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45 single, Side A. Monument (45-913) (1965)
Image credit: fortyfivesfrank at 45cat.com
"Busy Signal" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on November 29, 1965, by Monument Records. Continuing the attempt to market Dolly as a pop singer, the A-side of this single was written and produced by Ray Stevens, who had produced Dolly's previous single which had been her most successful at the time. The B-side, "I Took Him for Granted", was written by Dolly with her uncle Bill Owens and produced by Fred Foster.

Track listing

Side A
  • Busy Signal (Ray Stevens) 2:05
Side B
  • I Took Him for Granted (Dolly Parton, Bill Owens) 2:20

Background

Dolly's Ray Stevens produced cover of the Tune Weavers 1965 hit song "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" had peaked at number 108 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in October 1965. Though not a huge success, it was Dolly's first single to chart and seemed to be a step in the right direction. Monument followed up with another single from the same session. This time the A-side is a song written and produced by Stevens, "Busy Signal", and the B-side is a Fred Foster produced Parton-Owens composition, "I Took Him for Granted. 

Recording

Both sides of the single were recorded at Fred Foster Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 24, 1965, during the same session that yielded Dolly's previous single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby".

Audio

Critical reception

While Billboard did not formally review the single, they included it in the Chart Spotlights section of the December 11, 1965 issue, predicting that it would make the Hot 100 chart.
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Billboard review, December 11, 1965.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the single labels.
  • Fred Foster – producer
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Ray Stevens – arrangement, producer

Alternate artwork

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Belgium 45 single, picture sleeve. London (5.556) (1966)
Image credit: Rinus62 at 45cat.com