Dolly Parton’s catalog reached extraordinary new streaming and chart heights in the days after her death, including a one day run as the most streamed artist in the world.
On August 26, one day after the country legend died at 80, Parton’s music generated 79.7 million global on demand audio streams, according to Luminate data reported by The Associated Press. That made her the most streamed artist globally on that date.
The surge has also rewritten part of her Billboard history. “Jolene,” released more than half a century ago, reaches No. 16 on the Hot 100 dated September 5. Parton’s original recording of “I Will Always Love You” enters the chart for the first time at No. 27.
Three more classics appear on the Hot 100 at the same time. “9 to 5” returns at No. 18, her Kenny Rogers duet “Islands in the Stream” is No. 26, and “Here You Come Again” is No. 44.
Parton Was the World’s Most Streamed Artist on August 26
Luminate’s figures show how quickly listeners returned to Parton’s music following the announcement of her death.
Her worldwide audio and video streams totaled about 2.5 million on August 24. They climbed to 41.8 million on August 25, a 1,549% increase, according to AP. On August 26, Luminate recorded 79.7 million global on demand audio streams for Parton’s catalog, enough to make her the most streamed artist in the world that day.
The increase was also enormous in the United States. Domestic audio and video streams rose from 1.2 million on August 24 to 30.5 million on August 25, then reached 46.3 million the following day.
USA Today reported via AOL that Parton’s music generated 116.7 million U.S. streams during the August 21 through August 27 tracking week. The previous week produced 9.4 million.
‘Jolene’ Now Has the Highest Hot 100 Peak of Its Career
“Jolene” was already Parton’s biggest streaming song before her death, then its audience expanded sharply. AP’s Luminate data shows the song increasing from about 196,200 U.S. streams on August 24 to 3.3 million the following day and 4 million on August 26.
The original recording had peaked at No. 60 on the Hot 100 in 1974. Its return at No. 16 gives the song its highest position on the chart more than 50 years later. The achievement belongs specifically to Parton’s original recording. Beyoncé’s reinterpretation of “Jolene” reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 in 2024.
Parton’s “Jolene” also debuts at No. 7 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart, giving her the first top 10 entry of her career on that ranking.
Her Original ‘I Will Always Love You’ Reaches the Hot 100 for the First Time
Parton’s original 1974 recording of “I Will Always Love You” had never appeared on the Hot 100 before this week. It now debuts at No. 27, more than 52 years after its release. Parton rerecorded the song for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982, and that separate recording reached No. 53.
Whitney Houston’s version later became a huge pop success, spending 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Parton’s original had already been a No. 1 country hit but never crossed onto the Hot 100 until now.
Streaming for Parton’s recording climbed from about 64,900 U.S. plays on August 24 to 2 million on August 25 and 2.8 million on August 26. Billboard’s Luminate reporting documented the early surge before the full figures for August 26 became available.
Five Dolly Parton Songs Are on the Hot 100 Together
The two newly elevated 1974 recordings are joined by three songs that had already reached major pop chart heights during Parton’s career.
“9 to 5” returns at No. 18. The song became Parton’s first solo Hot 100 No. 1 in 1981.
“Islands in the Stream,” her duet with Kenny Rogers, returns at No. 26. It originally topped the Hot 100 in 1983.
“Here You Come Again” is back at No. 44 after originally reaching No. 3 in 1978.
The response extends beyond the five Hot 100 entries. AP reports that “Coat of Many Colors” rose from 28,900 U.S. streams on August 24 to 1.9 million two days later, while “My Tennessee Mountain Home” climbed from 5,800 to 1.1 million.
Wealth of Geeks previously reported Parton’s death on August 25 and the announcement her nephew Bryan Seaver delivered at her request.