On This Date: Dolly Parton Released Her 21st Studio Album “Great Balls Of Fire” In 1979

Dolly Parton country music

Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire (I feel obligated to start this article off with that).

Dolly Parton can do it all, and she proved that and more with her 21st studio album Great Balls of Fire, which was released on this day in 1979. As you may imagine, the album featured a cover of the 1961 rock classic by Jerry Lee Lewis “Great Ball of Fire.”

The project also featured another bluegrass cover of the classic Beatles song “Help!,” which was originally written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

Dolly’s Great Balls of Fire was met with a lot of praise from fans and critics alike. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard Country Chart and even reached the 40th spot on the Billboard Top 200.

Besides the two wonderful covers, the album’s single “You’re the Only One” found it’s way all the way to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Another of the project’s singles, “Sweet Summer Loving,” also had a lot of commercial success, even reaching the number seven on the country charts.

Front to back, the album is a spectacular listen, which helped it become certified Gold in the United States. The original songs featured in the track list showcased Dolly’s exceptional songwriting ability, while the notable covers proved her versatility as a performer.

I did my best to narrow the linked video down to just one of the songs, but I simply could not. So instead, enjoy these three songs from the 1979 album below, and take in the exemplary music videos that go along with them.

“Great Balls of Fire”

“Help! (Beatles Cover)”

“You’re the Only One”

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