Pure & Simple cover art

  Studio Album · No. 37

Pure & Simple Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton

2016 Dolly Records 10 tracks 33 min

Produced by Dolly Parton  ·  Engineered by Patrick Murphy, Bobby Shin, Nathan Smith

Dolly Records Country
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 10 of 10 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 10 / 10 documented

Who wrote the songs?

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

100%
10 trackswritten by Dolly Parton 0 tracksoutside writers
Dolly Parton's roles on this album

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

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
1
Lyricists
1
Producers
117,600 copies in the US as of May 2017
Worldwide Copies Sold
2016
Released
Data Insight

Pure & Simple is one of Dolly Parton's most intimate latter-career records, an all-original collection of love songs written entirely by Parton and produced by her own hand. The set leans on the stripped-back, acoustic sound its title promises, foregrounding melody and plainspoken devotion over studio gloss. Three of the songs revisit her own past: 'Say Forever You'll Be Mine' and 'Tomorrow Is Forever' were first cut as duets with Porter Wagoner in the 1970s, while 'Can't Be That Wrong' reworks 'God Won't Get You' from the Rhinestone soundtrack. The result frames Parton as both a writer returning to her catalog and a sole authorial voice working without co-writers.

Released August 19, 2016, Pure & Simple was born from intimate acoustic concerts Parton performed at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium in August 2015 with a small backing quartet. Parton served as the sole producer, featuring session musicians including steel guitarist Paul Franklin and mandolinist Jimmy Mattingly in spare, acoustic arrangements emphasizing her voice and storytelling over elaborate production. All tracks were written by Parton, including revisited material such as duets originally recorded with Porter Wagoner in 1970 and 1975 and a song from the Rhinestone soundtrack, alongside new compositions. The album debuted at number 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums (her first number 1 country album in 25 years since Eagle When She Flies in 1991) and reached number 11 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the UK Albums Chart. It earned a Metacritic score of 67/100 and an A- from Entertainment Weekly, and supported her biggest North American tour in 25 years with 64 dates.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Pure and Simple
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
2
Say Forever You'll Be Mine
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
3
Never Not Love You
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
4
Kiss It (And Make It All Better)
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
5
Can't Be That Wrong
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
6
Outside Your Door
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
7
Tomorrow Is Forever
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
8
I'm Sixteen
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
9
Head Over High Heels
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
10
Forever Love
Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 1 contributor

DP
Dolly Parton
Writer · Producer · Vocals
On this album10 written

More from Dolly Parton

1967 83%
Hello, I'm Dolly
Monument
12 tracksProd. Fred Foster
1969 50%
In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
RCA Victor
12 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1971 30%
Golden Streets of Glory
10 tracks
1971 70%
Coat of Many Colors
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1972 100%
Touch Your Woman
10 tracks
1973 100%
My Tennessee Mountain Home
10 tracks
1973 60%
Bubbling Over
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1974 80%
Jolene
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1974 80%
Love Is Like a Butterfly
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1975 80%
The Bargain Store
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Bob Ferguson
1975 100%
Dolly
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Porter Wagoner
1976 80%
All I Can Do
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Porter Wagoner
1977 80%
New Harvest... First Gathering
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Dolly Parton
1977 40%
Here You Come Again
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Gary Klein
1978 60%
Heartbreaker
10 tracks
1979 40%
Great Balls of Fire
10 tracks
1980 40%
9 to 5 and Odd Jobs
RCA Victor
10 tracksProd. Gregg Perry
1980 0%
Dolly, Dolly, Dolly
10 tracks
1983 60%
Burlap & Satin
10 tracks
1984 0%
The Great Pretender
10 tracks
1985 40%
Real Love
10 tracks
1987 20%
Rainbow
Columbia
10 tracks
1989 40%
White Limozeen
Columbia
10 tracks
1991 73%
Eagle When She Flies
Columbia
11 tracksProd. Steve Buckingham
1993 75%
Slow Dancing with the Moon
12 tracks
1995 100%
Something Special
10 tracks
1996 0%
Treasures
11 tracks
1998 100%
Hungry Again
Decca Nashville
12 tracks
1999 31%
The Grass Is Blue
13 tracks
2001 50%
Little Sparrow
14 tracks
2002 86%
Halos & Horns
Sugar Hill Records
14 tracksProd. Steve Buckingham
2003 39%
For God and Country
18 tracks
2005 0%
Those Were the Days
12 tracks
2008 75%
Backwoods Barbie
Dolly Records
12 tracks
2011 100%
Better Day
Dolly Records
12 tracksProd. Dolly Parton
2014 67%
Blue Smoke
Dolly Records
12 tracksProd. Kent Wells
2020 60%
A Holly Dolly Christmas
15 tracks
2022 100%
Run, Rose, Run
Butterfly Records
12 tracksProd. Dolly Parton
2023 30%
Rockstar
30 tracks

Frequently Asked Questions Pure & Simple

Who wrote the songs on Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple?
Dolly Parton wrote all ten songs on the standard edition of Pure & Simple by herself, with no co-writers credited. She also produced the album.
Is Pure & Simple an album of new songs or re-recordings?
It is mostly new material, but three tracks revisit older work. 'Say Forever You'll Be Mine' and 'Tomorrow Is Forever' were originally recorded in the 1970s as duets with Porter Wagoner, and 'Can't Be That Wrong' is a reworked version of 'God Won't Get You' from the Rhinestone soundtrack.
What is the title track 'Pure and Simple' about?
'Pure and Simple' is a love song that sets the tone for the whole album, celebrating an uncomplicated, honest kind of devotion. It was the lead single and gives the record its acoustic, back-to-basics theme.
Why is the song 'Forever Love' significant to Dolly Parton?
'Forever Love' closes the standard album and became a personal song for Parton, who has said she sang it to her husband Carl Dean. It caps the record's run of original love songs on a vow of lasting commitment.
Did Pure & Simple reach number one on any chart?
Yes. Pure & Simple topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, Dolly Parton's first number one on that chart in 25 years, and it also reached number one on the US Folk Albums chart. It debuted at number 11 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
How well did Pure & Simple sell in its first week?
Pure & Simple debuted with first-week sales of about 20,200 copies in the United States. Total US sales reached roughly 117,600 copies as of May 2017.
Does the standard edition of Pure & Simple include 'Jolene'?
No. The standard ten-track album does not include 'Jolene'. A live 2014 Glastonbury recording of 'Jolene' appears only on bonus discs packaged with certain deluxe editions of the album.
What singles were released from Pure & Simple?
Three songs were sent out as singles: 'Pure and Simple', 'Outside Your Door', and 'Head Over High Heels'. None of them charted as singles on the Billboard country charts.
What genre is Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple?
Pure & Simple is a country album with a deliberately stripped-down, acoustic feel that matches its title. It also topped the US Folk Albums chart, reflecting its leaner, roots-oriented sound.

Sources

Wikipedia: Pure & Simple (Dolly Parton album) Wikipedia: Pure & Simple (Dolly Parton album) Dolly Parton Official Website: Pure & Simple The Dolly Parton Discography: Pure & Simple MusicBrainz release group: Pure & Simple Cover Art Archive: Pure & Simple front cover Cover Art Archive: Pure & Simple by Dolly Parton