When Dolly Parton writes a song, chances are it’s going to be a great one. Only Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson rival her in that regard.
“Together You and I” is no exception to the rule. It’s a beautiful love song, with imagery that’s sweet without being sappy. She sings it wonderfully, with those little trills that have caused more goosebumps in the past forty years than a million cool breezes on warm summer nights.
But where she’s stumbled has rarely been with the pen or the pitch. It’s the production. She’s made some great pop singles and some great country singles and some great bluegrass singles. This, unfortunately, isn’t one of them.
Perhaps if she’d used an arrangement that made it sound less like an outtake from the Straight Talk soundtrack, I’d be writing something different. But as it stands, this one’s a bit of a disappointment, and all of the blame lies with the noise going on around her.
Written by Dolly Parton
Grade: C+
Listen: Together You and I
I have to agree here. I’m a big Dolly fan, so I really wanted to like this. I wasn’t particularly taken by the lyrics this time around, but I think a better arrangement would have made a great deal of difference.
Not bad, I’d have preferred it acoustic, but hey what can you do?
B
The Straight Talk reference is spot on.
Yes, it is.
…nice little tune that takes you straight back to the late eighties.