A-List Country Star Accidentally Plagiarized Dolly Parton’s Hit Nine to Five
Maren Morris acknowledges that she unintentionally incorporated several aspects from Dolly Parton’s 1980 hit song “9 to 5” in her own composition.
Originating from Arlington, Texas at the age of 35, they shared an account of recent events – further emphasizing Parton’s enduring popularity within the entertainment industry – during their appearance on the Zach Sang Show.
The Grammy-winning artist expressed concern that accidentally creating a melody that has already been used might be every songwriter’s greatest worry, and surprisingly, it occurs more often than one might imagine.
She mentioned: “When I collaborate with numerous individuals on my writing, and perform a piece multiple times for close ones before its public release, there’s always a built-in system of checks and counterchecks.
In simpler terms, the country musician expressed that collaborative efforts lead to a system of checks and balances, and having additional professionals present helps identify instances where a melody might be overly similar to another song.
Morris clarified the issue that arose following the 2019 debut of her song “All My Favorite People,” a collaboration with Brothers Osborne, as she eventually believed it bore too close a resemblance to Dolly Parton’s 1980 hit “9 to 5.

In Morris’s own words: ‘On my second album, there’s a track titled All My Favorite People. As we were just about two weeks away from its release, it was my mother who pointed out that the verse/melody resembles 9 to 5.’
The hit song “All My Favorite People” was collaboratively penned by Ryan Hurd, Morris’s former spouse whom she separated from recently, and renowned Grammy-nominated lyricist Mikey Reaves.
The song was created by Morris, along with Michael James Ryan, better known as music producer busbee, who passed away in September 2019 at the young age of 43.
The Middle singer expressed that her feelings resembled a sinking sensation in her stomach, when her mother pointed out striking similarities between her song and Dolly Parton’s classic hit.
‘She was genuinely trying to give me a heads up,’ Morris said, ‘and I listened to it immediately.’
The Bones singer said that at that point she compared the songs and realized they sounded alike.
Morris mentioned that she shared her worries with Parton regarding the resemblances, yet the “Jolene” singer was incredibly courteous and gracious in response.
Morris expressed that the situation was nearly satisfactory, but it left her feeling terrible about the outcome. She was seeking a means to connect with Parton’s team and propose giving her a co-writing credit for the track (which did not get released as a single).



‘I remember, like, writing something to her,’ Morris said of Parton.
Morris shared that Parton expressed, “Wow, darling, you did great!”, further mentioning that she didn’t accept any payment but would have possibly created something if she had chosen to pursue a lawsuit instead.
In a statement, the artist from My Church noted that Dolly Parton showed kindness by acting in a manner that many others in their field might not, since “many other musicians tend to be legalistic” and prefer to delay lawsuits until they can maximize the song’s earnings first.
The artist from Circles Around This Town remarked, “It’s truly challenging for them, as songwriters are often not fairly compensated on top of their difficulties.
Morris said she and Parton have since worked together.
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2025-05-19 05:04