On January 15, Dolly Parton celebrated her 80th birthday in a very special way—by releasing a meaningful song. The country icon brought new life to her classic track, “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning,” teaming up with Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, and Queen Latifah.
The group recorded a fresh and uplifting version of the song, which Dolly first wrote and released back in 1977. When she announced the project, Parton shared that all “proceeds from this recording and music video will benefit pediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN.”
Fans can watch the official music video for “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” below.
“Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” Makes A Big Impact On The Charts
Dolly’s birthday celebration didn’t stop there. The song made an impressive debut on not just one, but two Billboard charts.
It entered the Billboard Country Airplay chart at No. 41 and climbed straight to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart.
After hearing the news, Parton shared her excitement in a press release, saying, “This is the best gift I could receive! I want to thank the fans, all the radio programmers, and all the streaming partners. When I first started thinking about something special to do for my 80th birthday, I thought, ‘Lord, please give me a song – or something – to make the birthday special…to be a gift from me to other people for my birthday.’ When we were working on songs for my new museum in Nashville, ‘Light Of A Clear Blue Morning’ came on, and I went, ‘Oh! That’s it!’”
The press release also revealed that the song earned “Hot Shot Debut honors for the highest debut song of the week. The song is also this week’s Most Increased In Airplay (+1,810 spins), generating 2.5 million listener impressions.”
This milestone is even more meaningful as it comes exactly 60 years after Dolly’s first appearance on a Billboard chart. In 1966, she co-wrote “Put It Off Until Tomorrow” for singer Bill Phillips. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in April of that year and peaked at No. 6.
Congratulations to Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, and Queen Latifah on this well-deserved achievement!
