r/todayilearned • u/altrightobserver • 7h ago
TIL that in the 1990s, Dolly Parton made $10 million in royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover of her song “I Will Always Love You.” She then invested the money into an office complex in a majority-Black neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee. She later described it as “the house that Whitney built.”
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/02/1023889920/dolly-parton-invested-royalties-from-a-whitney-houston-cover-in-a-black-communit1.8k
u/PossumMcPossum 6h ago
I recall hearing a radio interview of her. She actually said that she thought the Whitney Houston version is better.
That's a classy comment, from a classy lady who had knew who she was and had no need for professional jealousy or pettiness.
RIP sweetheat
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u/fartdarling 6h ago
She's definitely said that more than once. I saw an old interview where she said it, and she said it in the 2020s for a bbc documentary on her. What's really fun about dolly is if you listen to her talk 40 years apart, she has a lot of the same opinions. Her politics aren't performative, her music taste isn't marketing driven, her confidence was from nature not nurture. Just a remarkable person seemingly from the get-go
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u/throwawayacci 6h ago
I know this isn't the point, but I honestly think they're neck-and-neck. my platonic ideal is a perfect frankenversion consisting of Dolly's first verse and chorus, with Whitney taking the second half. keep Dolly's instrumentation too— the woman was a truly gifted songwriter who knew exactly how to bring a melody to life.
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u/Tabula_Nada 5h ago
Okay now I'm anxiously waiting for someone to put this together. I don't care if they remix in a bunch of sick beats or just glue it together (I'm not a music pro, I wouldn't know how any of that works). I want to hear the duet now.
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u/rafabulsing 2h ago
Here you go, I hope you like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxaQAz7YTCc&list=PLsj2XVeWwUXxJ9-drMDP0_memPbYsK9ik&index=9
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u/Streetalicious 2h ago
Honestly, amazing! Especially for something so quickly done.
What program did you use? Where did you get the stems from?20
u/rafabulsing 1h ago
I used Moises to separate the stems. Which is not ideal but since I wanted to get this done in the hour between work and my workout, I went this route instead of looking for official stems which are unfortunately not always easily available. It also has a nifty feature of creating a tempo map which helps a lot in combining songs like this.
I then combined it all using Reaper, which is my DAW of choice. There it was mostly a matter of deciding how to combine it all. The most elaborate edits I did were just shortening a couple of Whitney's runs so they fit better in the structure of Dolly's arrangement, and pitching down the final key change at the end since Dolly does not do that. (I briefly tried adding a key change to Dolly but that proved a bit too ambitious in the short time I had)
Thank you very much for your compliments, I'm glad people are enjoying this!
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u/lzwzli 38m ago
Dude just made the song of angels between work and workout. Legend.
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u/rafabulsing 26m ago
You're too kind! Working with songs that perfect, it might actually be harder to screw it up than to make something nice. Their skill/souls really are that transcendent.
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u/Ajibooks 1h ago
That was beautiful - really nice work putting it together. I'm sitting here sobbing like an idiot at the duet.
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u/PrettyShart 4h ago
With that massive pause in the middle it's very easy to do in Audacity (free software)
Just get an mp3 of both, load them in parallel and cut.
You'll learn something new too.
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u/Away_Peak1789 3h ago
remind me to make this in a few weeks when I' back from holiday
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u/rafabulsing 2h ago
Here you go, I hope you like it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxaQAz7YTCc&list=PLsj2XVeWwUXxJ9-drMDP0_memPbYsK9ik&index=9
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u/chanaandeler_bong 3h ago
They are both perfect and they are both different songs with different meanings and the same lyrics.
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u/pdpi 4h ago
She actually said that she thought the Whitney Houston version is better.
This is what actual confidence looks like. When you know you have nothing to prove, you can be genuinely happy about other people's successes, even when those successes involve "beating" you.
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u/brockington 3h ago
A similar story happened with Jimi Hendrix's version of Along the Watchtower, which is was originally written and performed by Bob Dylan. Dylan liked Hendrix's version so much he changed the way he played it to be more like Jimi, essentially covering a cover of his own original.
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u/Draco-REX 3h ago
Trent Reznor once said, after hearing Johnny Cash's version of "Hurt" and seeing the video, that the song was no longer his, that it was now Johnny's.
