Better Get to Livin'

"Better Get to Livin'" is the first single from Dolly Parton's album, Backwoods Barbie, and was released on August 28, 2007.^[1] It was the first single released by Parton's own record label, Dolly Records.^[2] An upbeat country pop song,^[3] its lyrics deal with keeping a positive attitude and overcoming negative emotions.

1 Background and writing
2 Chart performance
3 Music video
4 References

[edit] Background and writing

The idea for the song came from Parton's co-producer and band leader Kent Wells, who co-wrote the song with Parton. According to Parton, Wells suggested that she write a song about her attitude since so many people ask what the secret to her happiness is.^[4] According to Parton, the song is about coping with the pressures of life and trying to keep a positive outlook in the midst of difficult times:^[4]

"I think life has always been a pressure cooker. People react to whatever pressures they’re under at the time according to their tolerance level and their mental attitude. Certainly with so much attention today on being skinny and beautiful, rich and famous, equal pay for equal work, getting ahead, raising kids, holding down a job, getting older, etc., well I think this song says some things to let people know they’re not the only ones in that fix. And this song offers some advice for a way out."

[edit] Chart performance

"Better Get to Livin'" was released to radio on September 28, 2007,^[1] and peaked at #48 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.^[5] The song was Parton's first charting solo single since "Hello God" reached #60 on the Hot Country chart in 2002, and her biggest hit on the charts since "I Will Always Love You" was rearranged to a duet with Vince Gill and hit #15 in 1995.

Chart	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	48

[edit] Music video

Parton explains the importance of keeping a good attitude.

The music video for "Better Get to Livin'" was directed by Steven Lippman and was shot on a farm in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.^[6] The video is set in a carnival, starting with Parton putting on her make-up while a ringmaster, played by Amy Sedaris,^[6] tells everyone to gather around. Parton comes out and begins singing to the depressed women in the audience. The next part has Parton comforting her friend in the kitchen of her house. The video then returns to the carnival where Parton is running a projector showing an old-fashioned silent movie. In the movie, a fortune-teller (also played by Sedaris) is telling Parton's friend all the things that are wrong with her life. Parton then sings to the women in the audience about how to cope with their problems by keeping a good attitude. At the end, everyone leaves the carnival with their spirits lifted.^[7]

According to Lippman, the video was extremely popular on YouTube. It was viewed over 170,000 times on the site prior to the release of the Backwoods Barbie album.^[6]