Dolly Parton Announces ‘A Holly Dolly Christmas’ Album

It's a Christmas miracle!

Written by Chris Parton
Dolly Parton Announces ‘A Holly Dolly Christmas’ Album
Dolly Parton hosting “The 53rd Annual CMA Awards,” on Wednesday, November 13, 2019; airing live on ABC from Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville; Photo courtesy of CMA

Dolly Parton has just saved what’s left of 2020! Or at least, she’s giving fans something to look forward to. The country icon will release a star-studded Christmas album this fall.

Dubbed A Holly Dolly Christmas, the project will debut October 2 via her own Butterfly Records in partnership with 12Tone Music Group

“I thought, ‘I think I’ll call it A Holly Dolly Christmas because I love the song “A Holly Jolly Christmas” with Burl Ives. He used to be on all of my Christmas specials all through the years. I think of him as Mr. Christmas. I thought, ‘Why don’t do I call it something cute and clever, like that or Deck the Halls with Boughs of Dolly, something corny like that,’” the icon tells Billboard.

Dolly Parton; Photo Credit: Stacie Huckeba, Cover art courtesy of Butterfly Records, LLC

Parton called upon a collection of different collaborators on the project, joining forces with Michael Buble, Jimmy Fallon, Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, her brother Randy and Willie Nelson. With Nelson, the Tennessee native decided to record a version of his song called “Pretty Paper.” The song was originally recorded by Roy Orbison and later recorded by Nelson himself.

“One of my favorite songs ever is a traditional song now that Willie Nelson wrote called ‘Pretty Paper,” she explains. “I did it the old-timey way and asked him to come be part of it.”

She also put her own spin on one of the most popular songs of the season, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

“I thought, ‘What other songs are really hot?’ And I thought, ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’ Jimmy Fallon, a couple of years ago, I was on his show around Christmas and he asked me to sing that and I didn’t know it and I felt so bad. So I went and learned it and I was just going to put it on my album and then I went, ‘I’ll ask Jimmy Fallon to sing it with me!’ And he said, yes. So I’m really excited about that.”

A Holly Dolly Christmas is something Parton has been working on over several years, having put it on the backburner to work on the Dumplin’ soundtrack. And with the COVID-19 in full swing, Parton had to come up with a new way of recording.

“We were working in our little circle with our masks and with our gloves and we had our engineer and we just had the very few people that we had to have when we were in there when I was singing,” she shares. “They had done some of the tracks before the pandemic, but then we went in and started doing our vocals. We’ve been very smart, very careful, because we’re trying to protect ourselves and I’m an older person. I’m not out to get it if I don’t [have] to, I’m hoping I can outrun all that. We’ve been all very, very smart, but it didn’t slow us up.”

A Holly Dolly Christmas Track Listing:

Holly Jolly Christmas – Dolly Parton
Christmas Is (feat. Miley Cyrus) – Dolly Parton
Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas – Dolly Parton, Michael Bublé
Christmas On The Square – Dolly Parton
Circle Of Love – Dolly Parton
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Dolly Parton, Jimmy Fallon
Comin’ Home For Christmas – Dolly Parton
Christmas Where We Are (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) – Dolly Parton
Pretty Paper – Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Dolly Parton
You Are My Christmas (feat. Randy Parton) – Dolly Parton
Mary, Did You Know? – Dolly Parton