50 years ago: Merle Haggard’s unrequited love for Dolly Parton inspired an iconic song

There are many legendary country songs and there are many legendary country artists. But there are few, if any, songs in the history of country music that capture the heartfelt feelings of one country legend for another like Merle Haggard’s “Always Wanting You,” 50 years ago today, November 26th 1974, was recorded.

Although Dolly Parton’s career for most of 1974 and 1975 is more closely equated with her first boss, Porter Wagoner, or her most legendary duet partner, Kenny Rogers, it was Merle Haggard whose career was intertwined with Dolly’s, in more ways than one . Merle Haggard heard Dolly Parton’s song “Kentucky Gambler” about a miner who leaves his family to gamble in Reno and decided to record it. It became No. 1 for Haggard in 1974 and Dolly’s first No. 1 as a songwriter for someone else.

By the way, the album by Dolly Parton on which “Kentucky Gambler” appeared was called The bargain shop The song by Merle Haggard could also be heard: “You’ll Always Be Special To Me”. Haggard later also covered Dolly Parton’s song “The Seeker”. Merle and Dolly traded songs back and forth for a while, which became very lucrative for both Hall of Famers.

In the mid-1970s, Merle Haggard experienced his heyday in country music. Most of the singles he released went to No. 1 and he was one of country music’s biggest draws on tour. Meanwhile, Dolly Parton had just left Porter Wagoner to start her own career, and opening for Merle Haggard in concert seemed like the perfect way to get her solo career off to a big start. The two were already known for their song collaborations and also became a tour package.

As a touring duo, Merle and Dolly hit it off almost immediately, and when their buses went to shows, Dolly would often ride on Merle’s bus, or Merle would ride on Dolly’s bus. The two spent many hours discussing the country music business and life. And as you can imagine if you’ve ever seen a photo of Dolly Parton from the mid-’70s, Merle Haggard started capturing feelings.

At the time, of course, Dolly was married to her longtime husband Carl Dean, and Merle was married to singer and performer Bonnie Owens, Buck Owens’ former wife. Dolly Parton was always loyal to Carl Dean and never allowed temptation to creep into her heart. Merle Haggard wasn’t quite as strong.

Over time, Merle Haggard fell deeply in love with Dolly. And although Merle initially tried to hide his feelings, he eventually admitted how he felt to Dolly and probably made a pass or two. But Dolly always refused, but in a way that didn’t push Merle too far away. Dolly has always been a smart businesswoman and knew that getting Haggard on her bad side wouldn’t be good for her career.

It’s also fair to point out that Merle Haggard was about nine years older than Dolly at the time and was effectively her boss as a tour headliner, while Merle was also actively married. It wasn’t the best moment of Merle Haggard’s career. Combine this with Porter Wagoner’s possessive nature, and you know why Dolly’s career was forged in the fire of older rural men trying to get something from her.

After all, Dolly Parton was all Merle Haggard could think about. He was obsessed with her day and night. So what did Merle Haggard do with his unrequited love? He did what country artists with longing hearts do: He put his feelings into music.

Merle Haggard didn’t mention Dolly Parton by name in “Always Wanting You,” but the lyrics and details were 100% consistent with his state of mind. When Haggard released the song as a single on February 3, 1975, many of Merle and Dolly’s fellow musicians had doubts about the song’s inspiration, as did the public. The rumors probably didn’t hurt the song’s popularity, and soon the deeper story of what inspired Merle Haggard to write “Always Wanting You” became country music’s worst-kept secret.

As time went on, and especially after Merle Haggard’s divorce from Bonnie Owens in 1978, the story of “Always Wanting You” became a topic in interviews with Merle and Dolly. Merle finally spoke openly about the matter, and Dolly – always sensible – simply said that Haggard was a “special friend” and that she thought it was very nice of him to tell her that he cared so much.

Finally, in Merle Haggard’s autobiography Sing Me Back Home: My Own StoryHe revealed that after writing “Always Wanting You” in Reno, he called Dolly Parton at 3 a.m. and sang the song to her, hoping it would impress her enough that she would finally give in. Once again, Dolly denied Merle’s advances.

Perhaps ironically, it was the writing and release of “Always Wanting You” that finally allowed Merle to let go of his feelings for Dolly. And just as ironic, it all happened in Reno, just like the story in the No. 1 song “Kentucky Gambler,” written by Dolly and recorded by Merle. Merle later said that recording “Kentucky Gambler” was the moment he first realized he loved Dolly. Merle took a real risk in Reno and lost.

“Always Wanting You” wasn’t just a number one song. It was a moment in country music history when a song chronicled Merle’s turmoil and anguish as he tried to deal with his true feelings for Dolly.

The two remained friends over the years, and when Merle Haggard died in 2016, Dolly said: “We have lost one of the greatest writers and singers of all time. His heart was as tender as his love ballads. I loved him like a brother. Be quiet, Merle.”