Heartbreak Express in the twenty-fourth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on March 29, 1982, by RCA Records. The album returned Parton to a more fully realized country sound (a process she had begun on the previous year's 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs), after her late 1970s pop recordings. The album's first single, "Single Women", a slow-tempo honkytonk ballad about a singles bar, was written by Saturday Night Live writer Michael O'Donoghue, and had previously appeared in an SNL skit in late 1980. The single provided a top ten single for Parton. The title cut also was a top ten hit for her. "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" (a song Parton had written in the early 1970s but had never officially recorded) appeared as a double-A-sided single (along with Parton's rerecording of "I Will Always Love You" from the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), and reached No. 1 on the country charts in August 1982.

Heartbreak Express
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 29, 1982
RecordedDecember 1981–January 1982
GenreCountry
Length35:09
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerDolly Parton
Dolly Parton chronology
9 to 5 and Odd Jobs
(1980)
Heartbreak Express
(1982)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
(1982)
Singles from Heartbreak Express
  1. "Single Women"
    Released: February 1, 1982
  2. "Heartbreak Express"
    Released: May 3, 1982
  3. "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"
    Released: July 12, 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB−[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

"Hollywood Potters", Parton has explained to interviewers, came out of her experience filming the movie 9 to 5, as Parton watched many of the film's extras and bit players, who had worked very hard at acting through the years, but with very little success. Heartbreak Express was re-released in digital format in 2013.

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Dolly Parton except as noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Express" 3:13
2."Single Women"Michael O'Donoghue3:44
3."My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy" 3:49
4."As Much As Always" 3:01
5."Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" 4:01
6."Release Me"Eddie Miller, Dub Williams, Robert Yount3:27
7."Barbara on Your Mind" 3:09
8."Act Like a Fool" 3:24
9."Prime of Our Love" 3:46
10."Hollywood Potters" 3:55

Personnel

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Major releases

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Format Imprint Catalogue No. Territory Year
Promo RCA RCALP 3076 United Kingdom 1982
LP RCA RCALP 3076 United Kingdom 1982
LP RCA AHL1-14289 United States 1982
LP RCA HL 14289 France 1982
LP RCA Italiana S.p.A. PL 14389 Italy 1982
CD Reissue RCA 54289-2 Europe 2010

Chart performance

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Album

Chart (1982) Peak
position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 5
U.S. Billboard 200[5] 106

Album (Year-End)

Chart (1982) Peak
Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[6] 32

References

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  1. ^ Heartbreak Express at AllMusic
  2. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 372". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  3. ^ Colin Larkin (2006). "Parton, Dolly". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6 (4th ed.). Muze, Oxford University Press. p. 435–6. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Heartbreak Express at AllMusic
  6. ^ "Billboard Top Country Albums - Year-End Charts (1982)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
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