Rockstar | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 17, 2023 | |||
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Length | 141:18 | |||
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Dolly Parton chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rockstar | ||||
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Rockstar is the forty-ninth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. [9] [10] It was released on November 17, 2023, by Butterfly Records and Big Machine Records. [11] [12] The album is a collaborative project with a variety of rock musicians, marking Parton's first album-length foray into the genre.
Lead single "World on Fire" was released on May 11, 2023, [2] with the singles "Magic Man" featuring Ann Wilson, "Bygones" featuring Rob Halford and Nikki Sixx and John 5, "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You", Parton's version of "Let It Be" featuring surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Parton's version of "What's Up?" featuring Linda Perry following over the next five months. Parton performed a duet of "Wrecking Ball" with Miley Cyrus on New Year's Eve 2022, and performed "World on Fire" at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, becoming Parton's highest-charting solo studio album as well as topping the Country and Rock Albums charts.
Parton was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and initially declined the honor as she has a background in country music and not rock. [13] In response, she declared her intention to record an album of rock covers with a host of musical guests from that genre to justify her inclusion. Parton performed "Rockin'", an original song, at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
She reached out to a variety of dream collaborators over the course of several months, including several of the artists she performed with at the Hall of Fame ceremony such as fellow 2022 inductees Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Simon Le Bon and Rob Halford, and other guests Pink, Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow. Parton officially announced the recording on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on November 30. [14] She revealed the album release on the January 17, 2023, episode of The View [15] and previewed the track "World on Fire" on May 11. [2]
British singer and guitarist Peter Frampton was recruited into recording after a mutual friend performed backing vocals with American singer Steven Tyler on the album. He immediately called his manager and the next day, spoke with producer Kent Wells to perform a guitar solo and also vocals on a second track. [16] Parton pursued Mick Jagger to provide vocals on her Rolling Stones cover, but he had a scheduling conflict [17] and failed to reunite Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant for her new cover of "Stairway to Heaven", a favorite of her husband Carl Dean. [18] Her favorite collaborator was fellow country musician Chris Stapleton, [19] who stepped in when Bob Seger was unable to join Parton on "Night Moves" due to experiencing problems with his voice. [20] Prior to the reveal of the official track listing, Parton had performed "Wrecking Ball" with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus at her New Year's Eve show. Parton performed the album's lead single "World on Fire" for the first time at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023. [21]
Lead single "World on Fire" was released on May 11, 2023. [2] After 55 years as a recording artist, Parton had her first release hit a rock-themed chart, with "World on Fire" debuting at number 13 on Billboard 's Rock Digital Song Sales on May 20, 2023. [22] It went on to peak at number 1 a week later. [23]
The second single "Magic Man" featuring Ann Wilson was released on June 15, 2023. [24]
The third single, "Bygones", featuring Rob Halford with guests Nikki Sixx and John 5, was released the following day. [4]
The fourth single, "We Are the Champions"/"We Will Rock You" was released on July 21, 2023.
Parton's version of "Let It Be", featuring surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, was released as the album's fifth single on August 18, 2023. [6]
The sixth single, Parton's version of "What's Up?" featuring Linda Perry, was released on September 22, 2023. [25]
The seventh single, Parton's version of "Wrecking Ball" featuring Miley Cyrus, was released on October 20, 2023. [26]
The album earned 128,000 album-equivalent units, with 118,500 in album sales, in its debut week, making it Parton's most successful debut ever. [27] [28] It was also her first album to top Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the chart's 32 year existence. [27] It ranked No. 3 on the Billboard 200 list, the highest for any Dolly Parton album, and also was No. 1 on both the Country and Rock & Alternative lists. [29] [28]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2023) |
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 65/100 [30] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Classic Rock | [31] |
The Independent | [32] |
Mojo | [33] |
Pitchfork | 5.2/10 [34] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [35] |
Slant Magazine | [36] |
Rockstar received a score of 65 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 18 critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. [30] Slant Magazine 's Dana Poland wrote that "to her credit, Parton still manages to make Rockstar sound and feel like a Dolly Parton album, thanks in large part to her distinctive twang. She and producer Kent Wells make some subtle changes to these songs [...] though more inventive arrangements would have distinguished these versions from the originals". [36] Classic Rock described it as "a monumentally hideous, yet strangely glorious album", [31] while Mojo felt that "even if there are moments when Rockstar seems under-amped, you have to admire her chutzpah". [33]
