Dolly Parton opens a new chapter on Billboard’s country charts as her freshly updated version of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” launches at No. 1 on the Country Digital Song Sales survey dated Jan. 31. It also opens at No. 41 on Country Airplay.
The single sold 8,000 downloads in the United States and posted 2.5 million airplay audience impressions from its Jan. 16 release through Jan. 22, according to Luminate.
The reimagined recording brings together a notable cast: featured artists Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire, with David Foster on piano and the Nashville-based Christ Church Choir on backing vocals. It arrived three days ahead of Parton’s 80th birthday on Jan. 19 and represents both a milestone moment and a giving one, as net proceeds from the single and its music video benefit the pediatric cancer research program at Nashville’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
First released on Parton’s 1977 album New Harvest…First Gathering, ahead of remakes by her and others, “Light” returns nearly 50 years later with its multi-generational lineup while staying true to its original spirit of hope and resilience. The update also nods to her close personal and creative connection with her goddaughter Cyrus, who performed the song in a high-profile appearance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in 2021.
Parton adds her third No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales (which began in 2010), all earned consecutively since last year, with each having debuted at the summit. In September, “Butterfly,” with Zac Brown Band, led, following “If You Hadn’t Been There” in March.
Notably, Parton’s history of ruling Billboard charts expands to a week shy of 55 years. She first led when “Joshua” topped the Hot Country Songs chart dated Feb. 6, 1971, becoming her first of 25 No. 1s, the most among women in the list’s history.
Parton’s Country Airplay history swells to 28 entries (since the chart originated in 1990), a haul that includes two No. 1s: as featured on Brad Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going” in 2006 and with Ricky Van Shelton on 1991’s “Rockin’ Years.” The “Light” remake marks her first appearance on the list since 2021’s “Does He Love You” with McEntire, from the latter’s album Revived Remixed Revisited. Moreover, it’s Parton’s highest Country Airplay debut and top rank since her Paisley team-up.
Meanwhile, Parton claims her highest charting Country Airplay hit as a lead act since another remake of one of her own songs, “I Will Always Love You,” with Vince Gill, rose to No. 15 in 1995.
Parton’s latest chart appearances arrive during a stretch of heightened visibility, as the icon continues to balance legacy-defining catalog moments with new releases, public-facing projects and ongoing philanthropic work tied closely to her Nashville roots.
McNown Doing Even ‘Better’
Bend, Ore.-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Max McNown scores his first Hot Country Songs top 10 with “Better Me for You (Brown Eyes)” (13-10). The song drew 4.8 million streams and 20.8 million in all-format airplay audience in the tracking week. The top 10 adult pop radio hit pushes 14-13 on Country Airplay (14.3 million impressions among the chart’s reporters, up 7%).
In his prior Hot Country Songs appearance, McNown hit No. 29 with “A Lot More Free” in October 2024.
Moore, Rhett Rise
Elsewhere, Justin Moore’s “Time’s Ticking” and Thomas Rhett’s “Ain’t a Bad Life,” featuring Jordan Davis, crack Country Airplay’s top 10, each with 18 million in audience. It’s Moore’s 16th top 10 title, Rhett’s 26th and Davis’ 11th.
