During her March 21, 2021 appearance on the Grand Ole Opry stage, Carly Pearce performed a brand new song about being one of Loretta Lynn's not-so-secret admirers.
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The lyrics of "Dear Miss Loretta" tell Pearce's fellow Kentucky native that "Your songs were all fun 'til I lived them myself ... Now I know why you sing that way."
Pearce sings that while she's not a coal miner's daughter, "my grandmother was" and "I've sung it all my life."
The trying times that inform Pearce's EP, 29, also brought more meaning to the Lynn songs she's heard since childhood.
"My grandma introduced to me to her music when I was a little girl, and made sure I understood that if I was going to sing country music being from Kentucky— I had to know the importance of Miss Loretta Lynn," Pearce wrote on Instagram. "I've always loved her, but it wasn't until the last year that I really FELT what she's sang about all these years— and just how much we really do have in common."
Pearce co-wrote the track with songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. A studio version was included on Pearce's expanded version of 29, Written in Stone.
Lynn since Tweeted that she loves the song and hopes to someday collaborate with Pearce.
Wow! @carlypearce this song means the world to me and you sang it on my favorite stage in the world @opry . I loved it and I love you! Maybe one of these days we can sing one together! #girlpower #westicktogether #fromtheheart #thankyou https://t.co/cCWkL5Uvxj
— Loretta Lynn (@LorettaLynn) March 23, 2021
Lynn's 46th career studio album, Still Woman Enough, was released the day before Pearce debuted "Dear Miss Loretta." It teamed the country music icon with four women she inspired: Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Tanya Tucker and Margo Price.
Lynn passed away on Oct. 4, 2022 at the age of 90. That same night, Pearce delivered an emotional performance of "Dear Miss Loretta" on the Grand Ole Opry.
This story was originally published on March 22, 2021. It was updated on Oct. 5, 2022.
