Heartbreak Express
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | B− |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |
Heartbreak Express in the twenty-fourth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on March 29, 1982, by RCA Records. The album returned Parton to a more fully realized country sound (a process she had begun on the previous year's 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs), after her late 1970s pop recordings. The album's first single, "Single Women", a slow-tempo honkytonk ballad about a singles bar, was written by Saturday Night Live writer Michael O'Donoghue, and had previously appeared in an SNL skit in late 1980. The single provided a top ten single for Parton. The title cut also was a top ten hit for her. "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" (a song Parton had written in the early 1970s but had never officially recorded) appeared as a double-A-sided single (along with Parton's rerecording of "I Will Always Love You" from the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), and reached No. 1 on the country charts in August 1982.
"Hollywood Potters", Parton has explained to interviewers, came out of her experience filming the movie 9 to 5, as Parton watched many of the film's extras and bit players, who had worked very hard at acting through the years, but with very little success. Heartbreak Express was re-released in digital format in 2013.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Dolly Parton except as noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heartbreak Express" | 3:13 | |
| 2. | "Single Women" | Michael O'Donoghue | 3:44 |
| 3. | "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy" | 3:49 | |
| 4. | "As Much As Always" | 3:01 | |
| 5. | "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" | 4:01 | |
| 6. | "Release Me" | Eddie Miller, Dub Williams, Robert Yount | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Barbara on Your Mind" | 3:09 | |
| 8. | "Act Like a Fool" | 3:24 | |
| 9. | "Prime of Our Love" | 3:46 | |
| 10. | "Hollywood Potters" | 3:55 | |
| Total length: | 35:29 |
Personnel
- Dolly Parton - vocals
- Albert Lee, Fred Tackett, Jeff Baxter, Mike Severs, Steve Cropper - guitar
- Abraham Laboriel, Leland Sklar, Nathan East - bass
- Joe McGuffee - steel guitar
- Buddy Spicher - fiddle
- Gregg Perry - dulcimer, backing vocals
- Red Young, Ron Oates - keyboards
- Eddy Anderson - drums
- Lenny Castro - congas
- Terry McMillan - harmonica
- Alex Brown, Anita Ball, Denise Maynelli, Gene Morford, Jim Salestrom, Richard Dennison, Roy Galloway, Stephanie Spruill, Willie Greene Jr. - backing vocals
- Chuck Findley, Gary Grant, Gary Herbig, George Bohanon, Jim Horn, Slyde Hyde, Tom Saviano, Tom Scott - horns
- Herb Ritts - Photography
Major releases
| Format | Imprint | Catalogue No. | Territory | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promo | RCA | RCALP 3076 | United Kingdom | 1982 |
| LP | RCA | RCALP 3076 | United Kingdom | 1982 |
| LP | RCA | AHL1-14289 | United States | 1982 |
| LP | RCA | HL 14289 | France | 1982 |
| LP | RCA Italiana S.p.A. | PL 14389 | Italy | 1982 |
| CD Reissue | RCA | 54289-2 | Europe | 2010 |
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 5 |
| US Billboard 200 | 106 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) | 41 |
| US Cashbox Country Albums | 7 |
| US Cash Box Top Albums | 127 |
Album (Year-End)
| Chart (1982) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard) | 32 |