Dolly Parton is indeed rocking out in new and unexpected ways on “World on Fire,” the first single from her absurdly star-studded upcoming rock album, Rockstar. As guitars crunch and drums thunder behind her, Parton makes no bones about the tenuous state of planet Earth circa 2023.
“Now I ain’t one for speaking out much / but that don’t mean I don’t stay in touch,” she sings. “Everybody’s trippin’ over this or that / what we gonna do when we all fall flat?” The chorus hammers the point home: “Liar, liar the world’s on fire / what we gonna do when it all burns down?”
“This is a song I felt very inspired to write,” Parton said of “World on Fire” earlier this week. “I think it speaks about everything and to everyone this day and time. I hope it is something that will touch you and maybe touch enough people to want to make a change for the better.”
Rockstar will be released Nov. 17 on Parton’s Butterfly Records through Big Machine Label Group and contains a whopping 30 songs, including nine originals such as “World on Fire.” The guest list includes surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Lizzo, Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, Brandi Carlile, Sting, former Journey frontman Steve Perry, and Elton John.
Parton will perform “World on Fire” for the first time tonight (May 11) when she co-hosts the Academy of Country Music Awards with Garth Brooks in Frisco, Tx. The program will be broadcast live by Amazon Prime Video.
