Ode to Olivia

"Ode to Olivia" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Stella Parton. It appears on Parton's debut solo album, I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight, released in 1975. Written by Parton and Bob G. Dean, "Ode to Olivia" is a response to the criticism Australian singer Olivia Newton-John was receiving at the time by some artists of the American country music community for allegedly not being a "true" country singer. The song contains references to a number of Newton-John songs. "Ode to Olivia" was released as Parton's debut single, by Country Soul Records. The song was, however, overshadowed by its single's B-side, "I Want to Hold You in My Dreams Tonight", which became Parton's first hit. Background and controversy The early 1970s saw a big controversy in the country music scene over the success of country pop, a subgenre which was deemed "not real country" by country traditionalists. The height of this controversy happened in 1974, when Australian singer Olivia Newton-John won a Country Music Association Award for Female Vocalist of the Year and a Grammy Award Best Country Vocal Performance, Female for her 1973 hit single "Let Me Be There". Angered for a recognition of this level being given for a non-American singer who wasn't considered country by many purists, a number of members of Nashville music fraternity protested over her winning. This event caused the creation of the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers (ACE), dedicated to "preserving and recognising the basic and traditional country singers." Parton then composed and released "Ode to Olivia" because she was "embarrassed for all my country cousins and sisters here in town [Nashville]." The singer further expanded her point about the controversy: