The Bargain Store by Dolly Parton

Album: The Bargain Store (1975)

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This Country chart-topper uses secondhand merchandise in a bargain store as a metaphor for a woman emotionally damaged by a relationship. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with sex.

Dolly cleared up the misinterpretation in her 2020 book Songteller. "When I wrote 'The Bargain Store,' I swear on my life that I was never thinking about love in any vulgar way," she explained. "I was using the 'bargain' as it related to a broken relationship. But every man I know thinks it's dirty. Somehow, this lyric is a dirty thing to a man. But I never saw it that way.

All I was thinking of was the heart: 'If you don't mind the merchandise is slightly used, with a little mending it can be good as new.' I was saying that you'll be surprised at how good this broken heart is. Just take it. You'll never be sorry that you did. Just come inside, come inside my heart. The words just meant that I've had relationships: I've been through stuff, I'm not new at this."
The song includes the line "My life is like unto a bargain store." Mojo magazine June 2008 asked Dolly Parton whether the use of the word 'unto' was giving an archaic, Biblical eternal weight to a dime-store confession, or simply she needed two syllables to make the line scan? Parton replied: "No, I purposely did it. I could have said any number of things - it's easier to sing My life is like a bargain store. I like doing old-timey songs. It's in that minor key, which sounds old world to me, that lonesome drone- it could be a sitar or something."
This was used on Stranger Things in the season 1 episode "The Monster." It plays as Nancy and Jonathan are stocking up on gear to trap the Demogorgon.
Despite the resistance of conservative radio stations who thought the song was too suggestive for airplay, this became Dolly's fourth consecutive #1 single on the Country chart.
The Bargain Store was Dolly's third consecutive Top 10 album on the Country chart, following Jolene and Love Is Like A Butterfly. She also reached #7 with Coat Of Many Colors in 1971.
In 1975, the same year she released this album, Dolly was named the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist Of The Year.

Comments: 3

George from Vancouver, CanadaI would never have iagined this was about sex -- ot's obviously about a woman who's been damaged by relationships, but is still open to try it again, & emphasising that "used" doesn't mean bad.
Brenda from Ocala, FlI always believed the lyrics to be, "liken to" not "like unto".
Mark from Boston, MaA number of country radio stations refused to play "The Bargain Store" when they mistook its lines (particularly "you can easily afford the price") as a reference to prostitution. Country radio was still pretty conservative in 1975. Just the same, the song became Parton's fourth consecutive number one single since late 1973.

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