Dolly Parton Celebrated Loretta Lynn and Women’s Empowerment in a Song
Dolly Parton often shared her support for working-class women — and prominent artists in the country music scene. She even released “Just Because I’m a Woman,” even if it was different from songs by other female songwriters at the time.
Were Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton friends?
They’re some of the biggest names in country music — it made sense that Parton was friends with artists like Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn.
“Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and myself were all in it about the same time,” Parton said in a 2007 London Sun interview (via Dolly On-Line). “They got a little bit of a head start on me, certainly Loretta, but we were all three good friends and actually ended up doing an album together.”
That was the 1993 release Honky Tonk Angels. After Lynn’s death in 2022, Parton posted a tribute, calling her a “sister” and “friend,” also writing that Lynn “had millions of fans and I’m one of them.”
Dolly Parton on Loretta Lynn’s career: ‘I was a little different from them’
There were some differences in the lyrics of country stars of Lynn, Wynette, and Parton — even if fans compare the singers.
“I think I was a little different from them,” Parton said in the same interview. “Loretta had a house full of kids and she wrote those being brought down by men songs. Hers were more about home life and all the women who had children and I totally love and respect her.”
Even if her songs were different from other country stars, Parton often shared her support for women in the music industry, as noted in “Just Because I’m a Woman.”
“Tammy could sing any number of things but she was also singing that ‘Stand By Your Man,’” she added. “I was singing songs like ‘Just Because I’m A Woman’ — my mistakes are no worse than yours just because I’m a woman. I think we all did our little thing. I just filled my spot.”
‘Just Because I’m a Woman’ by Dolly Parton lyrics meaning
As one of few female country stars in a male-dominated industry, Parton often sang about her experience, especially in 1968’s “Just Because I’m a Woman.” In this original, the artist detailed the double standard of making mistakes, saying that her missteps are no worse than a man’s, even though they’re treated differently.
“Now a man will take a good girl,” Parton sings in one verse. “And he’ll ruin her reputation / But when he wants to marry / Well, that’s a different situation.”
Since its Spotify debut, the track has earned over 6 million Spotify plays, becoming one of the most popular songs on the album of the same title. Parton also released “9 to 5” inspired by working women and their daily struggles.
