Something Special (Dolly Parton album)

1995 studio album by Dolly Parton

Something Special

Studio album by

Dolly Parton

Released

August 22, 1995 (1995-08-22)

Recorded

1995

Studio

Nightingale Studio (Nashville)
Sound Emporium (Nashville)
Doghouse Studio (Nashville)
Woodland Digital (Nashville)

Genre

Country

Length

34:03

Label

Columbia Nashville
Blue Eye

Producer

Steve Buckingham

Dolly Parton chronology

Heartsongs: Live from Home
(1994)

Something Special
(1995)

I Will Always Love You and Other Greatest Hits
(1996)

Singles from Something Special

"I Will Always Love You"
Released: November 1995

Something Special is the thirty-third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 22, 1995, by Columbia Records and Blue Eyes records. In addition to seven new Parton compositions, the album includes updated versions of three classics from Parton's repertoire: "Jolene", "The Seeker", and "I Will Always Love You", the latter of which was performed as a duet with Vince Gill. The Gill duet, Parton's third recording of the song, reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, becoming Parton's highest charting single in four years. Additionally, it was named "Vocal Event of the Year" by the Country Music Association.^[1]

Release and promotion

The album was released on August 22, 1995, by Columbia Records and Blue Eye Records.

To promote the album Parton made several television appearances. She appeared on the Grand Ole Opry on August 26 and performed "Something Special", "Jolene", and "I Will Always Love You" with Vince Gill. Following this performance, radio stations began giving Parton and Gill's duet of "I Will Always Love You" unsolicited airplay, causing it to debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Parton appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 31 and performed "Something Special". She and Vince Gill performed "I Will Always Love You" on the 29th Annual Country Music Association Awards on October 4. Following their performance at the CMA Awards, the song was officially released as a single in November.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[3]

Upon its release, the album was met with mixed reviews from critics. A review from Billboard said that "it's a bit distressing when the highlights of a new Dolly Parton album are new recordings of old material." The review went on to praise the re-recording of "I Will Always Love You" with Vince Gill, but felt that the "recent material pales here when contrasted with that duet and...older Parton compositions. The review concluded by saying, "The new stuff is good. The old stuff is great."^[4]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, describing the album as "something of a mixed bag." Like the review from Billboard, Erlewine also felt that "the newer songs are fine, [but] they pale in comparison with [Parton's] classics." He went on to say that "if the new songs had been included on an album that only featured new material, they would have formed a strong record, but they take a back seat to Parton's older songs, which are more inspired and better-written." He concluded his review by saying that "the album provides several fine moments, even if it doesn't rank among her best works."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dolly Parton, except "Teach Me to Trust" written by Dolly Parton and Gene Golden

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Crippled Bird"	3:44
2.	"Something Special"	3:06
3.	"Change"	3:41
4.	"I Will Always Love You" (duet with Vince Gill)	3:17
5.	"Green-Eyed Boy"	3:53
6.	"Speakin' of the Devil"	3:15
7.	"Jolene"	3:42
8.	"No Good Way of Saying Good-Bye"	2:57
9.	"The Seeker"	3:03
10.	"Teach Me to Trust"	3:27

Personnel

Bob Bailey – background vocals
Eddie Bayers – drums
Steve Buckingham – acoustic guitar
Margie Cates – background vocals
Suzanne Cox – background vocals
Richard Dennison – background vocals
Stuart Duncan – fiddle
Paul Franklin – steel guitar
Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar
Vince Gill – duet vocals on "I Will Always Love You"
Owen Hale – drums
Vicki Hampton – background vocals
Yvonne Hodges – background vocals
Paul Hollowell – piano
David Hungate – bass guitar
Carl Jackson – background vocals
Alison Krauss – background vocals
Sonny Landreth – slide guitar
Randy McCormick – organ
Terry McMillan – percussion, shaker
Brent Mason – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Jimmy Mattingly – fiddle
Steve Nathan – piano
Louis Dean Nunley – background vocals
Dale Oehler – conductor, string arrangements
Dolly Parton – lead vocals
Don Potter – acoustic guitar
Chris Rodriguez – background vocals
Matt Rollings – organ, piano
Brent Rowan – electric guitar
Steuart Smith – acoustic guitar
Duawne Starling – background vocals
Pam Tillis – background vocals
Steve Turner – drums
Paul Uhrig – bass guitar
Reggie Young – electric guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
Canadian Country Albums (RPM)	7
US Billboard 200^[5]	54
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[6]	10

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[7]	73

References

^ "Past Winners And Nominees | 2019 CMA Awards | Wednesday, November 13 on ABC". cmaawards.com. 1996.
^ ^a ^b "Something Special - Dolly Parton / Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
^ Colin Larkin (2006). "Parton, Dolly". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6 (4th ed.). Muze, Oxford University Press. p. 435–6. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
^ "Reviews & Previews: Albums" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. September 23, 1995. p. 92. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Billboard Top Country Albums - Year-End Charts (1995)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2020.

