Dolly Parton left behind a secret song locked in a time capsule that will not be heard until 2045.
The country music legend, who died Tuesday at 80, recorded “My Place In History” years before her death and stored it at her Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The track was written for release on what would have been her 99th birthday, more than two decades from now.
Parton first revealed the project in her 2020 memoir, “Songteller: My Life in Lyrics.” The book detailed how she had agreed to create a song specifically intended to remain unheard for 25 years, a concept that quickly became both a source of pride and frustration for the prolific songwriter.
“I had to write this song that nobody was going to hear ’til then, and I tell you you have no idea how that has bothered me,” she said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022.
“I want to go dig that up so bad,” she shared, adding that “it’s a really good song.”
“I don’t know whose damn idea that was,” the Grammy winner quipped.
However, Parton said she was excited for the public to hear the new track.
“Hopefully it’ll be special. I have to honestly say, it was an odd feeling to be asked to write a song that was not going to be heard ’til [2045]. But it’s a good song,” she shared.
During an appearance on “The Tonight Show” that same year, Parton told host Jimmy Fallon, “I won’t be around to hear it. I’ll be dead and gone — well, I might not be, ’cause I’ll be 99. You know me, I might still be hoppin’ around.”
The 10-time Grammy winner’s death came after she secretly battled cancer, her team revealed. The “I Will Always Love You” singer had maintained an active public schedule through her final years, continuing to record, perform, and expand her Dollywood empire while keeping her health struggles private.
The time capsule containing “My Place In History” remains sealed at Dollywood, where Parton had established one of the most visited theme parks in the United States. The attraction, which opened in 1986, sits near her childhood home in the Smoky Mountains and has become a cornerstone of her business portfolio alongside her music catalog and film work.
Parton’s decision to commit a song to such distant future release was rare even in an industry accustomed to posthumous albums and archival projects. Most artists who plan posthumous releases do so through estate instructions or unfinished recordings, rather than completing a polished track specifically for delayed debut.
In the viral moment that defined the project’s public profile, Parton’s 2022 talk show appearances revealed the tension between her professional commitment to the time capsule concept and her personal desire to share the music immediately. Her candid complaints about wanting to “dig that up” endeared her further to fans who had long celebrated her self-deprecating humor.
The song will now serve as one of the longest-planned posthumous releases in popular music history, with its 2045 debut date set nearly a quarter century after Parton’s death and 25 years after she first disclosed its existence.
The time capsule at Dollywood is scheduled to be opened in 2045.