"Eagle When She Flies" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

. It was released in September 1991 as the third single from the album ''

Eagle When She Flies ''Eagle When She Flies'' is the thirty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on March 7, 1991, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and Gary Smith, with Parton serving a ...

''. The song reached number 33 on the ''

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 advertis ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks 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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart.

Background and content

Parton wrote "Eagle When She Flies" in June 1989 as the theme for the film "

Steel Magnolias ''Steel Magnolias'' is a 1989 American comedy drama film directed by Herbert Ross and starring Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts. The screenplay by Robert Harling is based on hi ...

," citing the film as the inspiration for the line "Gentle as the sweet magnolia, strong as steel, her faith and pride." While the film did not use a theme song of any kind, Parton considers "Eagle When She Flies" one of her best songs. On a list of the 50 best Dolly Parton songs,

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

magazine ranked "Eagle When She Flies" at number 21, calling it a "soaring-yet-delicate" feminist anthem"

Chart performance

References

1991 songs 1991 singles Dolly Parton songs Songs written by Dolly Parton Song recordings produced by Steve Buckingham (record producer) Music videos directed by Mary Lambert Columbia Records singles {{1991-country-song-stub