The Bargain Store is Dolly Parton’s fifteenth solo studio album, released by RCA Victor on 17 February 1975. Bob Ferguson and Porter Wagoner produced it. Nine of its ten tracks were recorded on 4, 9 and 11 December 1974 at RCA Studios in Nashville; “Kentucky Gambler” dates from a session on 23 May 1973.
Parton wrote most of the songs. The exceptions are Wagoner’s “On My Mind Again” and Merle Haggard’s “You’ll Always Be Special to Me.” Haggard recorded “Kentucky Gambler” later in 1975. The title track, released as a single in January 1975, uses worn second-hand goods in a discount store as a metaphor for a woman hurt by a failed relationship; some country stations dropped it after programmers read the line “you can easily afford the price” as a reference to prostitution. It still reached number one on the country singles chart in April 1975.
The album peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s country albums chart and at No. 4 on Cashbox’s.
Tracklist
- 1 The Bargain Store 2:45
- 2 Kentucky Gambler alt version 2:41
- 3 When I'm Gone 2:17
- 4 The Only Hand You'll Need to Hold 2:12
- 5 On My Mind Again 2:51
- 6 I Want to Be What You Need 2:43
- 7 Love to Remember 2:33
- 8 You'll Always Be Special to Me 2:23
- 9 He Would Know 2:35
- 10 I'll Never Forget 2:47
