Dolly Parton Releases 40-Year-Old Track with Sister from Upcoming Family Album

Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George have released a new single from the upcoming album Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA—Faith, Family, and Fables. The massive album is due out on November 15, featuring 37 tracks, and celebrates both Dolly’s paternal Parton family and her maternal Owens family.

Four songs have been released from the album so far, featuring Parton’s various family members. The title track, “Smoky Mountain DNA,” is Parton’s opening celebration of family and heritage. “A Rose Won’t Fix It,” a song Dolly Parton originally wrote in 1998, features Parton’s niece Heidi. “The Orchard” features Parton’s other niece Jada Star, and “Tell Me That You Love Me” features Parton’s second cousin, Richie Owens.

Now, Dolly has released the song “I Will Know” with her youngest sister, Rachel. The song was originally written by Dolly Parton and Patricia Roberts in the 1980s, and it’s been given new life with Parton’s family.

[RELATED: Dolly Parton Announces New Album and Docuseries that Will Examine Her Deep Roots in East Tennessee]

Dolly Parton Releases Never-Before-Heard Track “I Will Know” From Upcoming Family Album

“I Will Know” is a slow, melancholy song that utilizes classical guitar composition and haunting vocals from Dolly and Rachel Parton. While it’s a short song, just over two minutes long, it beautifully captures the essence of longing and yearning for a lover.

When you say the word I love you / They sound so plain and incomplete / So show me you love me with kindness and affection / And you won’t have to say the words / I will know, the sisters sing. Their voices melt together seamlessly, playing off each other with an echoing ethereality.

“I Will Know” is a simple, atmospheric masterpiece, evoking images of wandering through a misty graveyard, yearning for a lost love. While the lyrics trend more toward saying I love you through actions instead of words, the composition aids in creating an almost Brontë-esque backdrop.

Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA—Faith, Family, and Fables will be released on November 15. It will be accompanied by a cookbook from Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George, where they share their family recipes and stories from growing up Parton.

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