PopMatters ' Peter Piatkowski wrote that "despite the rockstar affectations, Rockstar is a country-pop album that hopscotches through various genres" including disco on "Heart of Glass" and, although there are "wildly divergent styles represented on the record, Parton doesn't seem lost or adrift, even if her beautiful trill is shoved in front of buzzing electric guitars". [35] Allison Hussey of Pitchfork called it "a dense and star-studded collection that sounds like the millennium's most expensive karaoke party" but felt that its "more tender moments can't outrun its subtextual baggage" and it ends with an "11-minute fart of a closing cliché". [34] Helen Brown of The Independent found it "so long that it can feel like a bit of a slog" but "after all the glittering joy and fluttering hope Parton has given the world, it's hard to begrudge her a little Dollyoke fun". [32]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Rockstar" | Dolly Parton | Richie Sambora [g] | 4:36 |
2. | "World on Fire" | Parton | 4:21 | |
3. | "Every Breath You Take" | Sting | Sting | 4:22 |
4. | "Open Arms" |
| Steve Perry | 3:16 |
5. | "Magic Man" (Carl version) |
| 5:02 | |
6. | "Long As I Can See the Light" | John Fogerty | John Fogerty | 4:11 |
7. | "Either Or" |
| Kid Rock | 4:20 |
8. | "I Want You Back" |
| 5:03 | |
9. | "What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done for You" |
| 5:01 | |
10. | "Purple Rain" | Prince Nelson | 7:51 | |
11. | "Baby, I Love Your Way" | Peter Frampton | Peter Frampton | 4:58 |
12. | "I Hate Myself for Loving You" | Joan Jett and the Blackhearts | 4:07 | |
13. | "Night Moves" | Bob Seger | Chris Stapleton | 5:39 |
14. | "Wrecking Ball" | Miley Cyrus | 3:55 | |
15. | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | 3:53 | ||
16. | "Keep on Loving You" | Kevin Cronin | Kevin Cronin | 3:26 |
17. | "Heart of Glass" |
| Debbie Harry | 3:41 |
18. | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" |
| Elton John | 5:42 |
19. | "Tried to Rock and Roll Me" |
| Melissa Etheridge | 3:49 |
20. | "Stairway to Heaven" | 7:48 | ||
21. | "We Are the Champions" / "We Will Rock You" | 3:51 | ||
22. | "Bygones" |
| 3:59 | |
23. | "My Blue Tears" | Parton | Simon Le Bon | 4:03 |
24. | "What's Up?" | Linda Perry | Linda Perry | 4:38 |
25. | "You're No Good" | Clint Ballard, Jr. | 3:14 | |
26. | "Heartbreaker" |
| 3:39 | |
27. | "Bittersweet" | Parton | Michael McDonald | 4:03 |
28. | "I Dreamed About Elvis" | Parton | 3:38 | |
29. | "Let It Be" | Lennon–McCartney |
| 4:27 |
30. | "Free Bird" | 10:45 | ||
Total length: | 141:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
31. | "Two Tickets to Paradise" | Eddie Money | 4:42 | |
32. | "Jolene" | Parton | Måneskin | 3:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
31. | "Mama Never Said" | Parton | 3:47 |
32. | "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" | Eddie Schwartz | 2:58 |
33. | "Rockin' It" (live) | Parton | 3:06 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
31. | "Rocky Top" (live) | Felice and Boudleaux Bryant | 2:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
31. | "Rockin' It" (live) | Parton | 3:06 | |
32. | "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" | Eddie Schwartz | 2:58 | |
33. | "Mama Never Said" | Parton | 3:47 | |
34. | "Two Tickets to Paradise" | Eddie Money | 4:42 | |
35. | "Jolene" | Parton | Måneskin | 3:12 |
36. | "Stay out of My Bedroom" | Parton | 3:35 | |
37. | "Bridge over Troubled Water" | Paul Simon | 5:06 | |
38. | "The Entertainer" | Billy Joel | 4:34 | |
39. | "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" | Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart | 4:34 |
Notes
Musicians
Technical
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [40] | 16 |
Australian Country Albums (ARIA) [41] | 3 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [42] | 8 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [43] | 59 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [44] | 142 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [45] | 18 |
Croatian International Albums (HDU) [46] | 36 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [47] | 37 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [48] | 17 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [49] | 18 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [50] | 70 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [51] | 12 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [52] | 2 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [53] | 2 |
Swiss Albums (Romandie) [54] | 1 |
UK Albums (OCC) [55] | 5 |
UK Americana Albums (OCC) [56] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [57] | 3 |
US Top Country Albums (Billboard) [58] | 1 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [59] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [60] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Various | November 17, 2023 |
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Jolene is the thirteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 4, 1974, by RCA Victor. The title track, "Jolene", tells the tale of a housewife confronting a beautiful seductress who she believes is having an affair with her husband. It became Parton's second solo number-one country single; it also was a moderate pop hit for her, and also did well in the United Kingdom. Since the introduction of downloads to the Official Chart in 2005, it has amassed 255,300 downloads and 6.68 million streams. It has been covered by numerous performers.
