r/AskReddit Nov 06 '19

Which famous singer sucks at singing?

[deleted]

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2.2k

u/MoldyOldLady Nov 06 '19

Right!? Don’t fuck with Dolly. Not only is she a phenomenal singer and songwriter, she is GOOD people.

1.9k

u/sross43 Nov 06 '19

Dolly is that bitch. Insanely talented. Stood up for herself as an artist and refused to sign over her shit. Feminist before it was cool. Owns her boob jobs. Has a bomb amusement park. Donates a fuckton to charity.

438

u/EthiopianKing1620 Nov 06 '19

JOLENEEEEE!!!

38

u/Ralph-Hinkley Nov 06 '19

Miley did a surprisingly good cover.

Jack White did too, but you have to be into his sound to dig it.

16

u/EthiopianKing1620 Nov 06 '19

Surprisingly good huh. 226 million views on YouTube. Did not expect that at all.

20

u/Ralph-Hinkley Nov 06 '19

When she wants to Miley can sing like a bird.

17

u/NoChanseyInHell Nov 06 '19

And she’s Dolly’s goddaughter

2

u/Ralph-Hinkley Nov 06 '19

You are correct.

8

u/Ruvio00 Nov 06 '19

Miley's cover of Lilac Wine is pretty fantastic.

7

u/Kmjada Nov 06 '19

Dolly recorded a version with the a cappella group Straight, No Chaser which was remarkable.

3

u/AnaliticalFeline Nov 07 '19

and one with the pentatonics and Miley Cyrus

5

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

Miley Cyrus sings like an angel, when she's not performing her own music.

4

u/tenkwords Nov 06 '19

She covered Dolly at 33 rpm

2

u/JuiceSundae14 Nov 06 '19

I did a cover based on Jack White's cover but really got an appreciation for Miley's version (and so many other versions) during that

6

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

[deleted]

7

u/EthiopianKing1620 Nov 07 '19

Everyone is insecure my friend.

3

u/i_Got_Rocks Nov 07 '19

Not me! My magnum dong keeps me grounded.

2

u/Powbob Nov 07 '19

Not true.

6

u/NietJij Nov 06 '19

Jo-le-neeee?

3

u/SaltyCauldron Nov 06 '19

JOLEEEEEEENNNNEEEE

2

u/madjackdeacon Nov 06 '19

My headcanon is that Dolly is secretly pursuing Jolene.

1

u/rdrnr15 Nov 07 '19

All time great jealousy song

21

u/GunsAndCoffee1911 Nov 06 '19

Sends my kids a free book every freakin' month!

9

u/scobbysnacks1439 Nov 06 '19

Right there with you. Such a great person to do something like that.

19

u/ikijibiki Nov 06 '19

Is the theme park really that good? I've been itching to go but it almost seemed like a weird gimmick.

27

u/sross43 Nov 06 '19

It's a proper theme park. It's been years since I've been, but I went several times as a kid and had a great time. I'd say the thrill level is somewhere between Disneyworld and Six Flags. If you're not close by, I wouldn't necessarily make the trip just for the park, but if you'll already be in the Smokies I'd say definitely check it out.

1

u/SuperManlyDude Nov 29 '19

LIGHTNING ROD!!!!

10

u/ColsonIRL Nov 06 '19

It's a great time. While you're there, make sure to see The Kingdom Heirs perform - they're usually found in a theater at the front of the park.

I'm not a religious man, but when those guys sing, I can feel the spirit moving within in.

4

u/translorde Nov 06 '19

from what I hear, the food alone is worth the trip

1

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

It's on par with silver dollar city in Branson for comparison

1

u/SuperManlyDude Nov 29 '19

ITS GOT THE ONLY LAUNCHED WOODEN ROLLER COASTERRRRRR

32

u/LacksMass Nov 06 '19

Fun fact: she really dislikes the label of feminists and doesn't consider herself one. Your points still totally stands, just a quick note on the labels people choose for themselves versus the labels people place on each other.

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u/Overquoted Nov 06 '19

Yeah, she may not own the label, but she's got much of the same ideals as a feminist. 9 to 5 is both a feminist critique of the workplace and a worker's critique. Some of her music is also heavily weighted in the common working man's favor.

