During Dolly Parton's Nov. 15 interview on NBC's Sunday Today with Willie Geist, the country star addressed the divisiveness in United States that's been worsened by a contentious presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
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"I think we've just become so divided, 'cause people just seem to love to hate. You know? This is the Christmas season coming up. But we need to carry that Christmas spirit of peace on Earth, and loving one another. We need to carry that into the new year," Parton said. "And Lord knows, I hope next year is better than this one."
The "Coat of Many Colors" songwriter's usual mix of faith-based advice and down-home common sense brought such quotable lines to the interview as "we can't save the world, but we can save the world we're living in."
Parton also promoted Netflix's holiday season musical Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square and her first Christmas album in 30 years, A Holly Dolly Christmas. Duet partners on the holiday album range from comedian Jimmy Fallon and crooner Michael Buble to Parton's goddaughter, Miley Cyrus.
"I've been wanting to do another Christmas album for a long time, and I had the time to do it, since we had kind of all holed up at home," Parton said. "So I started writing some of these original songs, and I gathered up some more of the old classics. And grabbed a bunch of friends, and we just kind of went for it."
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The country music legend's other new projects include upcoming book Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics (out Nov. 17). As its title telegraphs, the book tells the stories behind some of the biggest songs from Parton's multi-Grammy award-winning career.
Parton also appears on a new episode of Geist's podcast, Sunday Sitdown.
