26 August,2026 02:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Dolly Parton (Picture via AFP)
Country music legend Dolly Parton left behind one final musical surprise for her fans but they will have to wait nearly two decades to hear it. Titled My Place in History, the unreleased song was recorded years ago and placed inside a time capsule at Dollywood's DreamMore Resort in Tennessee. Parton had planned for the track to be unveiled on what would have been her 100th birthday in 2046.
The song has gained renewed attention following Parton's death at the age of 80. The country icon had deliberately designed the project as a musical time capsule, ensuring that one of her final creative works would be discovered by a future generation rather than released immediately. Her goddaughter Miley Cyrus penned a heartfelt note.
Parton wrote My Place in History in 2015, the same year DreamMore Resort opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. She recorded the track on a CD and placed it inside a chestnut wooden box known as the "Dream Box." A CD player was also kept inside the box, allowing whoever eventually opens it to listen to the recording despite the possibility that music technology could change dramatically over the decades.
The unusual plan was revealed by Parton in her 2020 book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics. She had hoped to be present when the box was eventually opened and joked about whether she would live long enough to hear her own final song. The original plan was for the recording to be unveiled on January 19, 2046, her 100th birthday.
Parton's death means she will not be there for that moment, but the song's planned release date has not changed. The recording remains sealed inside the box, and its contents are still unknown to the public. Reports have differed on whether the box is scheduled to be opened in 2045 or 2046, but Parton's own plan, as reported by Hindustan Times, tied the song's unveiling to her 100th birthday in 2046.
The time capsule is also a tribute to Parton's roots. The display includes a piece of wood from the porch of her childhood home in Sevierville, Tennessee, alongside other memorabilia celebrating her extraordinary career.
Parton leaves behind a seven-decade musical legacy that includes classics such as Jolene, Coat of Many Colors and I Will Always Love You. Beyond music, she built Dollywood into a major attraction and became known globally for her philanthropic work.
Now, My Place in History stands as a final musical message from one of country music's most enduring icons one that fans will have to wait until 2046 to hear.
