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Unreleased Dolly Parton Song To Be Unveiled In 2046

Mary Varvaris

In 2015, Dolly Parton wrote a song, put it on a CD and locked it in a chestnut box she planned to open on her 100th birthday.

Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton(Credit: Vijat Mohindra/Courtesy of Butterfly Records)
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Dolly Parton left parting gifts for fans before her passing on Tuesday (25 August), including an unreleased song she planned to unveil on her 100th birthday. The country music icon died at the age of 80.

The song, titled My Place In History, is currently locked in a chestnut box at the Dollywood DreamMore Resort in Tennessee, theme park representatives confirmed to ABC News this week.

My Place In History, written and recorded by Parton in 2015 – coinciding with the resort’s opening – was placed in the box, with instructions to open it on 19 January 2046: what would have been Parton’s 100th birthday.

Recorded onto a CD, with a CD player also inside the box, which would hopefully allow fans to listen to the song decades later (unless the technology somehow becomes obsolete by then), Dolly Parton effectively made her own time capsule, but instead of high school memories, left an unreleased song.

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The Jolene hitmaker discussed the song in her 2020 book, Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. “There’s no telling what music is going to be by then,” she wrote. “Hopefully, it will play and the whole thing ain’t rotted.”

Parton added that, if she did reach 100 years of age, she planned to be at the opening.

Parton’s longtime manager, Dany Nozell, assured ABC News that any posthumous projects with the singer’s name on them will be released with her blessing.

“As the leader of the team responsible for overseeing her legacy, we will ensure the many dreams she had yet to fulfil are brought to life,” Nozell explained, sharing that many projects were already “in various stages of development” and that her team are publicly discussing this in an effort to be transparent with fans.

Nozell continued, “If you see unreleased music, products, books, experiences, and campaigns launched through official Dolly Parton channels, you can have confidence in knowing that she placed her personal stamp on it.”

Dolly Parton passed away following a “brief battle with cancer,” representatives for the singer confirmed. She leaves behind a legacy of music, philanthropy, and acting – see some of the tributes for the beloved country icon here.