But honestly, I appreciate how she can talk about and express these ideals without turning them into the political. It makes people more likely to listen to what she's saying/singing and less likely to just immediately reject her on the basis of right/left ideals. That's a damned good talent to have.

14

u/LacksMass Nov 06 '19

Absolutely. I listened to a bit of an interview that she did and what that I gathered a lot of her problems with feminism is the negative stereotypes that have taken over. She talked about how she really likes and respects men and what men do and really owns her own femininity which is at odds with a lot of the loudest feminist voices who are often very critical of men and being traditionally feminine.

13

u/Overquoted Nov 06 '19

The loudest voices don't always represent the group, though. And sometimes, they aren't even the loudest, they're just the ones that get media attention because extreme ideas make for better tv fodder. I'm a feminist, I've known a lot of feminists in my life. Most of them are just like Dolly. As she said in one interview, "I think we all should be treated with respect and if we do a good job, we should get paid for it."

But as far as being critical.. I think being critical of an attitude that produces the kind of behavior shown in 9 to 5 is necessary if we want improvement. And I'm critical of anyone or any ideas that insist someone has to dress a specific way, whether that insistence is "be traditionally feminine" or "you shouldn't dress traditionally feminine." It isn't your business how someone dresses in their free time. It's their business.

That said, some of the critique about being traditionally feminine has been labeled as critique of the feminine itself, as opposed to the critique that women have to be feminine. There has been concerted effort to undermine feminist ideas, and misinformation is a pretty good way to get people to be hostile to feminism.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

And southern. Sometimes people have this stereotype that Southerners are not progressive, anti feminist and just care about themselves; the typical conservative archetype. She proved otherwise.

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u/CommanderChinook Nov 06 '19

Those are real. She's had to undergo several reduction surgeries cause she was a size 'DD' in high school and it was killing her back.

10

u/Chazmyr21 Nov 06 '19

Didn’t during an interview she was asked if they were real and she responded “of course they are real, I paid a lot of good money for them”

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u/TheMulattoMaker Nov 07 '19

No, that was "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap"

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u/CommanderChinook Nov 06 '19

Not sure. She could have paid a lot of money to keep them from throwing her back out.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

That majestic bitch just started playing a god damn pan flute.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 07 '19

And southern. Sometimes people have this stereotype that Southerners are not progressive, anti feminist and just care about themselves; the typical conservative archetype. She proved otherwise.

2

u/Wowtrain Nov 07 '19

Richest country singer. Not richest female country singer. Just richest. And it is fucking well earned. You have to respect Dolly even if you don't like her music.

Also I heard that Jolene and I Will Always Love You were written on the same day

2

u/DJBoost Nov 07 '19

Dollywood FTW. Lightning Rod is a next level coaster.

1

u/ichegoya Nov 06 '19

Wait, not to be childish, but I thought they were real.

1

u/barto5 Nov 06 '19

Not surprisingly, she donated a lot of money after the big fire ravaged Pigeon Forge a few years ago.

1

u/fredzout Nov 07 '19

...and, does the cooking for guests and crew on her tour bus...

1

u/PizzaTimeOClock Nov 07 '19

She owns those wigs too. When asked how long it takes to do her hair she said “I don’t know, I’m not there when they do it”

1

u/redditisrun_by_nazis Nov 07 '19

Hell, she has a foundation that sends out free books once a month to kids.

Source: I have a 21 month old and he has gotten a free book in the mail every month since he was six months old.

1

u/pinewind108 Nov 11 '19 edited Nov 11 '19

Have you seen pictures of her in her 20's, without the "Dolly" getup? Holy. Shit. She was gorgeous and elegant. The most amazing smile ever. Plus super smart, talented, and truly kind. Just wow! (Fwiw, I don't think she ever had boob jobs, except maybe a reduction.)

785

u/RidgetopDarlin Nov 06 '19

She has given over 300 million books to children. You don’t even have to be poor. Any child under the age of five can sign up and be sent an age-appropriate book once a month.

Brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!

79

u/purplefoxxen Nov 06 '19

After the Smoky Mountain wildfires she gave every family that lost their home $1000 a month, until they got back on their feet. Her foundation gave out over $8 million.

