Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle duet while playing music with their press-on nails in iconic resurfaced 1987 performance
Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle used their acrylic nails as musical instruments (Twitter)
Life in a pandemic can often feel exhausting and oppressive – but a video of Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle playing music with their press-on acrylic nails is sure to cheer you up.
The legendary country singer hosted her own singing and dancing variety show in 1987, simply titled Dolly, and in a resurfaced clip, she can be seen performing a song with LaBelle, with their acrylic nails providing the beat.
“You know, I’d write a lot of songs, when I would have my guitar, I’d beat around the dashboard in my car when I’m riding around writing songs,” Parton tells LaBelle in the clip, with both women wearing suitably 1980s-style dresses.
“But then I have a little rhythm that we can do with these acrylic nails. Can you do that?” she adds.
“Yeah,” LaBelle says, clicking her acrylic nails together to provide a beat.
“Oh good, you want to play a little song for ’em?” Parton replies, before the pair begin clicking their acrylic nails together.
“See, we did plan this, but we didn’t know how it was going to sound,” LaBelle says, before the pair launch into a truly iconic performance replete with harmonies.
Dolly Parton and Patti LaBelle have brought joy to everyone’s lives with the iconic resurfaced clip.
The clip was released as part of Dolly: The Ultimate Collection, a 19-disc, 35-hour DVD collection full of Parton performances that have never been officially available before.
The clip quickly went viral on Twitter, with many people sharing their unbridled love for Parton and LaBelle.
https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1309606866335330304
The hair, the nails, the shoulder pads, the glittery outfits, they've got it all!
— (っ◔◡◔)っ Chris (@isilgupsirhc) September 25, 2020
This just blessed my morning. Hope it blesses yours too 🥰 https://t.co/NR2eMGTn4v— CEASEFIRE 🇵🇸 (@SheaCoulee) September 28, 2020
Good morning! https://t.co/VcSWvknu6j— Tabatha Southey (@TabathaSouthey) September 26, 2020
Heaven https://t.co/NANZM5XB86— Russell Tovey (@russelltovey) September 26, 2020
Remarkably, this isn’t the first time Parton has used acrylic nails as a musical instrument.
In 1980, she used acrylic nails in the recording of her legendary hit “9 to 5”. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2019, she began to tap her acrylic nails while singing the iconic song.
“I’ve never heard anyone play their nails like that!” Fallon said.
“When I actually wrote this song, I used my acrylic nails on the set when I was writing it,” Parton replied, adding that “they make noise that kind of sounds like a typewriter.”
Her acrylic nails even got a credit on the album’s notes under “Nails by Dolly”.
She once revealed: “My nails are my rhythm section when I’m writing a song all alone. Some day, I may cut an album, just me and my nails.”
