The singer/songwriter and actress turned 67 today. I remember making fun of her classic hit "Jolene" when I first heard it on Olivia Newton-John's "Come on Over" album, updating the lyrics to "Jolene, Jolene, your mother's not clean." Years later I came to realize what a brilliant piece of work it is, so simple yet so poignant. (What woman gay man hasn't felt what Dolly felt? I still get on edge when I think of the angelic blond who used to drive all the guys crazy in Washington in the 1990s, how it made me feel when my boyfriend looked at him.) As the writer of some of the best songs of our generation ('Jolene," "I Will Always Love You," "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?," "Two Doors Down," "To Daddy"), and the actress who played two of film's most memorable characters (Doralee Rhodes in "9 to 5," and Truvy Jones in "Steel Magnolias"), Dolly Parton is a living legend and American icon. Happy birthday, girl!
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