“Yellow Roses”
Dolly Parton
Written by Dolly Parton
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
November 25, 1989
Dolly Parton’s final solo No. 1 hit to date is fittingly self-penned, showcasing her ability to again adapt her songwriting style to the most popular sound of the moment.
That’s always been her pop star flex, even as she applies it to country music. Here, she updates her seventies sound to push the acoustic instruments to the forefront, allowing the string section to play second fiddle to the twang this time around. It’s a tight storytelling exercise, as a love affair’s beginning and ending are both marked by a single yellow rose.
It’s all so beautifully produced and perfectly sung, with a theatrical element that makes it all feel like a little movie. She gives a dynamite performance of one of her stronger compositions from this era, making it a little bittersweet that she’s yet to top the country chart with one of her own songs again, despite writing many fantastic songs in the 35 years since this hit’s sole week at the top.
Parton hasn’t topped the singles chart again yet as a solo artist – if anybody over 75 has a shot of still doing so, it’s her – but we’ll see her back on top in each of the next three decades, starting with “Rockin’ Years” with Ricky Van Shelton in 1991.
“Yellow Roses” gets an A.
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It’s been a good 30 years since I last heard this song and I’m kicking myself for going so long without giving it a listen. I detected Dolly’s writing style immediately in the song’s opening notes. The storytelling, singing, and production are a throwback to Dolly’s halcyon days while still sounding fresh and contemporary. After her spotty chart performance in the second half of the 80s, back-to-back #1 hits from Dolly in 1989 was probably not on anybody’s BINGO card, but she sure came through with two excellent songs before her near complete fade in the 90s. The big question for me now, as I listen to this gem again, is why this song has gotten next to no recurrent radio play after it dropped out of the charts three and a half decades ago.
Grade: A
This is another case of confused chronology in my head.
I did not think this was a late ’80s’ hit for Parton. I had it coming from much earlier in her career.
This is strange because I was a total radio rat at the time, and I should remember this song’s climb to the top.
Especially because she was among just a handful of the older stars still grabbing the brass ring at this point.
Maybe it’s classic sound threw me. As I have shared previously, I was pretty dismissive of Dolly Parton as little more than a Hollywood pop star- and basically a crude caricature of one at that.
The sweet country sound and story of this hit didn’t fit with my mental image of her as a recording artist. As Kevin mentioned, she is updating her work from the ’70’s.
Not to mention the sincerity.
Maybe I was unaware that my coming around to realizing Dolly Parton’s insane talent and significance began with this charming song.
I remember the song, it received a fair amount of airplay here while it was new, but after its chart run, I don’t remember it being played again. I liked the song but hearing that it was her last solo #1 saddens me a little because I do not regard it as being one of the better efforts – I would give it a “B”