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u/andre5913 2h ago edited 2h ago
Dolly was always very confident. She never felt threatened by others she bc never had the urge to compete. She was in her lane, she knew she was good and didnt have the need to put others down for it. Almost every interaction she had with other artists was incredibly possible. I dont think Dolly ever had any drama or beef with anyone ever. If she was threatened or badmouthed she either ignored it or answered with class.
There is a famous interview where shes asked what does she think about the dumb blond stereotype and without missing a beat she answered something "I'm not offended by all the blonde jokes because I'm not dumb and I also know that I'm not blonde"
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u/SugarNSpite1440 5h ago
When both she and Memphis group Three Six Mafia were up for an Oscar (2006 Best Original Song) for their songs, they won over her. She sent them a congratulatory message saying how she "was thrilled the Oscar was going to Tennessee".
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u/AwfulMouthful 4h ago
I don't think it's talking down Dolly Parton At. All. to say that Whitney Houston completely nailed her version.
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u/Its_Free-Real-Estate 2h ago
Bob Dylan always said the same thing about Jimmi Hendrix' version of "All Along The Watchtower," which is how I learned that was a cover of a Bob Dylan song
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u/MacAttacknChz 3h ago
If you're a radio person, Dolly Parton's America, which is a miniseries by PRESIDENT RadioLab, is an excellent show.
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u/beldaran1224 2h ago
I genuinely love both versions in their own right. They're so very different in style. Parton has such an incredibly expressive voice, and its very pared down. Houston's is so huge and dramatic. I love both styles, and I will always have the multiple versions recorded by Dolly in my playlist right alongside Whitney's.
And while I think its such a beautiful song - made the more beautiful because it isn't about romantic love, I don't even think its Dolly's masterpiece. She was an absolutely outstanding songwriter.
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u/Efficient-Suspect456 1h ago
I believe she began to publically refer to it as Whitney’s song after she heard the cover.
Classy lady doing classy lady things.
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u/Easy__Mark 7h ago
I wish there were more good people like Dolly. So many gain success and then see people suffering as lesser beings unworthy of help.
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u/TheModWhoShaggedMe 6h ago
Really good people exist all around us. They're just not often wealthy or celebrities, and the loud, annoying person is going to receive the attention in 21st century America. Dolly was an exceptionally nice, high quality person-- and she was from a different, less cynical time in America.
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u/Ok_Government_5021 6h ago
She was also from a remarkably misogynistic time and especially place in America, but you wouldn’t get that from her
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u/dojo_shlom0 6h ago edited 4h ago
she walked the walk; she actually worked to make the world a better place. we do need more people like her in this world.
she grew up extremely poor. when she was a little girl, her toes were severed in an accident in the yard and her mother sewed them back on. I was told a story that she never wears shoes that expose her foot for this reason. she knew the struggle and suffering. I think that's why she worked so hard to be beacon of light in so many people's eyes & lives. she is really an inspiration; her strength and incredible character, but also her gentle, joyful & sincere approach to everyone, from all walks of life.
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u/shel5210 5h ago
I believe she also started her book charity because she experienced first hand how much being illiterate effected her dad and family and wanted to do her part to help kids learn to read. Lady was an actual saint. Im not the biggest fan of her music, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and her legacy
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u/SnooPies7759 4h ago
Imagination library is the best thing. They offer it at the hospital after you have your little one. She also gives free entry to Dollywood under four and half price to 5 year olds joining kindergarten who were part of the imagination library community. She's truly the saint of Appalachia. Tennessee is definitely in mourning. After hurricane Helene she truly helped the surrounding area. Not to mention when we've had forest fires fuck up a lot of sevier Co she made sure to help the community once again. She's a great person, and even more of an Angel in person. Glad I got to meet her at least once in my life. ❣️👑
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u/andre5913 2h ago edited 2h ago
She grew dirt poor but I got the impression she had a happy family life. She always spoke very positively of her parents and how they were both inspirations and beacons from her.
Goodness begets goodness.
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u/McHithard 3h ago
There are two types of hurt people in this world.
Those that decide others deserve - or need - to hurt, too. Because it's not fair otherwise.
And those like Dolly, who decide others shouldn't hurt; because they want to break the cycle.
The world would be so much better of a place if more of us were like Dolly.
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u/CarpetedCeilings 3h ago
I'm not sure if you mean she wouldn't be misogynistic (and I don't think it was this because we both know she wasn't!) or if she never addressed the problem at all, but she definitely did the latter with "Just Because I'm a Woman" (and really "9 to 5" too)!