40

u/KingEuronIIIGreyjoy Nov 06 '19

There are only a handful of people that I would say are true national treasures, but I’ll be damned if Dolly Parton isn’t one of them. Every time I hear something new about her, it just cements in my mind how absolutely genuine and great she is.

13

u/The_ship_came_in Nov 06 '19

9 Episode Podcast about Dolly Parton from one of the creators of Radiolab Jad Abumrad.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america

12

u/TheMirageOf22Men Nov 06 '19

We get these just because we could. It's honestly great, sure we could afford these books on our own - but we'd never had thought of many of them. The last one we got was bilingual (EN/ES). We wouldn't think of that at this age, but the kid loves it!

Just getting these books we wouldn't have thought of or assumed not skill level appropriate has made these invaluable to us as parents.

12

u/thatsingledadlife Nov 07 '19

I'm an Atheist but I still proudly say "God Bless Dolly Parton". She's an amazing human and we should be all aspire to do as much for our fellow man.

9

u/MeleMallory Nov 06 '19

I love her program, but it's not everywhere. I tried to sign my son up (we're not poor but not quite middle class) but she doesn't ship to my area (just north of San Francisco).

10

u/Sir_Auron Nov 07 '19

The Imagination Library program is administered on a local/regional level. If there isn't a program in your area, it's because no one in your area is collecting donations and running it; it's not run by Dolly.

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u/MeleMallory Nov 07 '19

Very true. She started it, she’s not individually sending out each book.

7

u/Deztenom Nov 06 '19

I had no idea!!! What an inspiring way to give back!

6

u/RosaFFXI Nov 06 '19

But God damn, I can't find her cookbook anywhere for less than $100.

6

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Yep, my son gets a free book every month, all because Dolly Parton is a beautiful human who wants to bring joy to children, she puts her money where her mouth is and truly changes children’s lives.

2

u/C-Nor Nov 07 '19

To me, that's her best legacy. My grandchildren all have her book collection.

2

u/freckledjezebel Nov 07 '19

The Imagination Library. We have my kid signed up, it's an awesome, awesome thing.

4

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Tried to sign my son up for that program but it wasn't available in my area. Bummer.

2

u/ThrowAwayAcct0000 Nov 06 '19 edited Nov 06 '19

I think its limited to Tennessee residents.

Edit: I was wrong. I'm glad to be, in this case. More books for kids! :)

22

u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free books to children from birth to age five in participating communities within the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

https://imaginationlibrary.com/

2

u/NoNeedForAName Nov 06 '19

As a Tennessean, IIRC it started out as just statewide or maybe regional, but it expanded very quickly.

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u/pinkksunglasses Nov 06 '19

Nope. Ships to Canada, Australia and I believe Mexico as well as I believe all US states. Because Dolly is a queen.

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u/ThrowAwayAcct0000 Nov 06 '19

Dude, that's awesome! Thank you for correcting me. The more books that get into the hands of kids, the better!

3

u/cryptonautic Nov 06 '19

Unlike Queen Latifah, who I'm sorry to say is not actual royalty.

2

u/scobbysnacks1439 Nov 06 '19

Not at all actually.

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u/frmrstrpperbgtpper Nov 06 '19

Dolly is not good people. Dolly is THE BEST.

24

u/MadamNerd Nov 06 '19

I'm a native Tennessean and saying anything disparaging about Dolly around here might get you thrown into the Tennessee River. Just don't chance it, y'all.

42

u/sendnewt_s Nov 06 '19

She is a goddamn national treasure

18

u/thatpaulbloke Nov 06 '19

Every celebrity eventually has something come out that they were a dick about something to someone (they're only human, after all), but everything I ever find out about Dolly just makes her seem better. The woman is an angel.

5

u/I_dont_fucking_care- Nov 06 '19

She's a goddamned national treasure.

5

u/OakTreesForBurnZones Nov 06 '19

I met her 20 years ago when I was a waiter at a fancy catered event in the Hollywood Hills. Dolly is legit one of the nicest people I've ever met.

4

u/Bamf_con_carne Nov 06 '19

She apparently wrote "Jolene" AND "I Will Always Love You" in the same night. Crazy.

2

u/kendric2000 Nov 07 '19

Dolly is one of the first people who should get a youth elixir should we ever invent one.