Music

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean’s ‘Special Songs’ When They Were Dating

When Dolly Parton and Carl Dean were dating, they spent a lot of time sitting on the porch and listening to the radio. These were 'their songs.'

by Kelsey Goeres

Published on July 29, 2023

2 min read

How Dolly Parton and Carl Dean met and started dating

When Parton first moved to Nashville, she lived next to a laundromat called the Wishy Washy. One day, after putting in a load, she walked outside to get some air. There in his car, idling, was Dean. The two started flirting and made a quick connection. For the next week, Parton was booked babysitting and couldn’t go out with the handsome stranger. So he joined her in her babysitting duties until she finally got a night off. That night, he took her to dinner at his mother’s house. Upon introducing Parton, he told his mom she was the girl he was going to marry.

Dolly and Carl loved to listen to music together

Not long into their time dating, Parton moved to another part of town where she didn’t know anyone. Thankfully, Dean visited her frequently.

“I didn’t have a radio or TV, and without a car I was left to just entertain myself,” Parton wrote in her 1994 memoir, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business. “Carl often showed up without warning, sometimes even in the middle of the night. I was glad to see him because I was becoming more and more serious about him.”

Parton and Dean would typically sit out on the “Jolene” singer’s porch “so that the neighbors could see that we weren’t doing anything improper.” If the couple ever went inside, Dean would make sure to leave the door open.

Mostly, they spent their time listening to the radio.

“He had a little transistor radio, the kind from Japan that were so popular in the sixties,” she wrote. “I thought it was just the greatest thing in the world. We would sit and talk and hold hands and kiss and listen to that little radio. Otis Redding was our favorite.”

“These Arms of Mine” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” were Parton and Dean’s “special songs.”

Dolly and Carl decided to get married

For a while, Dean joined the National Guard and went away to boot camp. Parton visited him once while he was there and it was clear that their connection was still fully intact. When he returned, they continued dating as usual. But, before long, Dean began to grow weary of driving all the way out to his girlfriend’s apartment, which was in Madison, Tennessee (he was still in South Nashville).

“Between [where we lived] and the time he spent with me, he wasn’t getting any sleep at all,” Parton wrote.

So, one day, “quite matter-of-factly,” Dean told Parton: “You’re either gonna have to move to the other side of town or we’re gonna have to get married.”

And that was that. They’ve been married ever since.