Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5′ Gets the Lullaby Treatment, With a Sweet Video to Match [Exclusive Premiere]
Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" is all about the hustle and bustle of working a full-time job, but the song takes on new meaning as one of the tracks from Lullaby Renditions of Dolly Parton, a new album of children's lullabies from Rockabye Baby.
Trading in Parton's signature acrylic fingernail taps for gently lilting glockenspiels, the lullaby version of "9 to 5" focuses less on a jam-packed work day and more on a full eight hours of sleep. The song will be available everywhere when Lullaby Renditions of Dolly Parton drops in full on Friday (July 30), but ahead of release day, Taste of Country readers can get an exclusive look at the song's music video.
The animated clip follows the adventures of a cartoon bear who's constantly on a quest for snacks: We see him rummaging through a picnic basket to dig out a sandwich, braving a beehive to get a taste of the honey inside and more. At the end of his busy day, he crawls up to his treehouse home, turning on the television to watch what appears to be an animated version of the Grand Ole Opry.
Throughout the clip, the music video offers subtle nods to the original "9 to 5," including a recurring focus on a clock and a necktie that the cartoon bear wears as he goes about his day. In fact, both founder Lisa Roth and the rest of the staff at the Rockabye Baby label are big fans of Parton, and were excited to put a personalized spin on one of her most iconic songs.
"I think '9 to 5' is a phenomenon. It was a movie theme song that became an anthem for anyone who has been part of the 9 to 5 grind, particularly women," Roth tells Taste of Country. "Its appeal has spanned decades and generations. The song's message of inequalities and frustrations in the workplace is unfortunately still relevant to this day, but the simultaneous optimism and upbeat melody make it downright addictive."
Roth, who is CMH Label Group Vice President and Creative Director and was inspired to create Rockabye Baby after realizing how difficult it was to find baby shower gifts that would please both newborns and parents, has personal memories with "9 to 5," too.
"It was the early '80s and my boyfriend at the time and I were driving up Pacific Coast Highway towards Malibu. It was a sunny day, the ocean was shimmering and '9 to 5' was on the radio," she recalls. "I was wearing my favorite red jacket with huge shoulder pads, and big hair that was an architectural wonder. We rolled down the windows, turned up the volume and sang along to the top of our lungs. I don't think we were focused on the message of the lyrics that day, but more the joy in the music."
When setting out to create an album of lullaby renditions of Parton's songs, Roth says it was especially important to highlight the diversity and reach of her career. The tracklist includes songs from Parton's early days on the Grand Ole Opry stage and during her time as a singer on The Porter Wagoner Show, and it also dips into her biggest country-pop hits, her bluegrass catalog and more.
"After 15 years of doing what we do, we have yet to run into a song that can't be lullabied!" Roth concludes.
Lullaby Renditions of Dolly Parton Track Listing:
1. "9 to 5"
2. "Here You Come Again"
3. "Jolene"
4. "Little Sparrow"
5. "Hard Candy Christmas"
6. "Dumb Blonde"
7. "The Bridge"
8. "My Tennessee Mountain Home"
9. "Two Doors Down"
10."The Grass Is Blue"
11. "Coat of Many Colors"
12. "Islands in the Stream"
13. "I Will Always Love You"