Dolly Parton, queen of country, sass, and basically everything, is getting candid about what it takes to make a marriage last. And who wouldn't want marriage advice from Dolly? She's been married to her husband, Carl Dean, for 54 years. In all that time, there's a lot of marital knowledge that piles up. Now Dolly is spilling her secrets. She recently chatted with American Idol alum Gabby Barrett about the most important pieces to the puzzle.
Gabby Barrett, who is expecting her first baby with fellow Idol alum Cade Foehner, is about to have her one-year wedding anniversary with her husband. So in honor of her new cover of Dolly's classic hit song, "I Will Always Love You," she sat down (virtually) with the country icon to talk about love and marriage.
Dolly has great advice on just about everything. So, of course, the conversation was adorable, honest, and real (as is Dolly). It's also incredibly helpful advice for anyone who is married or thinking about getting married.
Dolly Parton is incomparable. We'd take her advice on just about anything at all. But when it comes to marriage, she really has an excellent track record, so it seems like she knows what she's talking about. Marriage is tough even in the best of circumstances, and fame can make it even more difficult. However, Dolly has managed to have a lengthy and by all accounts happy marriage.
She opened up about some of the things that make her marriage keep going and going, telling Gabby that absence might make the heart grow fonder. At least in the case of Dolly and her husband, that seems to be true. "I've always made jokes that the reason our marriage has lasted so long is because I stay gone," she said. "Well, there's a lot of truth in that. We're not in each other's face all the time. I think there's a lot to be said about having some sensible separation because you can't be with somebody 24/7, 365 and not want to smack their face now and then."
Couples who have been married for many years can definitely relate. Space is important in a marriage for so many reasons. It helps people to embrace their own individuality and keep growing separately. It also helps couples look forward to seeing one another, rather than feeling burned out on the relationship.
Dolly also shared that fighting hasn't ever really been part of her marriage. "We've never bickered back and forth because I never wanted us to say bad things that we would have to remember," she said. That's pretty phenomenal, but while most couples bicker, it seems like Dolly's rule of thumb is not to say things that you can't take back — that's a pretty good reminder for any relationship.
She continued, "We get a little pissy now and then, but we'll just kind of walk off or go do something else and let that die down. You have to work at anything. Marriage is a business too, and you got to look at it like that. You got to make the right decisions for all the little things that come up."
It might sound strange to think of marriage like a "business." However, remembering that it's something you have to work hard at, and take the good with the bad, seems to work for Dolly and her husband. And like everything Dolly does, there seems to be a lot of warmth and kindness in her relationship, too.
Since Gabby is only in the first year of her marriage, Dolly spoke about what a year of transition that can be. She revealed that she actually thinks the start of the relationship can be tough. You're learning to exist in the same space, and sometimes you feel like you don't have enough room. She also joked about getting into arguments, saying when things cool off, you can always "smack him in the head." Of course, we know our girl would never really do that.
The superstar had a lot of sweet and encouraging words to share with Gabby, who was so excited about the interview, too. She seems to really believe in the young star's talent. "She has what it takes to make it in our industry," Dolly told People. "Talent, she's hard-working, humble and kind."
For Gabby, releasing her own version of Dolly's song — and chatting with the star — is a dream come true. She said in a statement, "I feel so much joy today releasing 'I Will Always Love You,' one of my favorite songs of all time and one of the greatest songs ever written, as an Amazon Original."
"The thing about this song and about all of Dolly's catalog is that her music is timeless; it comes straight from her heart. You can tell that she's being honest and sincere in every lyric she writes. Every story is genuine to her life. Something I strive for, that she has set such a perfect example of in Country music. I am honored to have covered this song, and I hope you all love it as much as I do."
