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Why Dolly Parton considered reducing Shania Twain to tears her defining achievement: “That’s what it’s all about”

By Lauren Hunter | Far Out magazine - UK | November 13, 2026

Dolly Parton wrote hundreds of songs, opened a theme park and gave away millions of books, but by her own account, one of her proudest moments was making Shania Twain cry.

Indeed, it seemed like one of entertainment’s great philanthropists and country music icons had a bit of a dark side, and it came out when, of all places, she was in the studio with Shania Twain. To borrow a phrase, it evidently didn’t impress her much that this next generation of talent was stealing her thunder.

Before anyone calls a lawyer, of course this isn’t true. If anything, Parton was her country goddess and ultimate hero when it came to shaping who she is as a musician. If one woman could get away with going on stage in cowboy boots and minidresses, rhinestoning the **** out of every outfit, then why couldn’t she? The path of inspiration was hardly complicated.

All the superficial parts could each stand to reason, but there was also a very deep and meaningful connection to the Queen of Country, and her life at large, that healed something in Twain’s broken heart. Times were tough throughout her childhood: money was tight, and resources were scarce. But if one person knew all about that, it was Parton.

That was why, when Twain was asked to record a track for Parton’s tribute album Just Because I’m a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton in 2003, there was one tune she had her heart set on singing. To many, ‘Coat of Many Colours’ is one of country music’s most moving portraits of childhood poverty, but for Twain, it was autobiography.

Twain campaigned to have that song be hers on the record, and when she got it, she also became fixated on how she wanted it to sound. It had to be equal parts tender, loving, and painful, of course, but she knew better than anyone that it would ultimately never be complete without adding a little of Parton’s whisper to its magic mix.

“After she recorded it, I sang harmony on it,” explained Parton. “And when they sent Shania the track, she just cried like a baby. And I thought, ‘Well, if you can live long enough and do something special enough to bring out that kind of emotion in somebody, that’s what it’s all about’.” Suddenly, what Parton thought was just her story was everyone else’s too.

The women of country music share a certain tenacity that undoubtedly serves them well, both in the context of their famed careers and everything that came before them. In many ways, Parton would never have become the life force that she was if she hadn’t overcome such adversity, and Twain wouldn’t have followed in her footsteps if she hadn’t seen the path being laid.

That intrinsic sense of connection, as well as the strength it took for each of them to pull from their souls, is a greater testament to the power of country, and music at large, than mere words can convey. Making someone cry might sound like an odd thing to be proud of, but for Parton, it was the whole point of the job.

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/dolly-parton-considered-reducing-shania-twain-to-tears-her-defining-achievement/

***On a sidenote, it doesn't look like Shania will be attending the 60th annual CMA Awards next Wednesday (Nov. 18) in Nashville where a Dolly Parton tribute will take place.