Revisiting Dolly Parton’s Iconic Performance In “Forever Country”
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In 2016, over 30 country artists came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the CMA Awards with a three-song medley, titled “Forever Country,” closing with the angelic voice of Dolly Parton.
“Forever Country” was designed as a musical history lesson, a celebration of country music’s past and present, and a statement about where the genre was headed. Its accompanying video became one of the most ambitious productions in country music history, while the single made chart history almost immediately.
Since there were so many artists on the song, the artist is simply billed as “Artists of Then, Now & Forever.”
The Songs That Make Up “Forever Country”
Shane McAnally was tasked with producing the song, which began as just an idea born at a CMA board meeting to celebrate the milestone anniversary. At first, the idea was just to have a number of artists perform just one song together.
The CMA board approached Grammy Award-winning music video director Joseph Kahn and he had the idea of putting three iconic songs into one, big mash-up. Despite pushback from the board, Kahn and McAnally brainstormed which three songs would go perfect with one another.
There were a total of 40 songs considered, but after much deliberation, they narrowed their choices down to “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “On The Road Again,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
Other songs considered included “Gentle On My Mind,” “The Gambler,” but McAnally and Kahn kept coming back to the three they chose for various reasons including the themes of each song being what country music is all about: home and place, life on the road, and love and heartbreak.
Additionally, John Denver, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton had all taken home to trophy for CMA Entertainer of Year throughout their careers.
The Artists That Make Up “Forever Country”
The CMA deliberately assembled artists representing different generations of the genre. The artist list could have been much longer, but due to scheduling conflicts, several singers who were asked were not able to participate including Toby Keith, Billy Currington, Zac Brown Band, Thomas Rhett, Chris Young, and Florida Georgia Line.
The lineup is still impressive, mixing country legends in with modern singers to honor the long history of the CMA Awards. The CMA described the participants as spanning all five decades of the organization’s awards history.
Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, George Strait, Kacey Musgraves, Eric Church, Ronnie Milsap, Charley Pride, Dierks Bentley, Trisha Yearwood, Lady A, Blake Shelton, Darius Bentley, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Wille Nelson, Brooks & Dunn, Alabama, Brett Eldredge, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Carrie Underwood, and of course, Dolly Parton, all performed in the song and music video.
One person who did not sing, but made an appearance in the video was Randy Travis, who had a debilitating stroke just three years prior, leaving him unable to sing. His presence added another layer of history and emotion to a project already built around generations of country music.
The song was recorded and the music video was filmed prior to the week of the CMT Awards and CMA Fest, when all the artists were in town for the multi-day music festival.
Dolly Parton Closed Out The Song Angelically
One of the remarkable aspects of the recording is Dolly Parton’s contribution. According to McAnally, when Parton came into the studio to record her portion of “I Will Always Love You,” the vocal ultimately used was her first take. The producer later described the moment as extraordinary because the performance was left essentially untouched.
While speaking with The Charlotte Observer in 2016, McAnally recalled, “I hadn’t even met her, and I had to meet her through the glass. Well, I have to go ahead and get this out of my body and say, ‘I don’t know how I am supposed to direct you singing ‘I Will Always Love You,’ but I am going to do my best.'”
Kahn, a Texas native, said “I never get nervous around anyone. I have literally worked with everybody and Dolly Parton made me nervous.”
Throughout the song, iconic female singers took on the task of singing bits of “I Will Always Love You,” but it is only fitting that Dolly would close out the song solo.
In the final seconds of the music video, all the “Forever Country” artists are standing in a field singing and the camera bypasses them all to end with an angelic-looking Dolly Parton singing the final lines of “I Will Always Love You.”
It is the perfect ending to a song that celebrates the history of country music, because without Dolly Parton, nearly every woman in this video would not have had a career. Dolly Parton broke down so many walls for the good of country music, women, and the good of humanity in general.
Now that Parton has gained her wings, country fans are revisiting “Forever Country.” Join us as we remember Dolly Parton with her contribution to “Forever Country.”
