How a Dolly Parton Manicure Led to One of Movie History’s Most Famous Songs

Of all the amazing things she did in her life, one that the late great Dolly Parton is best-known for is the movie and accompanying song, 9 to 5.

The cult classic film, which has also been turned into a Broadway and West End musical, is about three secretaries — Judy (Jane Fonda), Violet (Lily Tomlin) and Doralee (Parton) — who decide to kidnap their tyrannical, sexist boss and run the business themselves.

It was Parton’s first-ever film role, and given the film’s legacy, it’s fair to say that she made quite the impression. But the thing that cements 9 to 5’s staying power is its theme song. Not only was it nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, but it was also nominated for three Grammys, of which the country star won two.

Over the years, in various interviews, Parton has shared snippets of how the workday anthem came to be — and one of our favourite stories is how she wrote the song with a little help from her acrylic nails. 

How Did Dolly Parton’s Manicure Lead To 9 to 5?

In a Howard Stern interview recently reshared following Parton’s death, part of the song was played, opening up a discussion about how it came to be. 

“You know that I wrote that song, you know, with my nails,” she said, before demonstrating the rhythmic pattering as she sang the song’s chorus. 

“I was so starstuck being, you know, just watching how a movie is being made,” she said, reflecting on her experience on the 9 to 5 set. “Even if I wasn't in the scene, I was there every day because I wanted to watch it.”

As she watched the other women perform, Parton says she ruminated on the song. And because she couldn’t bring a guitar to the movie set, she improvised with her manicure, tapping her nails to make the iconic rattling sound that remains in the song. 

“You gotta have acrylic nails to make that real percussive sound,” she continued. “...But I thought it sounded like a typewriter.”

“And then I would write verses, and write things, and then id go back to my hotel at night and get my guitar out, then I’d put it down on tape, and  I wrote it over a period of weeks you know the whole song before i actually sat down and then just assembled it and put it all together,” she concluded.

The Song's Origin Forever Bonded the 9 to 5 Co-Stars

In another interview, this time with TODAY’s Willie Geist, Parton added that the rhythmic nail scratching had become something of an inside joke between her and her two movie co-stars. 

“I played my nails on the real record just for fun because all the girls got a kick out of me singing it to them, running around,” Parton said with a laugh. “Even Jane and Lily, to this day, every time they see me, they start going [scratches nails].”

Still, she couldn’t resist getting a quip in. “You’ve got to have acrylic nails though, which I don’t think either of them do, so they don’t play it as good as I do,” she teased. 

Needless to say, Parton remains iconic, and this anecdote is one of a million reasons why.