On This Day in 1975, Dolly Parton Released an Album Featuring a Chart-Topping Single That Was Banned by Country Radio

On this day (February 17) in 1975, Dolly Parton released The Bargain Store. It was her 15^th solo studio album and her fifth to reach the top 10. The album’s title track and sole single reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in late March. However, the song received limited radio play due to some disc jockeys’ misunderstanding of the lyrics.

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When she released The Bargain Store, Parton was still two years away from her first No. 1 album. However, she was seeing more success on the singles charts. “Jolene” kicked off a string of four consecutive No. 1 singles in 1973. The hot streak also included “I Will Always Love You,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and “The Bargain Store.” All but “Jolene” were also top 40 hits on the Hot 100.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1971, Dolly Parton Landed Her First No. 1 With a Song Inspired by Mountain Men She Knew as a Child]

With “The Bargain Store,” Parton used a store full of used items as a metaphor for women who had suffered broken hearts and carried other emotional baggage. However, many missed the point of the lyrics and believed that she was singing about prostitution. As a result, the song was banned by multiple country radio stations.

Dolly Parton Explains “The Bargain Store”

Dolly Parton isn’t an artist that comes to mind when discussing the topic of controversial or offensive lyrics. However, “The Bargain Store” put her at the center of those conversations while it climbed the charts.

“When I wrote ‘The Bargain Store,’ I swear on my life that I was never thinking about love in any vulgar way,” Parton wrote in her 2020 book Songteller. “I was using the ‘bargain’ as it related to a broken relationship. But every man I know thinks it’s dirty. Somehow, this lyric is a dirty thing to a man. But I never saw it that way,” she added.

“All I was thinking of was the heart,” Parton continued. In the song, she sings about the “merchandise” being “slightly used” but could be good as new with a little tender loving care. “I was saying that you’ll be surprised at how good this broken heart is. Just take it. You’ll never be sorry that you did,” she explained. “The words just meant that I’ve had relationships. I’ve been through stuff, I’m not new to this.”

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