When Dolly Parton moved to Nashville, people became enamored not only with her unique voice but with her talent as a songwriter . Parton prides herself on her lyrics and has received well-earned credit for her ability to write. One Nashville music publisher saw a glaring problem with her writing, though.
A Nashville music publisher said Dolly Parton had a weakness as a songwriter As Parton’s career took off, she received praise for her ability to write. Her songs were complex, emotional, and evocative of her childhood in Tennessee . When she wrote, it was clear that the product was a Dolly Parton song.
This, according to record producer Clarence Selman, was a problem. “Her major weakness as a writer is that she has so stylized her songs by the time she’s written them, that it would lead another artist to believe that they’re only for Dolly Parton,” Selman said in the book Dolly by Alanna Nash. “The only genuine way for her to get around that is to deliberately write a song for another artist.
And I think that’s a weakness that she hasn’t discovered and done anything about.” Ultimately, though, Selman said this would only be a true weakness if Parton’s goal was to solely be a songwriter. She wanted to perform, though.
“But, really, the word ‘weakness’ only applies if you think all she wants to do is write songs,” he said. “And since that isn’t all she wants to do, we have to assume that perhaps all of her songs are for her. As a professional wri.
