At the 2025 Oscars, the show broke its longstanding tradition of having the nominees for Best Original Song perform live. Instead, the 97th annual ceremony on Sunday showcased performances by Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, plus Doja Cat, Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and Raye. While this made for an entertaining evening, arguably one of the best Oscars performances of all time featured country music legend Dolly Parton.
Despite never having won an Oscar, the 79-year-old icon has been nominated twice for Best Original Song: once in 1981 for “9 to 5” from the movie of the same name and again in 2006 for “Travelin’ Thru” from Transamerica. Both times, the singer took the stage to perform her hits live.
At the 53rd ceremony, “9 to 5” was nominated alongside “Fame” and “Out Here on My Own” from the movie Fame, Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” from Honeysuckle Rose, and “People Alone” from The Competition. “Fame” ended up winning the category.
Even so, Parton brought the house down with her performance in 1981. After an introduction from Johnny Carson, she took the stage wearing a black gown covered in sequins and was surrounded by male backup dancers as she belted out the bop.
9 to 5 was the country star’s first acting role, and the title song, which she wrote on set, ended up being her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Although the song didn’t earn the Oscar, it did win Parton two Grammys for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Performance.
Watch her performance here:
Katie Bowlby is Digital Director at Country Living, where she covers pop culture news including country music, Yellowstone, and all things HGTV, plus gift guides and product reviews. She has been with Country Living for more than 11 years. Before that, she worked for Southern Living. The Indiana University grad also stitches up the cross-stitch pattern for every issue of the magazine.
