.

The song uses a bargain store as a metaphor for a person who has been hurt but can love again. Parton recalled that stations avoided playing it because they thought it implied something vulgar; she said it remained one of her favourite songs. The episode reflects how her image and lyrics were often judged or misread during her career.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.