Dolly Parton has shared “If You Hadn’t Been There,” a new song dedicated to her late husband Carl Dean, who passed away this week at the age of 82.
Led by a resonant piano and Dolly’s aching voice, “If You Hadn’t Been There” is Parton’s ballad of gratitude for Dean, to whom she was married for 58 long years. She wonders throughout the track who or where she would be without him, singing that he dared her to dream, cradled her close with his “loving arms,” and that he was her “rock, a soft place to land.” With some choir-like backing vocals and a passionate performance from Parton, “If You Hadn’t Been There” is both resilient and devastating. Listen below.
“I fell in love with Carl Dean when I was 18 years old,” Parton wrote on Instagram when announcing “If You Hadn’t Been There.” “We have spent 60 precious and meaningful years together. Like all great love stories, they never end. They live on in memory and song. He will always be the star of my life story, and I dedicate this song to him.”
Parton also commemorated Dean in an earlier Instagram post this week, writing, “This is a love note to to family, friends, and fans. Thank you for all the messages, cards, and flowers that you’ve sent to pay your respects for the loss of my beloved husband Carl. I can’t reach out personally to each of you but just know it has meant the world to me. He is in God’s arms now and I am okay with that. I will always love you.”
Content shared from consequence.net.