Dolly Parton remakes 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning': Lyrics, video and special guest stars revealed

21 January 2026, 11:07

Dolly Parton steps out of the darkness once more.

On Valentine's Day in 1977, Dolly Parton released her first self-produced album, the gorgeous New Harvest... First Gathering.

Alongside stunning reworks of The Temptations' 'My Girl' (as 'My Love') and Jackie Wilson's '(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher' were eight brilliant Dolly originals.

• Dolly Parton Day announced in her native Tennessee for icon’s 80th birthday
• Dolly Parton releases beautiful tribute song to late husband Carl Dean – listen
• Listen to the Smooth Country Legends Live Playlist on Global Player

Worthy of mention is the album's third single 'Applejack', which boasted an all-star lineup of country music legends lending Parton a hand on backing vocals, including Roy Acuff, Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, Chet Atkins and Minnie Pearl.

But the pick of the bunch was the album's opener and lead single: 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning'.

The track was one of the most important in Dolly's career, and the Queen of Country has now returned to the song to give it a remake with a supporting cast of modern country legends lending a hand. Here's everything you need to know.

What do the 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning' lyrics mean?

Light of a Clear Blue Morning

For all its beautiful poetic flourishes, the lyrics of 'Light of a Clear Blue Morning' are pretty straightforward.

It's all about Dolly stepping out from a bad situation ("a long dark night") and into better times ("the light of a brand new day").

Things haven't been easy ("a long hard fight") and she's been trapped ("like a captured eagle"), but good times are very much imminent ("Everything's gonna be all right").

More specifically, the song is about Dolly's professional split from music and business partner Porter Wagoner.

They released a dozen collaborative albums together before Parton left Wagoner's band. He co-produced her 1976 All I Can Do album before she decisively struck out on her own with New Harvest... First Gathering.

There were some legal tussles, and Dolly later called 'Light of a Clear Blue Morning' her "song of deliverance".

Why has Dolly Parton decided to remake 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning'?

"You know, we're living in troubled and uncertain times," Dolly opens the reworking in a new spoken word introduction.

That's something of an understatement, isn't it?

"But we can't let the darkness win," she adds. "I can see the light of a clear blue morning. Can you?"

But Dolly hasn't just returned to the song to offer a message of hope in our turbulent era: the remake, released to coincide with Parton's 80th birthday, is all for a good cause, too.

Dolly has long juggled music and philanthropy, especially causes near and dear to her and her native Tennessee, and all proceeds from the track will be donated to support paediatric cancer research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Who features on the new version of 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning'?

Dolly Parton - Light of a Clear Blue Morning ft. Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah & Reba

While many of the special guests who appeared on 'Applejack' way back when are sadly no longer with us, Dolly has kept on building relationships with the country music scene, era after era.

And the new version of 'Light Of A Clear Blue Morning' features some of the biggest names still in the business, straddling a couple of generations.

Featuring on the song are megastars Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire.

It's worth a quick note that Miley, Dolly Parton's goddaughter, likely didn't need her lyric sheet, as she's actually covered this song before.

Cyrus performed the track on Saturday Night Live in 2021.

And all five women give it their all, joining forces for a lovely rendition of a lovely song, with a little bit of help from The Christ Church Choir and David Foster on piano.

Dolly Parton interview: Making 'Let It Be' with Paul McCartney and 'Wrecking Ball' with Miley Cyrus