Dolly Parton

Studio albums

1960s	Hello, I'm Dolly Just Because I'm a Woman In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

1970s	The Fairest of Them All The Golden Streets of Glory Joshua Coat of Many Colors Touch Your Woman My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner My Tennessee Mountain Home Bubbling Over Jolene Love Is Like a Butterfly The Bargain Store Dolly All I Can Do New Harvest...First Gathering Here You Come Again Heartbreaker Great Balls of Fire

1980s	Dolly, Dolly, Dolly 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs Heartbreak Express Burlap & Satin The Great Pretender Once Upon a Christmas Real Love Trio Rainbow White Limozeen

1990s	Home for Christmas Eagle When She Flies Slow Dancing with the Moon Honky Tonk Angels Something Special Treasures Hungry Again Trio II Precious Memories The Grass Is Blue

2000s	Little Sparrow Halos & Horns For God and Country Those Were the Days Backwoods Barbie

2010s	Better Day Blue Smoke Pure & Simple I Believe in You

2020s	A Holly Dolly Christmas Run, Rose, Run Rockstar

Live albums

A Real Live Dolly
Heartsongs: Live from Home
Live and Well

Soundtrack albums

9 to 5
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Rhinestone
Straight Talk
Joyful Noise
Dumplin'

Compilation albums

Hits Made Famous by Country Queens
As Long as I Love
The Best of Dolly Parton
Just the Way I Am
Mine
Best of Dolly Parton
Greatest Hits
The Winning Hand
Collector's Series
Think About Love
The Best There Is
Best of Dolly Parton, Vol. 3
I Will Always Love You and Other Greatest Hits
Ultimate Dolly Parton
The Very Best of Dolly Parton
Playlist: The Very Best of Dolly Parton
Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection

Singles

1960s	"Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" "Dumb Blonde" "Something Fishy" "In the Ghetto"

1970s	"Mule Skinner Blues" "Joshua" "Comin' for to Carry Me Home" "Coat of Many Colors" "Touch Your Woman" "My Tennessee Mountain Home" "Jolene" "I Will Always Love You" "Love is Like a Butterfly "The Bargain Store" "The Seeker" "We Used To" "All I Can Do" "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" "Here You Come Again" "Two Doors Down" "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" "Heartbreaker" "It's Too Late to Love Me Now" "Baby I'm Burnin'" "I Really Got the Feeling" "You're the Only One" "Great Balls of Fire" "Sweet Summer Lovin'"

1970s

"Mule Skinner Blues"
"Joshua"
"Comin' for to Carry Me Home"
"Coat of Many Colors"
"Touch Your Woman"
"My Tennessee Mountain Home"
"Jolene"
"I Will Always Love You"
"Love is Like a Butterfly
"The Bargain Store"
"The Seeker"
"We Used To"
"All I Can Do"
"Light of a Clear Blue Morning"
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"
"Here You Come Again"
"Two Doors Down"
"It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"
"Heartbreaker"
"It's Too Late to Love Me Now"
"Baby I'm Burnin'"
"I Really Got the Feeling"
"You're the Only One"
"Great Balls of Fire"
"Sweet Summer Lovin'"

1980s	"Starting Over Again" "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" "9 to 5" "But You Know I Love You" "The House of the Rising Sun" "Single Women" "Heartbreak Express" "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" "Hard Candy Christmas" "Potential New Boyfriend" "Save the Last Dance for Me" "Downtown" "She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" "Tennessee Homesick Blues" "Medley: Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride" "Don't Call It Love" "Real Love" "Think About Love" "Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)" "We Had It All" "To Know Him Is to Love Him" "Telling Me Lies" "Those Memories of You" "The River Unbroken" "Wildflowers" "Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" "Yellow Roses"

1980s

"Starting Over Again"
"Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You"
"9 to 5"
"But You Know I Love You"
"The House of the Rising Sun"
"Single Women"
"Heartbreak Express"
"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"
"Hard Candy Christmas"
"Potential New Boyfriend"
"Save the Last Dance for Me"
"Downtown"
"She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"
"Tennessee Homesick Blues"
"Medley: Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride"
"Don't Call It Love"
"Real Love"
"Think About Love"
"Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)"
"We Had It All"
"To Know Him Is to Love Him"
"Telling Me Lies"
"Those Memories of You"
"The River Unbroken"
"Wildflowers"
"Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That"
"Yellow Roses"

1990s	"Time for Me to Fly" "White Limozeen" "Love Is Strange" "Rockin' Years" "Silver and Gold" "Eagle When She Flies" "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" "Romeo" "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" "To Daddy" "Just When I Needed You Most" "Peace Train" "After the Gold Rush" "Feels Like Home" "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" "Walking on Sunshine"

2000s	"Seven Bridges Road" "Shine" "Imagine" "Both Sides Now" "Twelfth of Never" "Travelin' Thru" "Where Do the Children Play" "Better Get to Livin'" "Drives Me Crazy"

2010s	"Together You and I" "Calling My Children Home" "The Story" "The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me" "Here I Am" "Girl in the Movies" "God Only Knows" "There Was Jesus" "Faith"

2020s	"When Life Is Good Again" "Mary, Did You Know?" "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" "Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas" "In the Sweet By and By" "Magic Man" "We Are the Champions/We Will Rock You" "Step by Step" "Let It Be" "What's Up?" "Wrecking Ball" "Southern Accents"

Features	"Islands in the Stream" "Love Is Strange" "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" "Sleepless Nights" "Viva Las Vegas" "Baby, It's Cold Outside" "If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)" "When I Get Where I'm Going" "I Still Miss Someone" "You Can't Make Old Friends" "Forever Country" "Smoky Mountain Rain" "Words" "Eagle When She Flies" "Does He Love You (Revisited)" "Forever Young"

Features