Entertainment28 August, 20262 min read
Dolly Parton’s Death Drives “Jolene,” “9 To 5” Back Into Official Singles Chart Top 40
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Dolly Parton died on August 25, aged 80 after a brief cancer battle. Jolene re-entered the Official Singles Chart at number nine, up 364%.
Parton returns to charts
Dolly Parton’s music re-entered the Official Singles Chart after her death at the age of 80, with the country star dying on 25 August following “a brief battle with cancer”. “Jolene” returned to the chart at number nine after a 364% week-on-week uplift, having originally peaked at number seven in 1976 and last been inside the Official Singles Chart Top 40 in July that year.
“9 To 5” sits at number 12 after a 350% week-on-week increase, eclipsing its previous best position of number 47 in 1981 and earning its first Top 40 placing and a brand-new UK chart peak. “Islands In The Stream”, Parton’s 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers, is at number 13 with consumption up 276% week-on-week, after it previously reached number seven in 1984 and last appeared inside the Top 40 in February that year.
Heaton tops albums
Paul Heaton scored his first solo UK number one album with Jenius, published as reaching the top on Friday and described as his sixth chart-topping album overall. Heaton’s Jenius also landed at Number 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, with the Music-News report saying it sold more copies on wax than any other release over the past week.
The BBC said Heaton reached the top in part by shifting more vinyl copies than any other album over the past seven days, and it noted that the Ian Broudie-produced record was reviewed as “casually funny” and “deceptively piercing”. In Leeds, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Heaton would play AMT Headingley Stadium on Saturday, June 12, 2027, and it said the show would include special guests Echo & The Bunnymen, The Guestlist and Curiosity Shop.
Official charts company reacts
As Parton’s singles climbed, the BBC reported that her country pop classic 9 to 5 was written for the 1980 film of the same name and had earned her an Oscar nomination as well as topping the US charts. The BBC also said Jolene re-entered the chart at number nine on Friday, while “Islands in the Stream” flowed back into this week’s chart at number 13 and Diamonds & Rhinestones reached the top 10 of the albums chart for the first time too.
In a joint statement, Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, co-managing directors of the official charts company, said “Dolly Parton’s extraordinary legacy continues to shine through the official charts,” framing the returns as “a fitting celebration of Dolly's incredible life, career and lasting impact”. The BBC further reported that Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In extended its record as the longest-running number one single in UK chart history, while Paul Heaton’s Jenius topped the albums chart.