This country music superstar gets emotional during one of her first performances of this beloved song that means so much to her.
Dolly Parton is known for weaving a beautiful tale through music and she has penned a seemingly endless number of No. 1 hit songs, with each of them inspired by a sparkling back story or significant event in Parton’s life.
Taking a page from Parton’s storybook, “Coat of Many Colors” is a magnificent tribute to both the faith of her family and her mother’s dedication to her children, and carries with it a great message that she shared with the world.
“But they didn’t understand it, and I tried to make them see
One is only poor, only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors my momma made for me”
Written in 1969, just a couple years after she launched her debut album, Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” was part of a group of songs she wrote while traveling with Porter Wagoner on a tour bus. Because she was out on the road, she wound up out of paper and wrote the song on the back of a dry cleaning receipt which later was framed by Wagoner when the song became a mega hit!
Parton released the song just three years later in October 1971 as the title track and second single of her album, Coat of Many Colors. The track was an instant hit with country listeners and fans of Parton’s, reaching incredible heights on the charts and quickly becoming one of her most recognized and signature songs.
Since the release and dazzling success of the song, it has been covered by many music artists and performed thousands of times. To this day, the song remains a country music staple in the world and continues to grow in popularity. Parton even released two direct-to-tv movies through a partnership with NBC. Both Coat of Many Colors and Christmas of Many Colors brought in nearly-unimaginable numbers of viewers.
In this decades-old video, Parton takes to the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry, singing this remarkable hit in one of her firs Opry performances of it.
As she moves through the lyrics that tell her story, Parton becomes visibly moved by the song with emotions running high as she paints a beautiful picture for the audience.
Watch this amazing 1971 performance of Dolly Parton singing “Coat of Many Colors” below.