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For Dolly Parton Fans

*There isn't big Dolly Parton news on the horizon. At least, not that I'm aware of. And I'm not a Dolly Parton expert. I guess one Dolly Parton topical thing to point out is: A major Parton interpreter, Stephanie J. Block (alumna of Broadway's "Nine to Five"), is about to win the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a musical. Block has Parton to thank--Parton, among others--for her career.

*All that said, I want to observe something about Parton. I think her greatness comes from her awareness of ambivalence. I think there is unresolved tension in her big songs. For example, in "I Will Always Love You," there's an obvious conflict between the speaker's serene wishes ("joy and happiness") and the major heartbreak of the chorus. And, in "Jolene" (my favorite), the speaker feels any number of difficult things: helplessness, unease, self-doubt, irritation, panic. The problems don't go away. They're well-articulated--and the writing seems to speak directly to you (if you've ever had a moment of ambivalence).

*"Nine to Five" is in this tradition. The speaker is oppressed. She has a shitty boss. It's difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning. Her ideas go un-credited. At times, she suspects that she is the victim of a vast conspiracy. ("That man is out to get me.")

*Given that this is Dolly Parton country, there's deep internal tension. The speaker--who seems just half-afloat--also has big dreams. She seems to have a fantasy of self-employment. ("There's a better life...." "The tides will turn....") Shrewdly, Parton doesn't resolve the fight between complacency and ambition. It's not clear if the speaker in this song will ever free herself from her job. She's caught in a difficult, complicated moment--taking solace, at least, in the company of her similarly-aggrieved colleagues. ("We're all in the same boat.") Parton is aware that dreams do not consistently come true. She is simply dramatizing suspense, mystery, yearning, and the feeling of a "constant itch."

*Add to that the fact of Parton's effortless craftiness. The figurative language ("cups of ambition," a verse that moves from "being in one boat," to "ships coming in," to "tides turning"). The tasty verbs: "stumble," "tumble," "yawn," "stretch," "pour," "jump," "pump," in one verse alone. You suspect this person maybe couldn't write an uninteresting paragraph even if she tried.

*That's all. Attention must be paid. Hats off to Dolly, and to her on-stage surrogate, Stephanie Block--and tune in to the Tony Awards eight days from now!
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