The Great Pretender (Dolly Parton album)

The Great Pretender is the twenty-sixth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 1984, by RCA Records. It is composed of covers of hits from the 1950s and 1960s. The album was produced by Val Garay. It made heavy use of synthesizers and had a decidedly pop sound. The first single, a remake of The Drifters' 1960 hit "Save the Last Dance for Me" was a top 10 country single for Parton in early 1984 and came close to making the pop Top 40 as well (#45). Dolly Parton's cover of the 1965 Petula Clark hit "Downtown" was the album's second single. The title song was originally a hit for The Platters in 1956.

The Great Pretender
Studio album by
Dolly Parton
ReleasedJanuary 23, 1984
RecordedOctober 24-December 5, 1983
StudioRecord One, Los Angeles
GenrePop
Length35:44
(Re-Release) 52:42
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerVal Garay
Dolly Parton chronology
Burlap & Satin
(1983)		 The Great Pretender
(1984)		 Rhinestone
(1984)
Singles from The Great Pretender
  1. "Save the Last Dance for Me"
    Released: November 28, 1983
  2. "Downtown"
    Released: March 12, 1984
  3. "She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

In 1986, a remixed version of the track "We Had It All" was included on Think About Love, a compilation album of remixes of previously released Parton material; the song was released as a single in late 1986, and provided an additional top 30 single for Parton.

The Great Pretender was the first Dolly Parton album to be issued on the then-new CD format at the time of its release.

It was released digitally for the first time on 4 December 2015.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Save the Last Dance for Me"Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman3:50
2."I Walk the Line"Johnny Cash3:34
3."Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)"Pete Seeger4:24
4."Downtown"Tony Hatch3:19
5."We Had it All"Donnie Fritts, Troy Seals3:51
6."She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)"Jerry Butler, Calvin Carter, Curtis Mayfield3:41
7."We'll Sing in the Sunshine"Gale Garnett3:25
8."I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"Holland–Dozier–Holland2:50
9."Elusive Butterfly"Bob Lind2:47
10."The Great Pretender"Buck Ram3:41
1999 The Collection Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Harper Valley PTA"Tom T. Hall3:13
12."D-I-V-O-R-C-E"Bobby Braddock, Curly Putman2:44
13."I Will Always Love You"Dolly Parton2:55
14."Jolene"Dolly Parton2:41
15."9 to 5"Dolly Parton2:45
16."Here You Come Again"Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil2:57

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 22
Canada Top Albums (RPM)[3] 69
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] 38
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[5] 18
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] 9
US Hot Country Albums (Billboard)[7] 7
US Billboard 200[8] 73

Album (Year-End)

Chart (1984) Peak
Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[9] 49

Notes
  1. The Great Pretender at AllMusic
  2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 230. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. "RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada (LAC). 17 July 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dolly Parton – The Great Pretender" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  5. "Norwegiancharts.com – Dolly Parton – The Great Pretender". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  6. "Swedishcharts.com – Dolly Parton – The Great Pretender". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  7. "Dolly Parton Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  8. "Dolly Parton Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  9. "Billboard Top Country Albums - Year-End Charts (1984)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
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