Blogocentric Formulations

I'm just a weary pilgrim trying to find what feels like home

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DAY 13

Song: "Travelin' Thru"
Artist: Dolly Parton
Album: Transamerica Soundtrack (2005)

Okay, I had to include a song from one of the most prolific songwriters and savvy businesswomen the music industry has ever seen. Say what you will about Dolly Parton's voice or her particular brand of music, there's no question the woman knows what she's doing. I mean, just look at the numbers her music career has garnered:

41 Top 10 country albums
25 #1 hit songs, 110 total singles on the charts
Over 100 million records sold worldwide
Has written more than 3,000 songs
33 career awards won, plus an additional 45 Grammy nominations, 40 CMA Award nominations, 18 AMA nominations, and 2 Oscar nominations for good measure

And her music career is just the start of her empire. She invests much of her music earnings into other ventures, most notably the city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee which is the home of The Dollywood Theme Park, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede (a dinner theater), and Dollywood's Splash Country (a water park). She also owns a movie production company, a line of wigs, and her own charity which, among other things, guarantees every child in Sevier County, Tennessee one free age-appropriate book in the mail every month until the age of five.

One of my favorite Dolly Parton songs (yeah, yeah, I know everybody loves "9 to 5" and the music buffs will point out that she wrote and originally recorded Whitney Houston's classic, "I Will Always Love You") is "Travelin' Thru" from the Transamerica soundtrack. She received one of her two Oscar nominations for the song and it's a powerful commentary on finding your way in life something that, even if we can't identify with the transgendered character's struggles in the movie, that we can relate to in other ways. And seriously, just listen to the lyrics. The woman has a gift for catchy lyrics that really communicate a message. With all the modern day popular songs that are just about partying and familiar relationship fare and whatnot, it's so nice to hear a song with lyrics that actually mean something.