Dolly Parton Released Her First Song at 13 Years Old
A sweet homage to the complexities of young love, Dolly Parton co-wrote “Puppy Love” with her uncle, Bill Owens, when she was just 11 years old.
In March 1959, a 13-year-old Parton headed to southwestern Louisiana with her grandmother, Rena Owens, to record the song at Goldband Records. Of the 30-hour bus ride, she later recalled, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way the inside of that bus smelled. It was a combination of diesel fuel, Naugahyde, and people who were going places.”
You can see glimpses of Parton’s storytelling acumen even then. Sometimes you won’t even carry my books / The next time you see me, rag on my looks / You’re meaner to me than a mean ol’ crook / But I must confess I’m really hooked.
[RELATED: 3 Times Dolly Parton Got Experimental With Her Music (And Succeeded Flawlessly)]
The First Time She Heard Herself on the Radio
Despite receiving minor airplay, “Puppy Love” did not reach the charts.
Still, for a teenager growing up in a one-room log cabin, nothing beats your first time hearing your own voice coming over the airwaves. In her 2020 book Songteller, Dolly Parton wrote she “about killed myself.”
“I was sitting up on the counter, and the radio was on,” she recalled. “I jumped off the counter and slid and fell trying to get to the radio to turn it up.”
However, Donny Osmond would later record a version that hit No. 1 on the UK charts in July 1972.
The 10-time CMA Award winner would perform “Puppy Love” live during her canine fashion show, Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala, in February 2024. She later uploaded a new version of the song—dubbed “Billy’s Version” in honor of her god dog—to her official YouTube.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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