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Album cover. RCA Victor (PCD1-4940) (1984)
The Great Pretender is the twenty-sixth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on January 23, 1984, by RCA Victor. It was produced by Val Garay. The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 73 on the Billboard 200. The album's two singles, "Save the Last Dance for Me" and "Downtown", peaked at number three and number 36, respectively,  on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. This was Dolly's first album to be issued on the then new CD format at the time of its release.

Track listing

  1. Save the Last Dance for Me (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman) 3:50
  2. I Walk the Line (John R. Cash) 3:34
  3. Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is a Season) (Words from the Book of Ecclesiastes, Adapt. and Music by Pete Seeger) 4:24
  4. Downtown (Tony Hatch) 3:19
  5. We Had It All (Troy Seals, Donnie Fritts) 3:51
  6. She Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (Jerry Butler, Calvin Carter, Curtis Mayfield) 3:41
  7. We'll Sing in the Sunshine (Gale Garnett) 3:25
  8. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) (Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland) 2:50
  9. Elusive Butterfly (Bob Lind) 2:47
  10. The Great Pretender (Buck Ram) 3:41​

Recording

The album was recorded at Record One in Los Angeles from October 24 to December 5, 1983. Additional recording was done at Right Track Recording in New York City, Bullet Recording in Nashville, Music Mill in Nashville, and The Sound Factor in Los Angeles.

Content

The album is comprised of covers of hit songs, mainly from the 1950s and 1960s. The production makes heavy use of synthesizers and has a decidedly pop sound. "Save the Last Dance for Me" was a number one hit for The Drifters in 1960, Johnny Cash wrote and originally released "I Walk the Line" in 1956 and had a number one hit with it, "Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is a Season)" had been a number one hit for The Byrds in 1965, "Downtown" was a number one hit for Petula Clark in 1964, and "We Had It All" had been a top 30 hit for Waylon Jennings in 1973.

"She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" was a number one R&B song for Jerry Butler in 1960, "We'll Sing in the Sunshine" was a top ten hit for its writer Gale Garnett in 1964, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" was a number one hit in 1965 for Motown quart Four Tops, "Elusive Butterfly" was a top five hit for its writer Bob Lind in 1966, and "The Great Pretender" had been a number one hit for The Platters in 1955.

Dolly would later re-record "Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is a Season)" for her 2005 album Those Were the Days.

Release and promotion

The album was released on January 23, 1984, ​on CD, LP, cassette, and 8-track. This was Dolly's first album to be released on CD at the time of its original release.

Singles

"Save the Last Dance for Me" was released as the first single from the album on November 28, 1983. It debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated December 24. It peaked at number three on the chart dated March 17, 1984, its thirteenth week on the chart. The single charted for 19 weeks. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number two on the Cashbox Country Singles chart and number 50 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart. The single peaked at number two in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart and number three on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. It peaked at number 31 in Australia.

The second single, "Downtown", was released on March 12, 1984. It debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated April 7. It peaked at number 36 on the chart dated May 12, its sixth week on the chart. The single charted for 10 weeks. It peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 32 on the Cashbox Country Singles chart. The single peaked at number 20 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart and number eight on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.

"She Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" was released as single exclusively in New Zealand sometime in 1984 and failed to chart.

Commercial performance

Billboard gave a positive review of the album which described its sound as "more folk/rock than country." They noted that Dolly "imparts her strangely wistful stamp to this collection of covers." The review described Dolly's cover of "Elusive Butterfly" as an "earnestly self-conscious update."

The album also received a positive review from Cashbox. The review described "Save the Last Dance for Me" as "a kicky, updated rendition" which is "highlighted by pushy rhythm and percussion." The covers of "We Had It All" and "Elusive Butterfly" were praised as "the more traditional country favored tunes on the LP" and "the best cuts that showcase Dolly's distant vocal qualities."

AllMusic rated the 2 out of 5 stars.
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Billboard review, February 4, 1984.
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Cashbox review, February 4, 1984.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated February 18, 1984. It peaked at number seven on the chart dated May 7, its thirteenth week on the chart, where it remained for an additional week. The album charted for 22 weeks. It also peaked at number 73 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album peaked at number 69 in Canada on the RPM Top Albums chart. It also peaked at number 22 in Australia on the Kent Music Report, number nine in Sweden on the Sverigetopplistan chart, number 18 in Norway on the VG-lista chart, and number 38 in the Netherlands on the Dutch Album Top 100.

​The album charted at number 49 on the Billboard Top Country Albums year-end chart for 1984.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance
  • Rosemary Butler – background vocals
  • Jeff Colella – organ, strings, Jupiter synthesizer, synthesizers, ARP strings
  • Bill Cuomo – synthesizer strings
  • Lee Dresser – harmonica
  • Ron Elliott – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Chuck Findley – horns
  • Brian Glascock – percussion, congas
  • Steve Goldstein – DMX drum machine, Prophet synthesizer, Jupiter synthesizer, synthesizers, Kawai electric grand piano, keyboards, acoustic piano, organ
  • Gary Grant – horns
  • Craig Hull – electric guitar, slide guitar
  • Slide Hyde – horns​​
  • ​The Jordanaires – background vocals
  • Russel Kunkel – congas
  • Arnold McCuller – background vocals
  • Don Menza – horns
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • David Platshon – drums
  • Mary Ellen Quinn – background vocals
  • Bill Reichenbach – horns
  • Tom Scott – horns
  • Leland Sklar – bass
  • Waddy Wachtel – electric guitar
  • Julia Waters – choir vocals
  • Luther Waters – background vocals, choir vocals
  • ​Maxine Waters – choir vocals
  • Oren Waters – background vocals, choir vocals
Production
  • Niko Bolas – engineer
  • Richard Bosworth – assistant engineer
  • Denny Densmore – assistant engineer
  • Val Garay – producer, engineer
  • Paul Goldberg – second assistant engineer
  • Steve Goldstein – arrangement, horn arrangements, horn conductor, string arrangements, string conductor
  • Scott Hendricks – second assistant engineer
  • David Leonard – second assistant engineer
  • Billy Miranda – second assistant engineer
  • Danny Mundhenk – second assistant engineer
  • Doug Sax – mastering
  • ​Syd Sharp – concertmaster
Other personnel
  • Richard Avedon – photography
  • Tim Bryant – art direction, design
  • Tzetzi Ganev – costumes
  • Renate Leuschner – hair
  • Thelma Pofahl – costume coordinator
  • Cassie Seaver – makeup
  • Shirlee Strahm – costume coordinator