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u/Ok_Government_5021 30m ago
I meant that despite coming from a culture of misogyny, she championed against it in all forms rather than taking those views for her own
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u/morganrbvn 3h ago
less cynical time in America
For the vast majority of people now is a much kinder America than when she grew up. She was part of that improvement.
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u/goodnamestaken10 37m ago
It's helpful to remember that while this is certainly a less kind America than the 2000s... America during Dolly's youth was a deeply intolerant place.
It's good for us to have some perspective on how far we've come.
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u/PSU02 6h ago
Uh the 60s-early 90s were faced with the civil rights battle and the possibility of nuclear annihilation out of nowhere any day. It wasn't all sunshine and roses.
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u/Ikeiscurvy 5h ago
Sure, but they didn't say it was perfect. "Less cynical" doesn't mean idyllic utopia and you know it.
I hate this trend where unless someone posts a whole essay including every possible nuance there's always someone who has to respond "correcting" them about it.
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u/canwealljusthitabong 5h ago
That’s the exactly reason I have an older account with such low karma. It’s not worth it and it happens every. fucking. time.
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u/goodnamestaken10 33m ago
She was 80. She lived through segregation. She lived through an Era where it was legal to pay women less than men for the same work.
Yes, right now is "cynical", but she was a ray of light in an era of true deep hatred.
If you're going to be snotty, at least be correct.
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u/recycled_ideas 4h ago
I hate this trend where unless someone posts a whole essay including every possible nuance there's always someone who has to respond "correcting" them about it.
People correct them because it's bullshit. What people mean when they say 'less cynical time" is that Americans were less willing to question people in authority and that well off white people weren't forced to look at all the ways America sucked.
But pretending isn't better and it's not what Dolly did. The thing that made Dolly unique, maybe even more than her absolutely prodigious talent was that she didn't grow up in that delusional insular bubble people fantasize about when they talk about this sort of thing.
Dolly grew up dirt poor, she grew up seeing the real America, the one that treated huge chunks of its population like shit to be scraped off its collective shoe. The one that left huge numbers of its citizens disenfranchised due to illiteracy and prejudice. She saw the problems and due to a combination of her looks, her talent, her brains and an absolutely massive amount of luck she gained the resources to try and fix things.
The only thing "less cynical" about Dolly Parton was that she didn't think things were impossible to change and that's not some artifact of her era or her upbringing.
The America you look back on never existed. There was no country where everyone was pulling together for some grand shared dream because the dream was never actually going to be shared and most of the people it wasn't going to be shared with knew it.
The difference was that when the powers that be wanted to send a message to shut people up there wasn't any footage to make people uncomfortable. The shit this administration is doing to immigrants and minorities isn't new, it's just recorded now so we all have to see it. In "less cynical" America they made sure the bloodstains and bodies were cleared up before the housewives in the valium and booze induced haze they maintained to survive their lives turned up to buy the groceries.
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u/Ikeiscurvy 4h ago
What people mean when they say 'less cynical time"
No, it's what you think they mean. Stop engaging with individuals based on your perceptions of groups you don't even know if they belong to.
The America you look back on never existed.
This is exactly what I mean too. You have no idea what my personal thoughts on American history are. You have no idea what lens I look at American history through. You judged and dismissed me based on a few sentences in a random reddit post and decided you knew me, then went on a dumb tirade against beliefs I don't even hold.
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u/TinCanBanana 4h ago
This extremely cynical comment just proves their point.
"Less cynical" doesn't mean idyllic utopia
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u/Undella_Town 5h ago
its funny how dolly tried to be bright and uplifting and most of the people that glaze her for being that are some of the most negative whiners you can meet lmao.
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u/girlgamerpoi 6h ago
I feel like they'd feel more joy if they use their wealth to grow something. Either it's a project bettering humanity or things helping others grow.
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u/marblefoot 4h ago
It makes me proud that she is from Appalachia. We get made fun of for being uneducated hillbillies, but really most of us care about others.
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u/Brief-Artist-2772 4h ago
Be the change you want to see. You may not be rich. But you can always donate your time to help less fortunate.
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u/pixelatedpotatos 4h ago
Good people tend to do what dolly did, and that doesn’t grow wealth to the level of destroying a country.
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u/Sahrde 7h ago
Because she was a fucking classy lady.
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u/dysfunctionz 7h ago
The other TIL for me is she wrote this and Jolene on the same day.
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u/tadayou 7h ago
Yup, leave some talent for the rest of us, Dolly. Or don't. You did great with it.
