Studio Album · No. 7
Bubbling Over Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton
Produced by Bob Ferguson · Engineered by Al Pachucki, Tom Pick
Holds writing credit on 6 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 6 / 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
Bubbling Over is Dolly Parton's twelfth solo studio album, and it stands out as a transitional record on which she wrote the large majority of the material herself. That was unusual at this stage of her career, when she still leaned on Porter Wagoner and the RCA Nashville machine for outside songs, and only a few cuts here came from other writers including two Wagoner compositions. The title track and a faster re-recording of "Traveling Man" (first heard on 1971's Coat of Many Colors) show her sharpening the bright, pop-leaning country sound that would carry her toward the crossover breakthrough of Jolene the following year. Producer Bob Ferguson kept the arrangements tight and economical, with the whole album running under twenty-five minutes.
Released September 10, 1973 on RCA Victor, Bubbling Over was Parton's twelfth studio album, with recording sessions spanning from January 1971 to May 1973 at RCA Studio A in Nashville. Bob Ferguson produced the record, continuing his long collaborative run with Parton at RCA. Parton wrote the majority of the material herself, with Porter Wagoner contributing to two tracks and Bill Owens to one; the single 'Traveling Man' was a reworked version of a song from her 1971 album Coat of Many Colors. Stylistically the album ranges across country music's emotional spectrum, from uptempo numbers to tearful ballads, as Billboard's September 1973 review noted. The album peaked at number 14 on Billboard's Hot Country LPs while 'Traveling Man' reached number 20 on U.S. country charts, and AllMusic awarded it three out of five stars.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bubbling Over
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Traveling Man
#20
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Alabama Sundown
|
Dave KirbyDanny Morrison | Dave KirbyDanny Morrison | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
Afraid to Live and Afraid of Dying
|
Porter Wagoner | Porter Wagoner | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Love with Me
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
My Kind of Man
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
Sometimes an Old Memory Gets in My Eye
|
Bill Owens | Bill Owens | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 8 |
Pleasant as May
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
The Beginning
|
Dolly Parton | Dolly Parton | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
Love, You're So Beautiful Tonight
|
Porter Wagoner | Porter Wagoner | Bob Ferguson | Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals) |