Trying times call for Dolly Parton. To get through this past year-plus, we’ve been digging deep into the Dolly Parton archives — and her new pint of Strawberry Pretzel Pie ice cream collaboration with Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
Now, thanks to the editors over at Wide Open Country, we’re happy to have stumbled upon a stunning duet between the Queen of Country Music and Alyvia Alyn Lind, the then nine-year-old actor who portrayed her in the TV movie Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.
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In a summit that appears to be at Parton’s theme park Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the two sing “Angel Hill,” which has a touching backstory that Parton explained to the Hallmark Channel event hosts and in front of a live audience. “A big portion of the movie was based on us losing one of my little brothers. And my mother, there were so many of us, we were being born right after another, so mama would always tell one of the older ones ‘well, this one’s gonna be yours,’ because that meant we would take extra time [with the baby],” said Parton. “So the baby mama was carrying was gonna be my baby and when I was [Alyvia’s] age, I was nine. And so we lost that baby. And I was so brokenhearted. And so I had written this song years ago, but we used it in the movie,” she continued, adding that Alyvia lent her vocals for the “Angel Hill” track for the movie.
Subdued and melodic, the ballad really tugs at the ole emotional floodgates. “I close my eyes / I can see your sweet smile / I can count all your fingers and toes / I can imagine the scent of your skin / I can’t wait to see you up close,” the song begins. “My angel I love you / I have and I will / for as long as the flowers bloom on yonder hill / You are my promise, my gift from above / My heart runneth over from all of this love,” the sweet lyrics later continue. “Oh how can this be true? / They say that God took you / They say that he needed you more,” Parton sings further along in the song, sharing the heartbreak of losing her little brother. Suffice to say, this song is quite emotional. Watch the duo’s beautiful performance below.
What a performance, right? Time to carve out some time this weekend to re-watch Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors.