All I Can Do cover art

  Studio Album · No. 12

All I Can Do Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton

1976 RCA Victor 10 tracks 28 min

Produced by Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton  ·  Engineered by Tom Pick, Roy Shockley

RCA Victor Country
80%
Authorship
Songwriter

Holds writing credit on 8 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 8 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

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

80%
8 trackswritten by Dolly Parton 2 tracksoutside writers
Dolly Parton's roles on this album

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

Lyricist80%
Composer80%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
4
Lyricists
2
Producers
1976
Released
Data Insight

Eight of the ten songs on All I Can Do are Dolly Parton originals, underscoring how far she had moved as a writer by 1976, the year she began steering toward a pop crossover. The two covers point outward to her peers in the new country-folk wave: Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff's "Boulder to Birmingham" and Merle Haggard's "Life's Like Poetry." The record carries extra historical weight as the last of Parton's solo albums to involve Porter Wagoner, who co-produced it with her at RCA Studio A before their professional partnership fully dissolved. "Shattered Image" reads as Parton answering tabloid scrutiny of her private life, a theme that would sharpen as her fame grew.

Released August 16, 1976, on RCA Victor, this was Parton's seventeenth solo studio album and the final collaboration between Parton and Porter Wagoner on her solo recordings. The album was co-produced by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner. Parton wrote eight of the tracks herself; the two covers were Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff's 'Boulder to Birmingham' and Merle Haggard's 'Life's Like Poetry,' and one track, 'The Fire That Keeps You Warm,' had been previously recorded with Wagoner in 1974. Billboard described the record as country music with a progressive sound, balancing slow ballads and uptempo numbers. The album peaked at number 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Albums chart, the title track reached number 3 on the Hot Country Singles chart, and the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
All I Can Do #3
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
2
The Fire That Keeps You Warm
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
3
When the Sun Goes Down Tomorrow
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
4
I'm a Drifter
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
5
Falling Out of Love with Me
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
6
Shattered Image
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
7
Boulder to Birmingham
Emmylou HarrisBill Danoff Emmylou HarrisBill Danoff Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
8
Preacher Tom
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
9
Life's Like Poetry
Merle Haggard Merle Haggard Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
10
Hey, Lucky Lady #19
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Porter WagonerDolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

DP
Dolly Parton
Writer · Producer · Vocals
On this album8 written
BD
Bill Danoff
Writer
On this album1 written
EH
Emmylou Harris
Writer
On this album1 written
MH
Merle Haggard
Writer
On this album1 written
PW
Porter Wagoner
Producer
On this album10 produced

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1980 0%
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1984 0%
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1987 20%
Rainbow
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1991 73%
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1995 100%
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1996 0%
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2001 50%
Little Sparrow
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2002 86%
Halos & Horns
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Those Were the Days
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2016 100%
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2020 60%
A Holly Dolly Christmas
15 tracks
2022 100%
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2023 30%
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Frequently Asked Questions All I Can Do

Who wrote the title track "All I Can Do" on Dolly Parton's album?
Dolly Parton wrote "All I Can Do" herself and is the sole credited songwriter. In her 2020 book Songteller she recalled writing it on a "funky little guitar," bopping along to the phrase "it's all I can do." The song became the album's most successful single.
What chart positions did the singles from All I Can Do reach?
The album produced three singles on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. "Hey, Lucky Lady" reached number 19, the title track "All I Can Do" peaked at number 3, and "Shattered Image" failed to chart. "All I Can Do" also reached number one on Canada's RPM Country Tracks chart.
Why was Porter Wagoner's involvement with All I Can Do significant?
Porter Wagoner co-produced the album with Dolly Parton, and it was the last of her solo albums to feature any involvement from her longtime mentor and former duet partner. The two were winding down their professional relationship at the time. The record was made at RCA Studio A in Nashville and released on RCA Victor on August 16, 1976.
What is the song "Shattered Image" about on the All I Can Do album?
"Shattered Image" is a Dolly Parton original widely read as her response to tabloid coverage of her private life. It addresses gossip and intrusion as she rose toward pop stardom. The song was released as the album's third single but did not chart.
Did Dolly Parton write most of the songs on All I Can Do?
Yes. Eight of the album's ten tracks are Parton originals, including the title track, "Shattered Image," "Falling Out of Love with Me," "Preacher Tom," and "Hey, Lucky Lady." The two exceptions are covers of Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff's "Boulder to Birmingham" and Merle Haggard's "Life's Like Poetry."
Who wrote "Boulder to Birmingham," the cover on All I Can Do?
"Boulder to Birmingham" was written by Emmylou Harris and Bill Danoff, and it first appeared on Harris's own 1975 album Pieces of the Sky. Parton's version on All I Can Do was praised as a heartfelt, unpretentious reading of the song. It is one of only two non-Parton compositions on the record.
How did the All I Can Do album perform on the charts?
All I Can Do peaked at number three on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, reaching that position in its eleventh week. It spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart. The album was Parton's seventeenth solo studio release.
Did All I Can Do receive any Grammy recognition?
Yes. The album was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards in 1977. It did not win the award. No certifications for the album are documented.
Has "Falling Out of Love with Me" from All I Can Do been covered by other artists?
Yes. The Parton-written "Falling Out of Love with Me" was later covered by the country-rock band Pinmonkey in 2002, with Dolly Parton herself contributing harmony vocals to their version. The song originally appeared as track five on All I Can Do.

Sources

Wikipedia: All I Can Do (album) Wikipedia: All I Can Do (Dolly Parton song) MusicBrainz: All I Can Do release-group Cover Art Archive: All I Can Do front cover American Songwriter: Emmylou Harris on Boulder to Birmingham Cover Art Archive: All I Can Do by Dolly Parton