Great Balls of Fire is the twenty-first solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton.

The second and third singles, "Great Balls of Fire" and "Sweet Summer Lovin'", were released as a double A-side in August 1979.

The fourth single, "Star of the Show", was released in December 1979 in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

The album received a positive review from Billboard, which said that "Parton has now firmly established herself in the pop field and reinforces her universal appeal with a collection of songs that showcase her versatility."

They added that Parton's "sweet vocals" were aided by "a conglomeration of stellar players" that give the music a "needed punch."

"[6] Cashbox also gave a positive review of the album, saying that "Dolly proves how evocative she is on her latest RCA release."

[7] The New York Times determined that the album "isn't even an instance any more of a great talent being slicked up and distorted...

"[8] Writing for AllMusic, Mark Deming felt that "considering how well (and how sympathetically) Parton produced herself on her last few pre-crossover efforts...Dean Parks and Gregg Perry's studio settings [are] a bit disconcerting," but "they thankfully seem aware at all times who is in the spotlight, and Dolly, professional that she is, rises to the challenge on all ten tracks."

He also noted that there are only four Parton compositions on the album and said that "it seems ironic that the most purely country cut on the LP is a cover of the Beatles' "Help!," which is given a sprightly neo-bluegrass arrangement.