No one in this world is perfect but it’s highly likely Dolly Parton may represent the very best of us in terms of talent, compassion, and love. The country music icon was in the news throughout 2022 for a number of reasons, one of which was her nomination (and induction) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Dolly originally asked to be recused from the ballot because she never recorded any rock and/or roll. But it was too late to remove her and she got in with the class of 2022. One year later and in order to live up to the name of being a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, she has an upcoming rock album on the way with a single that just dropped for it.
“World on Fire” is the first officially released song from 2023’s forthcoming album, “Rockstar.” A full track list hasn’t been released yet, but the 30 song collection of 21 covers and nine originals has a lot of star power behind them. For example, confirmed tracks include “Magic Man,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and “Every Breath You Take,” featuring the artists who originally worked on and performed those songs, Ann Wilson, Peter Frampton and Sting, respectively.
Dolly’s new single “World on Fire” is one of the originals from the record and it’s a fine enough effort on the country legend’s part to delve into an unfamiliar genre. The production is a bit dated, sounding like it could’ve been recorded in the ’80s under the helm of Desmond Child. It actually sounds a bit like Joan Jett‘s “I Hate Myself For Loving You,” which incidentally is another cover song on the record. You can hear it in the stomping percussive beat, slap of the drums, vocal choir, and overall polish.
Lyrically, Parton tackles the state of the world with the refrain, “Liar, liar, the world’s on fire/Whatcha gonna do when it all burns down?” From there the lyric is a general condemnation of world affairs without ever getting too specific on a general issue. You can tell she’s singing with sincerity but the indirect nature of the criticism coupled with the notion that we just need to show more love and compassion, makes the message sound as dated as the production. She’s certainly not wrong, the world DOES need more love and compassion, but that message was also communicated in the ’60s, and the ’70s, and the ’80s…
It’s good to hear Dolly with a more forceful voice and backing musicianship, it’s just that it sounds so generic. This is a songstress who can tell a story about characters to elaborate detail and manage to do it in only three minutes. We know the titular “Jolene” to a physical and emotional degree and we can weep over the fate of the girl and her dog in “Me and Little Andy,” because she makes them so personal. “World on Fire” doesn’t quite have that though, even if Parton’s voice has held up strongly over the years. It’s because of that voice that it’ll be fascinating to hear how she interprets a number of classic rock songs in addition to her other originals on the forthcoming record.
“Rockstar” is set for release on November 17th, 2023.
