It was never a secret… Merle Haggard adored Dolly Parton. While they were out on the road together in the mid-70s, The Hag fell hard. So hard he sat down and wrote one of the most honest songs of his career about her — “Always Wanting You.” Then, in true Merle fashion, he dialled her number at 3 o’clock in the morning and sang it to her over the phone. Dolly was already married to Carl and gently let him down… but the song still became a No. 1 hit. You can hear every bit of that longing in his voice. They never recorded a proper duet together, and Dolly later said she always regretted that. But the feelings were real, the friendship was real, and the song remains one of the purest pieces of country truth ever written.
Introduction The Unrequited Romance and Unique Connection Between Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard Country music history is filled with legendary friendships, but…