Here You Come Again is the nineteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on October 3, 1977, by RCA Victor. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 2 on the Hot Country Albums year-end chart and also being nominated for Favourite Country Album at the American Music Awards. It became Parton's first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a million copies. The lead single and title track was also a success, entering the top five of the US Billboard Hot 100 and being nominated for Favourite Country Single at the American Music Awards.
Trio II is the second collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. It was released on February 9, 1999, by Asylum Records.
New Harvest...First Gathering is the eighteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 14, 1977, by RCA Victor. It is significant for being Parton's first self-produced album, as well as her first effort aimed specifically at the pop charts.
Eagle When She Flies is the thirty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on March 7, 1991, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and Gary Smith, with Parton serving as executive producer. It continues Parton's return to mainstream country sounds following 1989's White Limozeen. The album features collaborations with Lorrie Morgan and Ricky Van Shelton, with additional supporting vocals provided by Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris. The album was a commercial success, becoming Parton's first solo album to peak at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart since 1980s 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs. It was certified Platinum in by the RIAA in 1992. The album spawned four singles, the most successful being "Rockin' Years" with Ricky Van Shelton, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. In support of the album, Parton embarked on the Eagle When She Flies Tour, her only concert tour of the 1990s.
Just Because I'm a Woman is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on April 15, 1968, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's title track was the only single released and it peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy is the fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 8, 1969, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Parton's first solo top ten, and number 194 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album spawned three singles: "Daddy", "In the Ghetto", and the title track. "Daddy" was the most successful, peaking at number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad) is the third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 3, 1969, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's title track was the only single released and it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
The Fairest of Them All is the fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 2, 1970, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It was the first of Parton's albums on which she wrote the majority of the songs without a co-writer. The Fairest of Them All peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album's only single, "Daddy Come and Get Me", peaked at number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Hungry Again is the thirty-fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on August 25, 1998, by Decca Records and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton and her cousin, Richie Owens. It is seen as a predecessor to Parton's critically acclaimed bluegrass trilogy, The Grass Is Blue, Little Sparrow, and Halos & Horns.
Treasures is the thirty-fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 24, 1996, by Rising Tide Records and Blue Eye Records. The Steve Buckingham-produced album is made up of covers of rock and country hits from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and spawned three singles: "Just When I Needed You Most", which peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart; a dance remix of "Peace Train", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Dance Music chart; and a dance remix of "Walking on Sunshine". The album's release was accompanied by a CBS television special, Dolly Parton: Treasures.
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.
For God and Country is the fortieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on November 11, 2003, by Welk Music Group and Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Parton with Kent Wells and Tony Smith. It is considered Parton's musical attempt to deal with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Included are covers of famous patriotic songs and new Parton originals. The album is perhaps best remembered for its cover photo, depicting Parton posing as though appearing in a vintage USO poster.
Honky Tonk Angels is a collaborative studio album by Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was released on November 2, 1993, by Columbia Records. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 5, 1994, for sales of 500,000 copies.
Backwoods Barbie is the forty-second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Dolly Records. The album was Parton's first mainstream country album in nearly a decade and marked the first release on Parton's own label. Parton embarked on the Backwoods Barbie Tour with 64 dates across North America and Europe from March through November 2008 to support the album.
Better Day is the forty-third solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on June 28, 2011, by Dolly Records and Warner Music Nashville. The album was produced by Parton and Kent Wells. To promote the album, Parton embarked on her Better Day World Tour. With 49 shows, the tour visited North America, Europe, and Australia.
Blue Smoke is the forty-fourth solo studio album by American country entertainer Dolly Parton. The album was released in Australia and New Zealand on January 31, 2014, in North America on May 13, 2014, in Ireland on June 6, 2014, and in Europe on June 9, 2014.
Pure & Simple is the forty-fifth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released worldwide on August 19, 2016 by Dolly Records and RCA Records. "Pure & Simple" is Dolly Parton's seventh #1 country album. It is her first #1 country album in 25 years.
I Believe in You is the forty-sixth solo studio album and first children's album by American country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released digitally on September 29, 2017, and physically on October 13, 2017, by Dolly Records and RCA Records. All proceeds from the album's sales will go to benefit Parton's Imagination Library.
Dumplin' is the soundtrack album by American country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton for the 2018 film of the same name. It was released on November 30, 2018, by Dolly Records and RCA Records. The album features guest performances by Elle King, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Sia, Mavis Staples and Rhonda Vincent, among others.