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45 single, Side A. Monument (45-922) (1966)
Image credit: fortyfivesfrank at 45cat.com
"Don't Drop Out" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on February 21, 1966, by Monument Records. The track was written by James Cason and Bobby Russell, while the B-side, "Control Yourself", was written by Ben Peters. It was Dolly's first single to not feature one of her own compositions on either side. Like Dolly's previous two releases, the single was produced by Ray Stevens.

Track listing

Side A
  • Don’t Drop Out (James Cason, Bobby Russell) 1:58
Side B
  • Control Yourself (Ben Peters) 2:08

Background

Still trying to capitalize on the small success of "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby", Ray Stevens was was once again enlisted to produced Dolly's follow-up single to "Busy Signal", which had not garnered any chart action. At the time this single was released, the Bill Phillips recording of the Parton-Owens composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" had been released in January, but had only begun climbing the charts. One more pop single would follow before Dolly would make the transition to country music.

Recording

Both sides of the single were recorded on November 15, 1965, at Fred Foster Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. A third song, "I've Known You All My Life", was also recorded during this session, but would remain unreleased until the 2009 4-disc box set, Dolly.

Audio

Critical reception

Cashbox reviewed the single in their March 5, 1966 issue. The publication cited "Don't Drop Out" as a "Best Bet" for commercial appeal, calling the track "potently arranged" and "teen-oriented". They felt that Dolly's performance should attract the song "lots of attention." They gave "Control Yourself" a B+ (very good) rating, calling it an "easy paced melodic outing."

While Billboard did not formally review the single, the magazine mentioned the single in their Chart Spotlights section for songs predicted to reach the Hot 100 chart.
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Cashbox review, March 5, 1966.
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Billboard review, March 5, 1966.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the single labels and the 2009 box set, Dolly.
"Don't Drop Out"
  • Jerry Carrigan – drums
  • Wayne Moss – guitar
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Norbert Putnam – bass
  • Jerry Reed – guitar
  • Billy Sanford – guitar
  • ​Jerry Smith – piano
  • Ray Stevens – arrangements, producer
  • Jerry Stembridge (Chip Young) – guitar