The Fairest of Them All
Coming to this one a little late, 1 February 1970 in the USA was the release date for Dolly Parton’s 5th album, The Fairest of Them All. It is 28 minutes long, has 11 songs written and sung by Dolly, and it’s opening lyric is In this mental institution, looking out through these iron bars. What’s not to like?
This is old-school Nashville country, with fiddle and slide guitar, background vocals on the refrains, key changes mid-song and not a wasted note or word anywhere.
The songs are as old as time, tales of feckless men and the women who bear the consequences, literally in most cases. Most of it can be traced, in terms of lyrical sentiment, back through the Child Ballads; the only things missing are brutal death, faerie and sorcery. Heart strings are pulled, tears are jerked and love is unrequited. It’s also, it seems to me, quite subversive; listen closely to the lyrics and you’ll find a quiet feminism and implicit condemnation of the patriarchy, in just simple verse/refrain form.
It’s kinda cheesy, but also kinda good.
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