Real Love is the twenty-seventh solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on January 21, 1985, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by David Malloy and recorded in Los Angeles. It peaked at number nine on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Two of the album's singles, "Real Love" and "Think About Love", peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while the other two singles, "Don't Call It Love" and "Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)", peaked at number three and number 17, respectively. The album was promoted with an HBO television special titled Kenny Rogers and Dolly Paton Together.
The album was recorded in November and December 1984 at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles, California. Additional overdubs were recorded at Sunset Sound.
?The album was released January 21, 1985, on CD, LP, cassette, and 8-track.
Singles "Don't Call It Love" was released as the album's first single on January 7, 1985. It debuted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated January 26. It peaked at number three on the chart dated May 4, its fifteenth week on the chart. The single charted for 22 weeks. It also peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The single peaked at number five in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart and number 15 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.
"Real Love", a duet with Kenny Rogers, was released as the second single on April 29, 1985. It debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated May 25. It peaked at number one on the chart dated August 24, its fourteenth week on the chart. It charted for 20 weeks. The single also peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100. It peaked at number one in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart and number 19 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. The single peaked at number 45 on Australia on the Kent Music Report. A music video directed by Doug Dowdel was released featuring footage from the HBO special.
"Think About Love", was released as the third single on November 11, 1985. It debuted at number 72 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated November 30. It peaked at number one on the chart dated March 8, 1986, its fifteenth week on the chart. The single charted for 22 weeks. It also peaked at number one in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart. The single peaked at number 74 in Australia on the Kent Music Report. "Think About Love" had previously been released as a single in the UK in April 1985, but failed to chart.
"Tie Our Love (In a Double Knot)" was released as the fourth single on April 7, 1986. It debuted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated May 3. It peaked at number 17 on the chart dated June 28, its ninth week on the chart. The single charted for 15 weeks. It also peaked at number 20 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.
Television special A television special was filmed during two concerts of Dolly and Kenny's joint tour in 1985. It premiered July 14, 1985, on HBO as Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Together. It was later released on home video as Kenny & Dolly: Real Love.
The album debuted at number 61 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated March 9, 1985. It peaked at number nine on the chart dated June 1, its thirteenth week on the chart. It would later return to this same peak position on the chart dated July 20. The album charted for 40 weeks. The album peaked at number 30 in Sweden on the Sverigetopplistan chart.
?It charted at number 31 on the Billboard Top Country Albums year-end chart for 1985.
The album was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards in 1986 and the title track was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The television special Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton Together was nominated or TV Special of the Year at the 1985 CMT Music Awards (known as the ?Music City News Awards at the time).
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance Lenny Castro – percussion Bob Glaub – bass Steve Goldstein – keyboard Bobby Hall – percussion Jennifer Kimball – background vocals Paul Leim – drums Richard Marx – background vocals Randy McCormick – keyboard Gene Morford – background vocals Dean Parks – guitar Dolly Parton – lead vocals ?Kenny Rogers – duet vocals Tom Scott – saxophone Billy Joe Walker Jr. – guitar Terry Williams– background vocals
Production Joe Bogan – engineer Steve Goldstein – string arrangement David Malloy – producer Sherri Malloy – production assistant Randy McCormick – string arrangement Peggy McCreary – assistant engineer Julian Stoll – assistant engineer Wally Traugott – mastering Larry Walsh – digital assistant engineer
Other personnel Tim Bryant – art direction Hallli D'Amore – photograph hand tinting, makeup Richard D'Amore – photography Tzetzi Ganev – costume coordinator Dianne Roberson – hair Shirlee Strahm – costume coordinator
