On this day in October of 1978, Dolly Parton was on a nine-week run at No. 1 on the country chart with Heartbreaker. The album also produced multiple hit singles on the pop and country charts, extending Parton’s crossover success. Her first album aimed at pop success, Here You Come Again, spent the first seven weeks of the year at No. 1.
Parton’s star rose while she was a fixture on The Porter Wagoner Show. However, her career didn’t truly take off until she chose to leave the show behind. “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” and “Love Is Like a Butterfly” helped establish her as a dominant force in country music. Those singles also gave Parton her first taste of pop success.
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She partnered with producer Gary Klein for her 1977 album Here You Come Again. The album leaned further into pop than anything she’d released before. It was also her first LP to receive Platinum certification from the RIAA. Before that, her biggest Hot 100 hit was “Jolene,” which peaked at No. 16. The album’s title track reached No. 3 and topped the country chart. The album reached No. 20 on the Billboard 200. It would be her biggest hit on the all-genre chart until 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs peaked at No. 11 in 1980.
Dolly Parton Doubled Down on a Winning Formula
Dolly Parton was looking to recreate the success of Here You Come Again when she began working on Heartbreaker. She once again partnered with Gary Klein and recorded a blend of country and pop singles. While the collection didn’t fail to hit both charts, it didn’t do as well as her previous effort.
The title track and lead single reached No. 37 on the Hot 100 and topped the country chart. “Baby I’m Burnin’” was a No. 25 pop hit but failed to break the top 40 of the country tally. The LP’s final single, “I Really Got the Feeling,” didn’t reach the pop tally but gave her another country chart-topper.
Dolly Parton began to slowly move away from pop production with her next album, Great Balls of Fire.
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