Dolly Parton left one last surprise prepared for her fans, but they will have to wait almost 20 years to discover it.
In 2015, the singer recorded an unreleased song called “My Place in History” and decided to seal it inside a time capsule at the DreamMore Resort at Dollywood, in Tennessee. The recording remains inside a wooden box known as the “Dream Box”, which is displayed behind glass and cannot be opened until January 19, 2046.
That date was not chosen at random: it will be the day Dolly would have turned 100 years old.
The box contains more than just the song. The recording was saved on a CD, and a player was also left behind to make sure that, when the time comes, there will still be a way to listen to it.
The curious thing is that Dolly came to regret locking it away. In a 2022 interview, she explained that the song was “really good” and joked that she wanted to open the box and replace it with another one that wasn’t as good.
But she decided to respect the plan.
Now, after her death at the age of 80, the song has acquired an entirely different meaning. No one will have to wait for Dolly to record music again: she herself left a song ready for the world to discover decades later.
And when the box is finally opened, on January 19, 2046, the first generations who never knew Dolly personally will be the ones to hear a song she recorded specifically with the future in mind.
The title seems almost prophetic: “My Place in History”, or “My place in history”.