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45 single, Side A. Rising Tide / Blue Eye (RTS7 56041) (1996)
Image credit: KSMusicGeeks at 45cat.com
"Just When I Needed You Most" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on September 23, 1996, by Rising Tide Records and Blue Eye Records as the first single from Dolly's thirty-fourth solo studio album, Treasures. The song was written by Randy Van Warmer and produced by Steve Buckingham. Van Warmer's version peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979. Dolly's cover peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Track listing

45 single
Side A
  • Just When I Needed You Most (Randy Van Warmer) 4:36
Side B
  • For the Good Times (Kris Kristofferson) 4:16

Radio promo CD single
  1. Just When I Needed You Most (Radio Edit) (Randy Van Warmer) 3:28
  2. Just When I Needed You Most (LP Version) (Randy Van Warmer) 4:36

Music video

​The song's music video was directed by The A.V. Squad and features Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski, who provided harmony vocals on the track.

Critical reception

The single was reviewed in the September 21, 1996 issue of Billboard magazine. The review said, "It is high time someone revived this beautiful Randy Van Warmer hit, and who better than Dolly Parton? The fragile vulnerability in her voice perfectly complements the heartbreak in the lyric. This is the first single from Parton's Rising Tide debut album, Treasures, which features her interpretations of country and pop standards (many of which are duets). Though country radio has not readily embraced Parton in recent years, she has never sounded better, and this could be the single they have been looking for."
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Billboard review, September 21, 1996.

Commercial performance

"Just When I Needed You Most" debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated October 5, 1996. It peaked at number 62 on the chart dated November 16, its seventh week on the chart. It charted for 10 weeks. The single also peaked at number 68 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.
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Billboard advertisment, September 21, 1996.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the Treasures liner notes.
"Just When I Needed You Most"
  • Eddie Bayers – drums
  • Steve Buckingham – reprise, producer
  • Mark Casstevens – acoustic guitar
  • David Hungate – bass
  • Alison Krauss – harmony vocals, viola, background vocal arrangement
  • Farrell Morris – shaker
  • Gary Paczosa – mixing
  • Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
  • Don Porter – reprise
  • ​Denny Purcell – mastering
  • Matt Rollings – keyboard
  • John Sebastian – autoharp
  • Dan Tyminski – additional harmony vocals
  • Reggie Young – electric guitar
"For the Good Times"
  • Eddie Bayers – drums
  • Steve Buckingham – producer
  • Steve Dorff – string arrangement
  • David Hungate – upright bass
  • Liana Manis – harmony vocals
  • Farrell Morris – vibes
  • Dean Parks – acoustic guitar
  • ​Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Matt Rollings – piano
  • Reggie Young – electric guitar

Alternate artwork

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Radio promo CD. Rising Tide / Blue Eye (RT5P-1003) (1996)
Image credit: d_k_ray at discogs.com