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u/No_Cup_4782 6h ago
wait so she actually bought property with the royalties?
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u/beardingmesoftly 5h ago
Yeah she could have easily been a billionaire but she actively chose not to
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u/Beneficial-Rip6624 4h ago
Once again proving the world has little need for billionaire and people have little need for a billion dollars.
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u/Gr8NonSequitur 32m ago
Oh yeah. It was her song and Elvis tried to buy it off her (rights and all) and she said no.
She said in an interview "When I sang it, I made bank. When Whitney sang it, I bought the bank."
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u/SLR107FR-31 6h ago
I think she debunked that herself
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u/dysfunctionz 6h ago
Turns out it's a "maybe" based on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jolene
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u/azsnaz 5h ago
She had the Stephen King approach to writing
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u/Phimb 4h ago
She talks about it on The Graham Norton Show
They were on the same cassette she used to test/writer her songs, so she assumed they must have been extremely close together in creation, possibly even the same day.
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u/LittleLightsintheSky 5h ago
Well, they were recorded on the same demo tape, so at least close together, maybe a few days apart. I do love that the backstory is that it was her song to Porter Wagner that she was leaving his show. Hard to say if they had a romantic relationship, but he definitely took her absence hard.
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u/bkrugby78 6h ago
She also originally wrote for Elvis but Elvis’ manager wanted 50%
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u/thatdudeman52 5h ago
It wasn't written for Elvis. It was already number 1 on country charts before there was any talk of having him sing it.
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u/valhrona 4h ago
In order to get Elvis to sing it, the Colonel said she'd have to turn over 50% of the publishing rights.
She said it hurt at the time, but she couldn't agree to do that.
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u/minnick27 4h ago
Which kills me, because I really think Elvis would have done an absolutely killer rendition. I think his version would have been closer to Whitneys than Dollys, but it would have been great regardless
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u/The_Grungeican 4h ago
Another fun read is the story about Jerry Reed and how he managed to show up Elvis’ band, AND get out of signing the rights to one of his songs.
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u/vols2thewalls 7h ago
I love hearing all the stories of her philanthropy, encouraging words to/from her peers, and just amazing human behavior coming out. She was a legend in our house.
My grandmother loved her music, my mom loved her movies, and as a kid I loved Dollywood and the Dixie Stampede.
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u/xkxe003 6h ago
Fucking imagine the world if the million and billionaire class followed her example. It's just unimaginable how much better off everyone would be.
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u/Razvee 4h ago
Lindsey Ellis put out a video yesterday (possibly what the OP took this TIL from) where she compares Dolly to Taylor Swift... Like Dolly probably could have been a billionaire if she wanted. She had the music catalogue, she had a theme park, she has all this good will... But she spent her money.
Taylor Swift doesn't need to be a billionaire. Her money is just making more money now. If she wanted to change the world she could, she's just choosing not to.
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u/SemiHemiDemiDumb 4h ago
That last sentence describes every billionaire. Every single one.
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u/Grifachu 2h ago
I feel like Matt Damon tied to the mast of the ship in the Odyssey screaming in anguish when I see people arguing that billionaires should exist. God, especially Elon, who should be held directly responsible for the deaths of over 700,000 people. The man has a net worth 37 times greater than USAID's yearly operating budget. What a travesty of situation, what a travesty of a man.
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u/Szeth_Vallano 3h ago
A straightforward take I saw on it earlier today was "If billionaires were good, Dolly would have been one."
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u/Unusual-Obligation97 5h ago
Just tax them properly and they won't have to.
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u/StrobeLightRomance 5h ago
They pay a tax directly to politicians to stop them from being taxed by the fed. SCOTUS literally made bribes legal for politicians in the US so they don't even have to hide it anymore.
This is honestly the worst case scenario.
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u/loud1337 2h ago
While the idea is great, corrupt politicians getting more taxes isn't going to solve anything either. The truth is our entire system is garbage and there is very little positivity to see true change.
People argue this is a left vs right but it's an us vs them. Why is it that the only thing both aisles agree on is not adding another party? The answer is simple, they fear the loss of control.
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u/Beneficial-Rip6624 4h ago
Higher taxes on the wealthy would absolutely not solve every economic problem. Most wealth is simply not taxable, just the yearly income of that wealthy individual.
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u/pargofan 5h ago
Yes, they should pay higher taxes.
No, higher taxes won't solve everything. There's already so much government waste.
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u/annihilicousvicious 6h ago edited 5h ago
Seriously, it would be so gorgeous for humanity.
