9 to 5 and Odd Jobs cover art

  Studio Album · No. 17

9 to 5 and Odd Jobs Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton

1980 RCA Victor 10 tracks 36 min

Produced by Gregg Perry, Mike Post  ·  Engineered by Chuck Britz, Doug Parry, Larry Carlton, Marshall Morgan, Paul Dobbe

RCA Victor CountryPop
40%
Authorship
Co-Performer

Holds writing credit on 4 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 4 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Dolly Parton carries a lyricist or composer credit.

40%
4 trackswritten by Dolly Parton 6 tracksoutside writers
Dolly Parton's roles on this album

Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist40%
Composer40%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
10
Lyricists
2
Producers
3
No.1 Singles
1980
Released

Awards & Recognition 2

Grammy Award for Best Country Song ("9 to 5"), 24th Annual Grammy Awards (1982)
Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female ("9 to 5"), 24th Annual Grammy Awards (1982)
Data Insight

The album is built around the contrast between Parton's own writing and a set of folk and country standards. "9 to 5" is a Parton original that topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs chart, and it anchors a record that otherwise leans on outside material: the traditional "The House of the Rising Sun" (arranged by Parton and Mike Post), Woody Guthrie and Martin Hoffman's "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)," Danny Dill and Mel Tillis's "Detroit City," and Merle Travis's coal-country lament "Dark as a Dungeon." Alongside the three Parton-penned tracks ("9 to 5," "Working Girl," "Poor Folks' Town"), the working-life theme ties the originals to the covers, framing the title hit's office-worker anthem against older songs about labor and hard times. Mike Post produced most of the album, with Gregg Perry handling "9 to 5."

9 to 5 and Odd Jobs is the twenty-third studio album by Dolly Parton, released in October 1980 on RCA Records and produced by Gregg Perry, accompanying the film 9 to 5 in which Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and containing the title track that became Parton's greatest commercial hit, spending two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Country chart simultaneously. Parton wrote the title track (percussion created by tapping her long fingernails together during a flight) alongside other original material for the album, with the feminist workplace comedy framing of the film giving the writing a political dimension unusual in the country mainstream. '9 to 5' won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female Country Vocal Performance in the same year, making Parton the first artist to win country and pop Grammy vocal awards simultaneously; it was nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song. The album reached number eleven on the Billboard 200, Parton's highest pop chart position for an album, and has been certified platinum in the United States. '9 to 5' remains Parton's best-known song, crossing its original 1980 release through the Squirrel Nut Zippers's 1996 cover and the 2022 Doja Cat sample in 'Vegas,' giving it a commercial longevity that rivals any country song written in the decade.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
9 to 5 #1
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Gregg Perry Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
2
Hush-a-bye Hard Times
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
3
The House of the Rising Sun #14
Traditional Traditional Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
4
Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)
Woody GuthrieMartin Hoffman Woody GuthrieMartin Hoffman Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
5
Sing for the Common Man
Frieda PartonMark Andersen Frieda PartonMark Andersen Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
6
Working Girl
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
7
Detroit City
Danny DillMel Tillis Danny DillMel Tillis Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
8
But You Know I Love You #1
Mike Settle Mike Settle Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
9
Dark as a Dungeon
Merle Travis Merle Travis Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
10
Poor Folks' Town
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Mike Post Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 12 contributors

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Frequently Asked Questions 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs

Who wrote 9 to 5?
Dolly Parton wrote "9 to 5" herself. She composed it for the 1980 film of the same name in which she co-starred, and it became the album's title track and lead single. It topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs chart in early 1981.
Is 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs an album of original songs?
No. Only three of its ten tracks are Parton originals: "9 to 5," "Working Girl," and "Poor Folks' Town." The rest are covers of folk and country standards, which is the source of the "Odd Jobs" half of the title.
Who wrote The House of the Rising Sun on this album?
"The House of the Rising Sun" is a traditional folk song with no single known author. On 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs it is credited as traditional, arranged by Dolly Parton and Mike Post. It was also released as the album's third single.
Who wrote Detroit City, the cover on 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs?
"Detroit City" was written by Danny Dill and Mel Tillis. The song had been a hit for Bobby Bare in 1963, and Parton recorded it as one of the working-life covers on this album.
What is Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) and who wrote it?
"Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" was written by Woody Guthrie, with music by Martin Hoffman. Guthrie based the lyrics on a 1948 plane crash that killed Mexican farm workers being deported from California. Parton included it among the folk covers on the album.
Did 9 to 5 win any Grammy Awards?
Yes. "9 to 5" won two Grammy Awards at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards in 1982: Best Country Song (a songwriter's award, honoring Parton) and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. The song was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
How did 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs perform on the charts?
The album reached number one on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and stayed there for ten consecutive weeks. It was certified Gold by the RIAA. Its lead single "9 to 5" was the bigger commercial story, hitting number one on both the pop and country charts.
Who produced 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs?
Mike Post produced most of the album, while Gregg Perry produced the title track "9 to 5." Post also co-arranged the cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" with Parton.
Which songs on 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs did Dolly Parton write?
Parton wrote three of the ten tracks: "9 to 5," "Working Girl," and "Poor Folks' Town." The remaining seven are covers, including "Dark as a Dungeon" by Merle Travis and "But You Know I Love You" by Mike Settle.

Sources