A Look Back At Dolly Parton’s Biggest Hits In Honor Of The Late Country Music Legend

Hard to believe she’s gone.

Shattering the hearts of country music fans across the world, today the one and only icon herself and queen of country music, Dolly Parton, has passed away at 80 years old in Nashville, Tennessee. She is, of course, a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author.

The American icon is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years, Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and her father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000).

Dolly had been dealing with some major health issues, which she recently updated the public on during a Dollywood announcement.

Her team shared the following statement:

“A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family.

Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.”

Of course, it’s hard to understate the impact that Dolly had on the landscape of country music. With 25 #1 hits, 27 gold/platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), 11 #1 albums, 10 Grammy Awards, multiple best-selling books, her own theme park at Dollywood, a lifetime of impactful work through her philanthropy and more, there’s hardly anything that the “9 to 5” singer didn’t accomplish throughout her incredible life.

In honor of her legacy and passing, I thought it was the perfect time to take a look at her biggest hits throughout her career. Obviously, Parton has a discography that few can ever dream of. With 25 #1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and an additional 11 #1 albums across multiple different charts, the Tennessee native was no stranger to chart toppers.

As of today, Parton has the most #1 hits for any female country artist in history on the aforementioned Hot Country Songs chart with 25, which is one ahead of fellow legend, Reba McEntire. Among these hits are career staples such as “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” “Islands in the Stream” and “I Will Always Love You.” In fact, “I Will Always Love You” actually appears on this list twice, given the fact that it was re-released eight years after it went #1, making it one of the few songs in history that went #1 two separate times with two different recordings.

Amazingly, some career staples such as “Coat of Many Colors,” “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” “Hard Candy Christmas,” “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and more ultimately did not earn Parton a #1 spot throughout her career, which just goes to show how illustrious and generational her discography truly is.

With all of that being said, here are Parton’s 25 career #1 hits, ranging from her first chart-topper, “Joshua,” to her final #1, her appearance on Brad Paisley’s 2005 single, “When I Get Where I’m Going.”

1. “Joshua”

1. • Release Date: November 9, 1970
   • Weeks At #1: 1

2. “Jolene”

1. • Release Date: October 15, 1973
   • Weeks At #1: 1

3. “I Will Always Love You”

1. • Release Date: March 11, 1974
   • Weeks At #1: 1

4. “Please Don’t Stop Loving Me” (Porter Wagoner)

1. • Release Date: July 15, 1974
   • Weeks At #1: 1

5. “Love Is Like a Butterfly”

1. • Release Date: August 5, 1974
   • Weeks At #1: 1

6. “The Bargain Store”

1. • Release Date: January 13, 1975
   • Weeks At #1:

7. “Here You Come Again”

1. • Release Date: September 26, 1977
   • Weeks At #1: 5

8. “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right”

1. • Release Date: February 27, 1978
   • Weeks At #1: 2

9. “Heartbreaker”

1. • Release Date: July 24, 1978
   • Weeks At #1: 3

10. “I Really Got the Feeling”

1. • Release Date: November 6, 1978
   • Weeks At #1: 1

11. “You’re the Only One”

1. • Release Date: May 14, 1979
   • Weeks At #1: 2

12. “Starting Over Again”

1. • Release Date: February 25, 1980
   • Weeks At #1: 1

13. “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You”

1. • Release Date: June 23, 1980
   • Weeks At #1: 1

14. “9 to 5”

1. • Release Date: November 3, 1980
   • Weeks At #1: 1

15. “But You Know I Love You”

1. • Release Date: March 16, 1981
   • Weeks At #1: 1

16. “I Will Always Love You (1982 re-release)

1. • Release Date: July 12, 1982
   • Weeks At #1: 1

17. “Islands in the Stream” (Kenny Rogers)

1. • Release Date: August 15, 1983
   • Weeks At #1: 2

18. “Tennessee Homesick Blues”

1. • Release Date: May 14, 1984
   • Weeks At #1: 1

19. “Real Love” (with Kenny Rogers)

1. • Release Date: April 29, 1985
   • Weeks At #1: 1

20. “Think About Love”

1. • Release Date: November 11, 1985
   • Weeks At #1: 1

21. “To Know Him Is to Love Him” (with Emmylou Harris & Linda Ronstadt)

1. • Release Date: January 26, 1987
   • Weeks At #1: 1

22. “Why’d You Come in Here Lookin’ Like That”

1. • Release Date: April 24, 1989
   • Weeks At #1: 1

23. “Yellow Roses”

1. • Release Date: July 31, 1989
   • Weeks At #1: 1

24. “Rockin’ Years” (with Ricky Van Shelton)

1. • Release Date: February 4, 1991
   • Weeks At #1: 1

25. “When I Get Where I’m Going (Brad Paisley)

• • Release Date: October 10, 2005
  • Weeks At #1: 1