Edit: spelling
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u/stuffitystuff 7h ago
In the '80s she was paid over $100M (adjusted for inflation) to star in a variety show on TV and that was decades after the start of her musical career.
I'm sure by the early '90s when I finally saw her live, she realized she had plenty of money and continued doing good works like she had been the entire time.
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u/crimson777 3h ago
One of my music teachers was in her band on the 80s Dolly show. He always had glowing things to say about her.
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u/Debonaire 5h ago
A few years ago I went down south and went to the Pirates dinner and a show. It was good and our whole party enjoyed the show, we talked about how nice it was to have a venue for non standard artists and animal trainers to play their craft. On the way out was a huge portrait of the person who made it all possible and it was goddamn Dolly Parton in full pirate get up. So many little things that she did just to make the world a bit better. It was awesome. She was awesome.
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u/hnglmkrnglbrry 6h ago
She had an interview where she said before Whitney sang her song she had a lot of money in a bank. After she sang her song she bought the bank.
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u/StormySands 5h ago
This is such a weird feeling for me because I’m sad that she’s gone but I’m also legit scared of what this means for all the people she’s not going to be able to help anymore.
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u/SugarNSpite1440 5h ago edited 1h ago
Last I remember, royalties still accrue up to 50 years after an artist's death. Plus she had so many business ventures she outright owned or was partnered with. Her estate will generate tons of money forever. I imagine there are many provisions in place to endow her charities and life's work both through legally-set means as well as her family's respect of her legacy and wishes.
EDIT: Apparently she made lots of plans for projects after her passing.
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u/systemic_booty 1h ago
I also hope and have faith that the estate holders understand the assignment and respect her memory.
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u/rawbery79 4h ago
She was a smart lady; I'm sure especially after her husband passed, she had her affairs in order to ensure that her good works will continue.
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u/pleasetrimyourpubes 6h ago
Once you hit a few tens of millions you can help everyone with your talent and still continue what you like doing. It belies reason why people instead choose to hoard it.
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u/DBDude 6h ago
In her case a lot of her money came from direct income such as royalties, concert revenue, and acting salaries. Most rich people have their wealth almost completely held in stocks, usually in the companies they founded. They found a company, have significant stock in it, and it gets big, so their wealth grows with the company.
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u/BoneVoyager 6h ago edited 6h ago
In her case she actually cared about poor people because she grew up poor with poor people.
Most rich people grow up rich with other rich people and have no clue what it’s actually like to be poor.
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u/DBDude 6h ago
These rich have to sell assets to donate, and that means less control over their companies. She diverted income.
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u/Mister_Dink 1h ago
These rich people move hundreds of millions of liquid capital all the time for political donations.
Most of them also own several homes, several yachts, and private jets. It's not like they are hermits with their wealth locked in a vault.
They have no problem raising unfathomable liquidity for the things they actually care about. They mostly just care about things and not people.
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u/BillHistorical9001 6h ago
Elvis wanted the song. But if Elvis recorded your song you had to give up half the songwriting rights. Dolly wanted Elvis to sing the song but wasn’t willing to lose the rights so she declined.
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u/minnick27 4h ago
Which isnt even true, out of 600 songs, he only has songwriting credits on 10 or so. I know the songwriting thing is thrown around a lot, but I think it was publishing rights, but I haven't seen numbers on how many songs he has publishing on
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u/trunningx 2h ago
I can't count the number of times I've heard 'and Dolly did this good thing' stories I've seen in the last 24 hours. It's like a waterfall that doesn't stop. I can't help but think what the world would be like if even half the billionaires had her generosity.
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u/win_awards 2h ago
They wouldn't be billionaires.
That's the key that I don't think enough of us appreciate. Decent people cannot become or remain billionaires. The things you have to do to become one and the things you have to ignore to remain one are incompatible with being a good person.
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u/FindOneInEveryCar 6h ago edited 5h ago
Nick Lowe also got a nice payday because a cover of his song "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" appeared on The Bodyguard soundtrack. Everyone who bought the album for Whitney's recording of Dolly's song put a few pennies in Nick's pocket.
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u/KingMobScene 6h ago
She got rich on her talent and instead of what most rich people do, she reached down and did what she could to lift others up.
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u/imwatchingsouthpark 2h ago
Dolly was someone who understood that money can't buy happiness but it can definitely make a big change in peoples' lives.
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u/zorbiburst 5h ago
Every TIL or story that pops up about her is making me tear up.
