"Baby I'm Burnin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

. It was written by Parton who also produced the track with Gary Klein and

Charles Koppelman Charles Koppelman (March 30, 1940 – November 25, 2022) was an American musician, music producer, and businessman. He held executive positions at EMI and Steve Madden, and he was Chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. At the time of his d ...

who served as executive producer. The song was first released on Parton's twentieth solo studio album ''

Heartbreaker Heartbreaker(s) or The Heart Breaker(s) may refer to: Film and television *''The Heart Breakers'', a 1916 film starring Andrew Arbuckle *''The Heart Breaker'', a 1925 film directed by Benjamin Stoloff * ''Heartbreaker'' (1983 film), an American f ...

'' in July 1978. It was released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single with "

I Really Got the Feeling I, or i, is the ninth letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''i'' (pronounced ), plural ...

" on November 6, 1978 by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

. "Baby I'm Burnin'" was aimed at pop radio, while "I Really Got the Feeling" was aimed at country radio. In addition to the standard

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

, an extended

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

titled ''Dance with Dolly'' was released, which included an extended dance remix of "Baby I'm Burnin'" backed with an extended dance remix of "I Wanna Fall in Love". Parton frequently performs "Baby I'm Burnin'" in concert, often using it as her opening number. She also used the song as the theme to her 1987–1988 television series '' Dolly.''

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' reviewed the single and called it "a high-energy change of pace for Parton." The review went on to say Parton's vocals "punch against the cooking groove of a track" which is "highlighted by horns and syn drums." ''Billboard'' reviewed the single again the following week, this time calling the song "a fiery rocker" and said that it had "a disco edge at times." They added that "Parton's crispy, high pitched vocals add to the rockish feel." '' Cashbox'' gave a positive review of the single, saying that the double-sided release "should cover all the bases." They compared "Baby I'm Burnin'" to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's "

Way Down "Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last Single (music), single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and was later recorded by Presley at his ho ...

" and conclude by saying that both sides "should receive much airplay."

Commercial performance

"Baby I'm Burnin'" peaked at number 25 on the ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, number 48 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart, and number 11 on the ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. The disco remix peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

*In 2011, singer/actress

Geri Reischl Geri Lee Reischl (born December 31, 1959) is an American actress and singer. She was a child actress in the 1970s, most notably as Jan Brady on the variety show ''The Brady Bunch Hour'', and appeared in various television commercials. Early lif ...

recorded a rendition of the song which was mixed with "

Burning Love "Burning Love" is a 1972 song by Elvis Presley written by Dennis Linde, originally released by Arthur Alexander earlier in 1972. Elvis Presley had a major hit with the song, becoming his biggest hit single in the United States since "Suspicious M ...

References

{{authority control 1978 singles Dolly Parton songs Songs written by Dolly Parton RCA Records Nashville singles 1978 songs Song recordings produced by Gary Klein (producer)