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"Something Fishy" is a single by Dolly Parton. It was released on May 8,1967, by Monument Records. The song was written by Dolly, while the B-side, "I've Lived My Life", was written by Lola Jean Dillon. Both sides of the single were produced by Fred Foster. Released as a follow up to Dolly's first top 30 single on the Billboard country charts, "Something Fishy" climbed even higher, peaking at number 17, becoming Dolly's first top 20 hit. It was included on Dolly's debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly, in September 1967.
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Track listing
Side A
- Something Fishy (Dolly Parton) 2:06
- I’ve Lived My Life (Lola Jean Dillon) 2:35
BackgroundDolly's first country single for Monument Records had been a huge success, peaking at number 24 on the Billboard country singles chart. This time around, instead of the A-side being a song written by a seasoned Nashville writer, it was a solo composition by Dolly. The results were even better with this single peaking in the top 20. Dolly recalled in her Songteller book that when she wrote the song she "was probably trying to think of something commercial" that would have a similar sound and subject matter to "Dumb Blonde."
RecordingBoth sides of the single were recorded on September 23, 1966, at Fred Foster Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, at the same session that had yielded Dolly's previous single, "Dumb Blonde".
Live performanceCritical receptionBillboard gave a positive review of the song, calling it "clever material...performed to perfection." They predicted that it would "fast top her "Dumb Blonde" hit and establish her as one of the label's consistent top sellers."
In another positive review, Cashbox said it "could be another chart item for Parton." They described "Something Fishy as "a bright, bouncy side" with a cute treatment from Dolly," while calling "I’ve Lived My Life" a "feelingful tale of woe." |
Commercial performance
"Something Fishy" debuted at number 61 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated June 10, 1967. It peaked at number 17 on the chart dated August 5, its ninth week on the chart. The single charted for 12 weeks. It also peaked at number 16 on the Cashbox Country Singles chart.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the 2009 box set, Dolly ("Something Fishy").
- Fred Foster – producer
- Lloyd Green – steel guitar
- Buddy Harman – drums
- Dolly Parton – lead vocals
- Dean Porter – guitar
- Norbert Putnam – bass
- Jerry Reed – guitar
Releases
FORMAT / A-SIDE – B-SIDE / LABEL & CATALOG # / REGION / RELEASE DATE (MM-DD-YYYY)
- 45 / Something Fishy – I've Lived My Life / Monument (45-1007) / US / 05-08-1967
- 45 / Something Fishy – Something Fishy / Monument (45-1007) / US / 05-08-1967 (promo, white label)
- 45 / I've Lived My Life – I've Lived My Life / Monument (45-1007) / US / 05-08-1967 (promo, white label)
- 45 / Something Fishy – I've Lived My Life / Monument (MN 45-1007) / US / 05-08-1967
- 45 / Something Fishy – I've Lived My Life / Monument (MN 45-1007 DJ) / US / 05-08-1967 (promo, white label)
- 45 / Something Fishy – I've Lived My Life / Monument (MN 1007) / Canada / 05-08-1967