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For her 77th birthday, Dolly Parton gave her fans a gift — a song that came to her in a dream

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Caitlin O'Kane
Senior Manager, Social Media Production and Content
Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.
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Caitlin O'Kane

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Dolly Parton celebrated her 77th birthday on Thursday and told fans she didn't want to get anything for her big day — she wanted to give. She said the gift to her fans is a song that came to her in a dream.

"I've got a song that I'm dropping today on my birthday. It's a song that kind of came to me in a dream and I felt like it was worth putting out there, something special. Well, it's special to me," she said in an Instagram video. 

"I had a dream about God standing on a mountain looking down on us, saying: 'Don't make me come down there,'" she said. "Well, it woke me up. I got up and started writing this song."

She said over a period of months she finished the song — titled "Don't Make Me Have to Come Down There" — as more would come to her. "I just felt like I should drop it on my birthday. So I hope you enjoy it."

The iconic country music star already has an extensive discography dating back to the 1960s, with dozens of albums and hits like "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You." This year, she will release a new album called "Rock Star," featuring covers of rock songs by herself and other stars like Pink and Brandi Carlile. 

To get that classic rock feel on her new album, Parton enlisted Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Steve Perry, Steven Tyler and others to cover classic songs by artists like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. 

In announcing the new album on earlier this week, Parton said she wanted to do "Rock Star" so that she feels she earned her spot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — an honor which she thought she didn't deserve. 

When she was nominated last year, she tried to decline — but the Hall of Fame wouldn't take no for an answer.

"From its inception, Rock & Roll has had deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music," the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said in a statement at the time, adding that Parton's music "impacted a generation of young fans and influenced countless artists that followed." 

Parton said in a statement last March that the recognition "inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock n' roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do."

Despite her protests, Parton was officially inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last May alongside Eminem, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, the Eurythmics and Carly Simon. 

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