Dolly Parton and her music will continue living on after her death, but one piece of her legacy remains deliberately out of reach.
The country music legend, who died on August 25 at age 80, recorded a secret song years before her death and had it physically locked away at her DreamMore Resort in Tennessee.
However, Dolly Parton left strict instructions for the recording to remain sealed until what would have been her 100th birthday in 2046, meaning fans may have to wait another two decades to hear it finally.
Parton wrote and recorded the mysterious song, titled “My Place in History,” in 2015, the same year Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Instead of releasing the track with the rest of her music, she decided to turn it into a musical time capsule.
The recording was placed inside a chestnut “Dream Box,” which sits behind a glass at the resort, per Business Insider. The plan calls for the box to remain sealed until January 19, 2046, the date that would have marked Parton’s 100th birthday.
The unusual project has taken on considerably more significance following the singer’s shocking death that has devastated fans and friends worldwide.
Parton had originally entertained the possibility that she might actually live long enough to attend the unveiling herself.
In her 2020 book, “Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics,” she joked that she didn’t know whether she wanted to reach 100 but suggested she would attend the opening of the capsule if she did.
Now, the song is poised to become a message from Parton to a generation of fans living decades after she recorded it.
The Singer Admitted She Desperately Wanted To Open The Box Early
Keeping “My Place in History” secret apparently became much harder for Parton than she expected.
During a 2022 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the country icon admitted that she had repeatedly thought about breaking her own rules and retrieving the recording.
“I wanna go dig that up so bad,” Parton confessed.
She also offered a tantalizing review of the unheard recording, calling it “a really good song.”
Parton admitted that knowing the track was sitting somewhere within her reach, but not able to share it with the world, was “burning me up inside.”
Parton was famously prolific and spent decades sharing her songwriting with audiences, but she had deliberately created one song she wasn’t allowed to release until a set time.
She even joked elsewhere that she wanted permission to dig it up and replace it with something that wasn’t as good.
Despite the temptation to retrieve the musical capsule, Parton apparently stuck to the plan to leave it till 2046.
Only Dolly Parton Knew What ‘My Place In History’ Sounded Like
The biggest mystery about this kept song isn’t whether it is good; rather, it is that almost nobody knows what the song sounds like. Knowing Parton, she put all her strength into the song to make it a masterpiece.
The display that accompanied the Dream Box reportedly states that only Parton knew the song’s melody and contents.
Also, the title has become more significant.
“My Place in History” was written decades into Parton’s career, when her place in country music was already firmly established. At this time, she had transformed herself from a Tennessee songwriter into an international entertainer, actress, businesswoman and philanthropist.
She also remained remarkably aware of how her work might be remembered long after she was gone.
Parton’s death now means the song will likely be heard in a completely different context from the one in which she recorded it in 2015.
The Singer Locked Away A CD Player With The Recording
Apparently, Parton foresaw a problem with asking her fans to wait decades before they get to listen to “My Place in History.” According to reports, the “Joyful Noise” actress recorded the song on a CD.
With no guarantee that people would still commonly own CD players in 2046, Parton included the necessary equipment inside the Dream Box. Along with the recording, she placed a CD player in the box so whoever eventually opens it should have a way to hear the song.
In her book, Parton joked about the possibility that the technology would survive the long wait. “Hopefully, it will play and the whole thing ain’t rotted,” she wrote.
The glass display showing the recording reportedly contains a piece of wood taken from the front porch of her childhood home in Sevierville, Tennessee. Parton grew up in a family of 12 children before building one of the most successful careers in country music history.
‘My Place In History’ May Not Be Dolly Parton’s Only Posthumous Music
The “Dream Box” recording may be Parton’s mystery song to the world, but it may not necessarily be the only new music fans could eventually hear.
Entertainment Weekly revealed that she had deliberately prepared material so her musical legacy would continue long after she is gone.
During a 2020 appearance on the “Dolly Parton’s America” podcast, the singer said she had written hundreds, potentially thousands, of songs that had never been recorded.
She also explained that she was intentionally recording vocals in ways that could allow future producers to build new arrangements around them.
“For me, as far as what I hope my music will be left behind, I hope that it will always live,” she said during the interview.
