Studio Album · No. 17
9 to 5 and Odd Jobs Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton
Produced by Gregg Perry, Mike Post · Engineered by Chuck Britz, Doug Parry, Larry Carlton, Marshall Morgan, Paul Dobbe
Holds writing credit on 4 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 4 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Dolly Parton carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Awards & Recognition 2
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
| # | Title | Lyricist(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) |