Touch Your Woman cover art

  Studio Album · No. 5

Touch Your Woman Songwriting Credits by Dolly Parton

1972 10 tracks 25 min
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%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

10
Tracks
1
Lyricists
1
Producers
1972
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female (1973, Nominated)
Data Insight

Touch Your Woman is built almost entirely on Dolly Parton's own pen, and it documents her move away from the childhood and rural narratives of her earlier RCA records toward adult themes of romance, marriage, and reconciliation. The title track, which Parton later described as sexy and intimate but also innocent and pure, was direct enough that several radio stations refused to play it, yet it still reached the country Top 10 and drew a Grammy nomination. Working again with producer Bob Ferguson at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Parton frames her songwriting through spare, intimate arrangements that keep the focus on her voice and her words. The album sits in the stretch of the early 1970s when Parton was establishing herself as a self-contained writer-performer rather than a vocalist interpreting outside material.

Released March 6, 1972, on RCA Victor, the album was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville between December 1971 and January 1972, with one track dating from an October 1969 session. Parton wrote nearly all of the material herself; exceptions included Bill Owens's 'Love Is Only as Strong (As Your Weakest Moment),' Porter Wagoner's 'Loneliness Found Me,' and a Parton-Wagoner co-write, 'Mission Chapel Memories.' A 1972 Cashbox review observed Parton sticking to pure country music roots as far as song structure goes while simultaneously demonstrating a very progressive attitude toward writing lyrics. The album peaked at number 19 on Billboard's Hot Country LP chart, and the title single reached number 6 on the country charts and received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Touch Your Woman #6
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
2
Washday Blues
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
3
He's a Go Getter
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
4
Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
5
My Tennessee Mountain Home
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
6
He Left Me Love
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
7
The Beginning
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
8
I'm Not Able
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
9
The First Time
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)
10
Belonging
Dolly Rebecca Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton Bob Ferguson Dolly Parton (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 3 contributors

DR
Dolly Rebecca Parton
Writer
On this album10 written
BF
Bob Ferguson
Producer
On this album10 produced
DP
Dolly Parton
Vocals
On this albumGuest

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10 tracks
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1987 20%
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10 tracks
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1991 73%
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Slow Dancing with the Moon
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1995 100%
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1996 0%
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1999 31%
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2001 50%
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15 tracks
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Frequently Asked Questions Touch Your Woman

When was Dolly Parton's album Touch Your Woman released?
Touch Your Woman was released on March 6, 1972, by RCA Victor. It was Dolly Parton's ninth solo studio album. The record was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
Why did some radio stations refuse to play Dolly Parton's song Touch Your Woman?
Several radio stations found the lyrics of the title track too sexually suggestive and declined to air it. Parton disagreed with that reading and called the song sexy and intimate but also innocent and pure. Despite the resistance, the single still reached No. 6 on the country chart.
How did the single Touch Your Woman perform on the charts?
Touch Your Woman was released as a single in February 1972 and peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached No. 28 on Canada's RPM Country Tracks chart. It was the only single drawn from the album.
Did Touch Your Woman earn Dolly Parton any award recognition?
The title track earned Parton a nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 15th Annual Grammy Awards. She did not win, losing to Donna Fargo's The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. The album itself was not certified by the RIAA.
Who wrote the songs on Dolly Parton's Touch Your Woman?
Dolly Parton wrote the large majority of the material on Touch Your Woman herself, including the title track. The album reflects her growing identity as a songwriter rather than an interpreter of outside material. Billboard at the time praised her as both a fine stylist and a superb songwriter.
What is the song Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark about on Touch Your Woman?
Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark is a Dolly Parton composition that tells the story of a child whose fear of the dark foreshadows her early death and burial. Parton first recorded the song as a duet with Porter Wagoner, and her solo reading appears here on Touch Your Woman. It is one of the darker, more narrative pieces in her catalog.
Is the version of My Tennessee Mountain Home on Touch Your Woman the famous 1973 single?
No. The widely known recording of My Tennessee Mountain Home was a December 1972 single and the centerpiece of Parton's 1973 concept album of the same name. The version on Touch Your Woman is an earlier album recording of the song, which Parton wrote about her rural childhood in the Smoky Mountains.
Who produced and engineered Touch Your Woman?
Touch Your Woman was produced by Bob Ferguson, Parton's longtime RCA producer. Engineering was handled by Al Pachucki and Tom Pick. The sessions took place at RCA Studio B in Nashville in December 1971 and January 1972.
How long is Dolly Parton's Touch Your Woman album?
Touch Your Woman runs about 25 minutes and 21 seconds across its ten tracks. Like many country LPs of the era, it is a concise record. It was originally issued on LP and 8-track and later made available as a digital download.
Where did Touch Your Woman peak on the album charts?
Touch Your Woman reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot Country LP's chart. It also charted at No. 16 on the Cashbox Country Albums chart. The album arrived during a productive early 1970s stretch for Parton as both a solo artist and Porter Wagoner's duet partner.

Sources

Wikipedia: Touch Your Woman Wikipedia: My Tennessee Mountain Home (song) American Songwriter: On This Day in 1972, Dolly Parton Released Touch Your Woman MusicBrainz release-group search: Touch Your Woman Cover Art Archive: Touch Your Woman front cover Cover Art Archive: Touch Your Woman by Dolly Parton