| "The River Unbroken" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
| from the album Rainbow | ||||
| B-side | "More Than I Can Say" | |||
| Released | November 23, 1987 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:56 | |||
| Label | Columbia Nashville | |||
| Songwriters | Darrell Brown, David Batteau | |||
| Producer | Steve "Golde" Goldstein | |||
| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The River Unbroken" is a song by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, which was released in 1987 as the lead single from her twenty-eighth studio album Rainbow.[1] It was written by Darrell Brown and David Batteau, and produced by Steve "Golde" Goldstein.
"The River Unbroken" was Parton's first single for Columbia, following her move to the label from RCA. The song reached No. 63 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.[2] In Canada, it peaked at No. 51 on the RPM Country Singles chart,[3] and No. 23 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[4]
On its release, Billboard described the song as a "rootsy, rock-flavored ballad" that should "regain her pop stature".[5] Cash Box considered the song "enjoyable" and Parton's voice "as distinctive as ever", but felt "hard country" fans would be "disappointed" with the song's direction ("The lyrics could be country, but the arrangement surely is not").[6]
In a review of Rainbow, Ken Tucker of The Philadelphia Inquirer described the song as having "the firm assurance of a potential hit".[7][8] In a retrospective review, Barry Weber of AllMusic felt both "The River Unbroken" and "Could I Have Your Autograph" are "somewhat intriguing, but they're certainly not strong enough to survive the glossy, overtly polished production".[9]
The River Unbroken
Production
Other
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 51 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks[4][13] | 23 |
| US Billboard Hot Country Singles[2] | 63 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 43 |
