In celebration of her milestone 80th birthday on January 19, 2026, global superstar Dolly Parton just released a powerful new rendition of her classic hit, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” featuring Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire and the Christ Church Choir on the 50th anniversary of writing the song. The single and music video, which also features David Foster on piano, is out today, just days before her birthday. This recording reimagines the song with a message of spreading love and hope.
“It’s been a long dark nightAnd I’ve been a waitin’ for the morningIt’s been a long hard fightBut I see a brand new day a dawningI’ve been looking for the sunshineYou know I ain’t seen it in so longBut everything’s gonna work out just fineAnd everything’s gonna be all rightThat’s been all wrong . . . “
Originally written and recorded 50 years ago in 1976 during a period of personal transition and renewed optimism, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” has long stood as one of Parton’s most inspirational works. Now, five decades later, Dolly revisits the song for a new generation with a powerhouse lineup of female voices.
“I wrote ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning’ during a season when I was searching for hope, and fifty years later that message still feels just as true. As I celebrate my 80th birthday, this new version is my way of using what I’ve been blessed with to shine a little light forward, especially by sharing it with some truly incredible women.” – Dolly Parton
In keeping with the spirit of giving that has defined her career, net proceeds from the song and its accompanying music video will benefit the pediatric cancer research program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee, a longtime partner and cause close to Parton’s heart.
In a previous interview with Reel Faith, Parton explained how she tries to discern lessons that God teaches her through trials.
“I feel that all the time, even when I’m going through really hard times, I have to kind of try to see what God is trying to teach me, whether it be illness in the family or personal things that I go through,” she said. “I try to look at it like this—there’s something I’m supposed to be learning about this because I know God is not trying to be cruel to me. I keep thinking I’m supposed to be knowing something, I’m supposed to be learning something. I’m supposed to be becoming a bigger person being taught responsibility or patience and stuff. For me, my whole life, I’ve just kind of run free and had the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do. I’ve always just done that.”
Wonder Project, founded by industry veterans Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten and Jon Erwin, announced that it will also include the documentary, “Dolly Parton: Here I Am” to its streaming service beginning January 18.
Listen to the song here. Watch the video of “Light of Clear Blue Morning” below.
Click here for more Dolly Parton coverage on Reel Faith.
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