Dolly Remains Absolutely Lovable and Genuine

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Dolly Parton Reunites With Kenny Rogers on 'You Can't Make Old Friends'

We're very excited for the upcoming release of Dolly Parton's 42nd — that's right, forty-second — studio album, "Blue Smoke." Not only does it feature a song with Willie Nelson and covers of classics by Bob Dylan and Bon Jovi, but it also reunites Dolly with her dear pal Kenny Rogers on a duet called "You Can't Make Old Friends."

The song reflects the pair's 30-plus years of friendship. Some sample lyrics:

What will I do when you are gone?
Who's gonna tell me the truth?
Who's gonna finish the stories I start,
The way you always do?
You can't make old friends
Can't make old friends
It was you and me, since way back when.
But you can't make old friends.

Dolly gave Yahoo Music an exclusive look at the new record — and here's what she had to say about her musical reunion with Kenny:

"Kenny is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world and we really are old friends. In fact, when they were putting this song together, I understand that Kenny was talking to the people that were writing this — and Kenny was in on the writing of this, he said, 'You gotta write this for Dolly and for me so we can have another good duet!' 'Cause he said, 'We really are those kind of friends, where you can't make old friends. Dolly knows me like a book and I know her like a book.' So this is the perfect idea for a song for us."

It's the first time the two have collaborated since 1985, when they released the duet "Real Love." But the song that probably comes to mind when most people think of Dolly and Kenny together is the classic, "Islands in the Stream." It was the No. 1 song of 1983 and became one of the most famous duets of all time.

Dolly and Kenny have been friends for more than three decades — and yes, just that: friends (and never a romantic item). Kenny said in an interview last year that while there was always a little romantic "tension" between them, it never amounted to anything more than "teasing and flirting with each other for 30 years."

"Blue Smoke" is out in the U.S. on May 13. You can watch more of Dolly discussing the album, track-by-track,here on Yahoo Music.

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