Dolly Parton broke hearts all over the country when she released “Hard Candy Christmas“. Written by Carol Hall, the song was recorded by Parton for the film, Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. Parton, who also starred in the film, released the song in 1982. It became a Top 10 single for Parton.
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“Hard Candy Christmas” refers to a difficult holiday due to financial circumstances. The chorus says, “Fine and dandy/ Lord it’s like a hard candy Christmas / I’m barely getting through tomorrow / But still I won’t let / Sorrow bring me way down / I’ll be fine and dandy / Lord it’s like a hard candy Christmas / I’m barely getting through tomorrow / But still I won’t let / Sorrow bring me way down.”
Numerous singers have covered “Hard Candy Christmas” since Parton first released the song. Other artists who have recorded their own version include LeAnn Rimes, Cyndi Lauper, Reba McEntire, and Zach Top. One of the more popular holiday songs, Parton said that “Hard Candy Christmas” actually isn’t a Christmas song.
“It’s kind of funny that people think it’s a Christmas song,” Parton says (via CFCO). “It’s really not. It’s just about people having hard times and saying, ‘It’s like a hard candy Christmas.’”
How Dolly Parton Related to “Hard Candy Christmas”
Hall is the sole writer of “Hard Candy Christmas”. Hall wrote all but two of the songs for the soundtrack, with Parton writing the other two. Parton’s “Sneakin’ Around” and “I Will Always Love You” were also included in the film. Although Parton did not write “Hard Candy Christmas”, the song is very true to her own life story.
“In the early days, we didn’t have electricity,” Parton recalls of her childhood Christmases (via Songfacts). “So we used to go out in the woods with my Dad in the afternoon, find the best tree that we could, and we’d take it back in the house and decorate it with whatever Momma could find. Buttons and popcorn, anything that we could have, which was great. Those days were great.”
Now, Parton can afford to buy anything she wants. But back then, as one of 12 children, presents were scarce. Still, the 79-year-old has nothing but fond memories of her early years, especially Christmas Eve.
“Momma would always tell Christmas stories, read the Bible, then we’d go out to the barn,” Parton recounts. “And they would tell us that at midnight, the cattle would kneel, like in honor. But we never could stay awake long enough to see it. We could never see that happen. But we always had a little something… It was great for us.”
Photo by Pete Still/Redferns
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