The Dolly performances we're revisiting this week

It's been true for a while that the "icon" designation is assigned to artists far too often, almost to the point of having lost any tangible meaning. But there was always Dolly Parton, the undisputed embodiment of iconicity — the big blonde wigs, giant smile, lilting Southern twang, glitz and glamour for days — who nevertheless seemed relatable, or at the very least, accessible to the masses. It's strange, now, to be living in a Dolly-less world, but thank goodness for everything she's left us.

Parton's contributions range from her career-opening rebuke of the "dumb blonde" caricature to the beloved workplace comedy 9 to 5 to the invaluable Imagination Library. This week, NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour team is highlighting a few of our personal favorite Dolly nuggets — these may not be the most significant moments in her career, and maybe they aren't even what you'd consider deep cuts. They're beloved performances, integral to her legacy all the same.

"Bury Me Beneath the Willow" with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt on Dolly (1976)

Dolly was a towering songwriting talent, but she was also a towering interpreter of other songs — and that includes a lot of her hits. The performance that I'm revisiting this week, which has been going around in the aftermath of her death, is from her 1976 variety show, Dolly. It's in her classic Trio setting with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, singing "Bury Me Beneath the Willow." You hear in her voice, she is a spiritual heir to the Carter family. She is able to embody that work, embody that spirit. But there's still this twinkle in her eye. There's still, at one point, this knowing smile. There's the breadth of her humor and her emotional availability to the song. All three of these women were and are wonderful. And their voices just blended in this totally timeless and spectacular way. — Stephen Thompson

"Everyday People" duet with Kermit the Frog on Dolly (1987)

I was kind of surprised to realize this week that Dolly Parton somehow never actually appeared on The Muppet Show. I thought she had. Why wouldn't she? And then I remembered — the clip that I love is actually her performing with a muppet on her own variety show, Dolly. (This version was in the '80s.)

I don't need to overanalyze this. The Muppets never fail to make me happy, and Dolly never failed to make me happy. This is just a perfect encapsulation of that. — Aisha Harris

"Hard Candy Christmas" from Bob Hope's Jolly Christmas Show (1988)

The song "Hard Candy Christmas" was written for the show The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas by songwriter Carol Hall. Dolly performed it in the 1982 movie version. She released it as a single, and then she performed it on Bob Hope's Jolly Christmas Show. Dolly does not perform this song in front of an audience, which might seem a little odd. She performs it — and we're adults, we can admit that she lip syncs it — in a very odd, kind of music video scenario. She is in this weird atrium at the top of several flights of stairs, which she proceeds to walk down very thoughtfully. It's decked out for Christmas in the glitziest, tackiest, cheapest decorations with tinsel and lights.

The reason it works is because it matches the singer so well. Dolly Parton prided herself on looking glitzy, shiny, and tacky. The people who did not get Dolly Parton did not realize how everything about her look was a choice — it was considered, it was a deliberate statement. She was rejecting the notion that she grew up with — that piety and sanctimoniousness and moralizing were the hallmarks of a good person. She firmly believed that we left judgment to God — that it wasn't something humans should be wasting our time on. — Glen Weldon

If you, like us, cannot get enough of Dolly, listen to Dolly Parton in her own words, or check out the NPR Network podcast Dolly Parton's America.