Dolly Parton was already a superstar in the 1970s, but the pop charts didn’t treat her like one. A surprising number of her biggest songs from that era never made it far past the Top 40, thanks to chart rules that kept country records in their own lane. So Dolly changed strategy, went directly at pop audiences around 1980, and became the blueprint every country crossover since has followed.
Nearly five decades later, that blueprint is paying off in a huge way. Ella Langley’s“Choosin’Texas”just set the record for most weeks at No. 1, and country music is now genuinely everywhere on the pop charts and in streaming. Slate’s Hit Parade podcast, hosted by chart analyst Chris Molanphy, digs into the mechanics that held Dolly back, the path she cleared for Langley and other country women, and why Nashville stopped being treated like a separate universe from pop.
Whether you grew up on“Jolene”or found country through your For You page, this is one of those moments where the past and the present are clearly connected. Dolly built the door. Ella just walked through it with a record in hand. What’s the country crossover song that won you over?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.