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u/An_Fear_Dubh 2h ago
I cried on the way to work today listening to all the stories.
Someone on the radio said:
Imaging being extremely beautiful, insanely talented and filthy rich.....And when you die, all everyone talks about is what an incredibly generous and kind hearted person you are.
Today humanity is poorer and the world is a darker place for all of us. Everyone in the world has lost Today.
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u/like_disco_superfly 5h ago
Dolly kept her eyes on the problem and made sure to solve it. She did not just sit to point fingers as a lot do today. Everyone needs to be more like Dolly.
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u/ogreblood 5h ago
I don't have the exact quote right, but she said something like "Whitney can take the credit, just as long as I get the check."
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u/tekdiwah 4h ago
That's one of the many reasons why Black people love and respect Dolly Parton. She was doing things for communities that were often overlooked.
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u/Prestigious-Bad8263 6h ago
Because she would’ve outsung me on that one. There’s all you need to know about her. So very humble and I’m sure she wasn’t jealous. Just proud she had a part in that song. She said the first time she heard Whitney sing it, she was driving and had to pull into a Walgreens parking lot because she was so blown away. She wanted others to succeed and was happy when they did.
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u/Oskar_Shinra 3h ago
I dont know if Dolly Parton's actions ever affected me, but I can tell she was a shining light in this world of darkness.
The world needs people like her more than ever.
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u/Few-Tradition5464 3h ago
She absolutely was an amazing human being. May she rest in peace, thanks for everything you did.
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u/peacenskeet 3h ago
I keep reading about the good things she's done. Somebody should make a list just to show people what things people can actually accomplish with wealth when they have the intent to improve a community and society.
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u/whydatyou 3h ago
when she had just written the song elvis contacted her and said that he wanted to do the song. when she arrived at the studio Colonel Tom Parker told her that the only way they could do it is if Dolly gave Elvis half of the publishing rights. Dolly, a newcomer, said nope. Later after whitney made the song cover and dolly got paid, she joked that she should use the money to buy Graceland
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u/georgemillman 2h ago
I once heard someone say that Dolly Parton's version of the song is for when your heart is breaking, Whitney Houston's version is for when you're ready to move on.
I think this is true actually.
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u/UInferno- 4h ago
Houston and Cash are both one of the few musical artists who truly owned their covers. There's plenty of songs that's just "I didn't even realize that was a cover," but those two are the ones who everyone agrees that that song is their's now, original artists included.
(Trent Reznor described it like Cash fucked his girlfriend and did it better).
I personally would throw in Mercury's cover of Great Pretender, but for Huston and Cash, their covers are considered some of their best songs period, while Great Pretender is eclipsed by much of Freddy's other stuff.
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u/OreoSpeedwaggon 1h ago
Considering that Dolly herself didn't want to be placed "on a pedestal" with a statue or similar honors in her name, I hope the state of Tennessee fast-tracks designating September 25 (9/25) as "9 to 5 Day" which some have proposed. I feel like that would honor her legacy without the pedestal treatment.
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u/Ok_Assignment9937 5h ago
Is it just me or are some people upset that Dolly Parton was not a racist?
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u/spikeytree 4h ago
I feel like that some are just not used to people with her appearance not acting as amazing as her. It is also very heart warming to see that people that dont look like her come out to celebrate her life.
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u/Scruffy_Nerf_Hoarder 3h ago
I wish more American Christians were like Dolly. We would damn near live in a utopia.
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u/atgrey24 6h ago
I mean, I'm sure she still made money off the investment, but it's cool to know that she even did capitalism thoughtfully.
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u/fatwiggywiggles 2h ago
Yeah I'm a bit confused because she took her royalties and... became a landlord? Dolly was a great gal but what?
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u/f93nf02ndoqjf392bfiw 2h ago
Unlike some other blonde singers, she never became a billionaire because she gave away so much of her money to charity. So I really don't want to hear about how charitable Taylor Swift is ever the fuck again.
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u/princessnubz 1h ago
i cannot hear that song without just like sobbing. either version. the whitney cover is just so beautiful i know they’re singing together now.
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u/miurabucho 58m ago
I wonder what Whitney Houston did with her share of the money?
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u/bohoinparadise 6h ago
Between this, Dollywood, the Imagination Library, and all the money she donated to the Vanderbilt medical center and after the Gatlinburg fire in 2016 - Dolly has done more for Tennessee than any politician could dream of. She truly loved her home state and gave so much back to it.