About The Song
“You’re the Only One” is a country-pop song written by Carole Bayer Sager and Bruce Roberts and recorded by Dolly Parton. It was released on May 14, 1979, by RCA Records as the lead single from Parton’s twenty-first solo studio album, Great Balls of Fire. The album was released on May 28, 1979. The track runs 3 minutes and 23 seconds in length and was produced by Dean Parks and Gregg Perry.
The song formed part of Parton’s late-1970s crossover period, following the success of albums such as Here You Come Again (1977) and Heartbreaker (1978). Great Balls of Fire was recorded primarily in late 1978 at Sound Labs in Los Angeles. The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 40 on the Billboard 200. It was later certified gold by the RIAA.
Sager and Roberts, established songwriters with credits in pop and adult contemporary music, composed the track. Parton selected and recorded it as the opening single for the project. The B-side of the original RCA single (catalog number PB-11577) was “Down,” a Parton original that also appeared on the album.
The single debuted at number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated June 9, 1979. It reached number one on the chart dated July 28, 1979, and held the top position for two consecutive weeks. The song remained on the Hot Country Songs chart for a total of 14 weeks. It also peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
In Canada, the single topped both the RPM Country Tracks chart and the RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. It reached number 63 on the RPM Top Singles chart. In Australia, it peaked at number 33 on the Kent Music Report. On the year-end Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for 1979, the song ranked at number 8. It also reached number one on the Cash Box Country Singles chart.
In Parton’s chart history, “You’re the Only One” became her eleventh number-one single on the Billboard country chart and her fifth consecutive country number-one since 1977. It followed “I Really Got the Feeling” (1978) and preceded “Sweet Summer Lovin'” (1979), which reached number 7 on the country chart. The album also included covers of “Great Balls of Fire” (originally by Jerry Lee Lewis) and “Help!” (originally by the Beatles), along with additional Parton compositions.
Contemporary trade reviews noted the song’s ballad structure and production. Billboard described it as a love ballad featuring a solid orchestral accompaniment and a strong percussion element supporting Parton’s vocal. Cash Box also covered the release positively in its May 26, 1979, issue. The single received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 15th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.
A promotional video was produced for the single. It features Parton performing the song in a white dress against a hazy gray backdrop. Additional promotional videos were created for other tracks from the same album period.
The song has been included on various Parton compilation albums over subsequent decades. Chart archives and discography sources consistently document the May 14, 1979, single release date, the May 28, 1979, album release, the two-week number-one run on Billboard Hot Country Songs beginning July 28, 1979, the 14-week total chart span, the Hot 100 peak of 59, the Adult Contemporary peak of 14, and the parallel number-one positions in Canada. These figures are corroborated by Billboard data, RPM charts, Parton discography resources, and 1979 industry publications.
Production credits list Parks and Perry as producers, with contributions from session musicians typical of late-1970s Los Angeles and Nashville crossover recordings. The arrangement incorporates orchestral elements and a mid-tempo ballad structure consistent with the adult contemporary and country-pop styles of the period. The track opens with verses expressing realization and commitment, leading into a recurring chorus centered on the central phrase “You’re the only one.”
No additional Hot 100 top-40 crossover is recorded for the original release. The recording remains part of Parton’s RCA catalog from the late 1970s and continues to appear in retrospective compilations of her country and crossover material. Secondary data from Australian and Canadian charts further confirm its international performance during the summer of 1979.
Video
Lyric
I found out the hard way And I'm never gonna break your heart I know, too late And I don't want to break your heart Guess I had to go away just to find What I left behind You're the only one You're the only one Take me back To where we started from And let's make it now Like we made it then This ol' heart ain't gonna break your heart again Nights I lay in bed And your covers wouldn't warm my feet And morning found me Bitter or a bit too sweet Oh baby, I had to go away Just to run back and say You're the only one You're the only one Take me back To where we started from Can we make it now Like we made it then This ol' heart ain't gonna break your heart again You're the only one darlin' They'll never be anyone else but you I love you so much You are my love, you've become my life And I never meant to break your heart But, sometimes, you just got to go away To find what you left behind You're the only one You're the only one Take me back To where we started from Can we make it now Like we make it then This ol' heart ain't gonna break your heart again You're the only one