Dolly Parton Names the Song She’s Most Proud of Writing — and Her Answer May Come as a Surprise

Throughout her decades-long career, Dolly Parton has seen 25 of her songs reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart — but one in particular is the most personal to her.

In a new interview with The Guardian, the legendary singer-songwriter, 78, was asked to name the song she's most proud of from her catalog, and the answer may come as a surprise.

"Well, I’m proud of all of them," said Parton. "I think the one that’s most personal to me is the lil’ 'Coat of Many Colors,' because it talks about my mom, my parents, and kind of gives you an insight. It also covers bullying, acceptance and all that."

"Coat of Many Colors" was released in September 1971, and she's spoken about writing the track about how her mom created a coat out of rags for her to wear as a child.

Of course, Parton is fond of many songs she's written. "Of course, the one that’s most recorded is 'Jolene.' That seems to be the favorite," she said. "Do you know that song has been recorded, somebody told me, 450 times in the last 52 years? I’m so proud of it."

The Grammy winner added, "And 'I Will Always Love You' is one is the great love songs, so I’m very proud of that too."

Elsewhere in the interview, Parton set the record straight regarding the rumor she wrote "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You" on the same day.

"I don’t know if I wrote them on the same day," she said, "but they were found on the same cassette, and so I wrote them during that period of time."

Parton also opened up about the future of her career and why she "can't retire."

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"I always say I’ve dreamed myself into a corner. I’ve got to keep all those dreams alive. Every dream spins off into some something else," she said.

"It’s misinformation when I said I was not touring any more. I still do shows," added Parton. "I just don’t go on the full-blown tours where I go overseas for weeks. I’m older, my husband’s older, and I want to be with him more. So, no. I couldn’t retire if I wanted to. And I don’t want to."