Dolly Parton is on course for her first-ever No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart. The surge comes after her death on August 25 at age 80 following a brief battle with cancer.
According to Billboard, the Official Charts Company reported a 350% week-on-week increase in streams and sales for "9 to 5," Parton's signature hit. The song had peaked at No. 12 on the U.K. chart the week of August 28. By the midweek update on August 30, it was tracking toward the top spot.
Parton wrote "9 to 5" for the 1980 comedy film of the same name. It remains one of the most recognized songs of her career. If the midweek trajectory holds through the full chart cycle, it would be the first time she has reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom in a career that spanned several decades.
She would not be alone at the top of the chart. Her 1973 classic "Jolene," which had previously reached No. 7 upon release, was tracking at No. 2 on the same midweek update. Her collaboration with Kenny Rogers, "Islands in the Stream," was at No. 6.
Parton had been mostly out of the public eye for the past 12 months before her death. Unspecified health issues had forced her to cancel a planned 2025 Las Vegas residency. She was announced to have died in Nashville.
The recognition she is receiving on the U.K. charts reflects a career that produced records across multiple formats. In 2024, Billboard staff named her the top country artist of all time. She landed 49 albums in the top 10 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, the most of any woman. Her 2023 album Rockstar, which featured appearances from Paul McCartney, Elton John, goddaughter Miley Cyrus and others, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Elsewhere on the U.K. midweek chart, Alex Warren was tracking two new entries from his second album, Wildchild, with "Cry Wolf" at No. 21 and "Emerald Eyes" at No. 23. Dua Lipa's 2024 track "Training Season" was at No. 36 following the release of her Training Season's Over EP. Olivia Rodrigo's politically charged track "Serena Joy" landed at No. 39 after she performed it live at the Daisy Chains Festival in Irvine, California.
