Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S… Read Full Bio ↴Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.) is an American country singer, songwriter, composer, producer, entrepreneur, author and actress.

Parton began performing as a child, singing on local radio and television in East Tennessee. At age 12 she was appearing on Knoxville TV, and at 13, she was recording on a small label and appearing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. When she graduated from high school in 1964 she moved to Nashville, taking many traditional elements of folklore and popular music from East Tennessee with her.

Parton's initial success came as a songwriter, with her songs being covered by Kitty Wells, Hank Williams, Jr., Skeeter Davis, and a number of others. She signed with Monument Records in late 1965, where she was initially pitched as a bubblegum pop singer, earning only one national chart single, "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby," which did not crack the Billboard Top 100. Additional pop singles also failed to chart.

The label agreed to have Parton sing country music after her composition "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" as recorded by Bill Phillips (and with Parton, uncredited, on harmony) went to No. 6 on the country charts in 1966. Her first country single, "Dumb Blonde" (one of the few songs during this era that she recorded but didn't write), reached No. 24 country 1967, followed later the same year with "Something Fishy," which went to No. 17. The two songs anchored her first full-length album, Hello I'm Dolly, that same year.

In 1967, Parton was asked to join the weekly syndicated country music TV program hosted by Porter Wagoner, replacing Norma Jean. She also signed with RCA Records, Wagoner's label, during this period, where she would remain for the next two decades. Wagoner and Parton immediately began a hugely successful career as a vocal duet in addition to their solo work and their first single together, a cover of Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind," reached the top ten on the U.S. country charts in late 1967, and was the first of over a dozen duet singles to chart for them during the next several years.

Parton is a hugely successful songwriter, having begun by writing country songs with strong elements of folk music in them based upon her upbringing in humble mountain surroundings. Her songs "Coat of Many Colors" and "Jolene" have become classics in the field, as have a number of others. As a composer, she is also regarded as one of country music's most gifted storytellers, with many of her narrative songs based on persons and events from her childhood.

In 1982 Dolly Parton sang her song "I Will Always Love You", for the movie "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", starring Parton and Burt Reynolds. The song - originally composed around 1974 - made few ripples, but it wasn't until Whitney Houston re-recorded it for "The Bodyguard" a decade later, that the song made yet another international hit for Dolly Parton. She later put out her own version on the 1996 album of the same name.

In 1987, Parton left her longtime label, RCA, and signed with Columbia Records, where her recording career continued to prosper, but by the mid 1990s, Parton, along with many other performers of her generation, found that her new music was not welcome on country radio playlists. She recorded a series of critically acclaimed bluegrass albums, beginning with "The Grass is Blue" (1999) and "Little Sparrow" (2001), both of which won Grammy Awards. Her 2002 album "Halos and Horns" included a bluegrass version of the Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven. In 2005, Parton released Those Were The Days, her interpretation of hits from the folk-rock era of the late 1960s through early 1970s. The CD featured such classics as John Lennon's "Imagine," Cat Stevens' "Where Do The Children Play," Tommy James' "Crimson & Clover," and the folk classic "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", as well as the title track.

In 2007, Dolly paved new musical ground by forming her own record label, Dolly Records. The label's first release - Backwoods Barbie - debuted at #2 on the Billboard country albums charts and marks Parton's first mainstream country album in 17 years. Parton is touring North America and Europe throughout 2008 in support of her latest release.

1955

Before I Met You
Dolly Parton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I thought I had seen pretty girls in my time
But that was before I met you
I never saw one that I wanted for mine
But that was before I met you
I thought I was swinging the world by the tail
I thought I could never be blue
I thought I'd been kissed and I thought I'd been loved
But that was before I met you

I thought I'd stay single always be free
But that was before I met you
I said that no sweet thang could ever hold me
But that was before I met you

I thought I was swinging the world by the tail
I thought I could never be blue
I thought I'd been kissed and I thought I'd been loved
But that was before I met you

That was before I met you

Overall Meaning

The song "Before I Met You" by Porter Wagoner is a love song about a man who thought he had seen beautiful women, experienced love, and thought he was living life to the fullest, until he met the woman he truly loves, who changes everything. The singer sings about how before he met this woman, he thought he had everything in life figured out, but after meeting her, he realized that he had never truly experienced love before. He speaks of thinking he was happy being single, but she changed his mind, and he now wants to be with her forever. The song is a beautiful tribute to the power of love, and how it can truly transform a person's life.

Dolly Parton's interpretation of the song would likely focus on the transformative power of love and how it can change a person's life in unexpected ways. She might also identify with the sentiment of thinking you've experienced everything in life, only to have it all change when you find the right person. As a songwriter herself, she might also appreciate the clever rhymes and memorable melody of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

I thought I had seen pretty girls in my time
I believed I had encountered attractive women in my past experiences

But that was before I met you
However, my perspective changed after meeting you

I never saw one that I wanted for mine
I had never come across a woman that I desired as my own

I thought I was swinging the world by the tail
I believed I had a good hold on the world and my life was going well

I thought I could never be blue
I had confidence that I would never feel sad or depressed

I thought I'd been kissed and I thought I'd been loved
I believed I had already experienced affection and romance

But that was before I met you
However, my perception of these experiences changed after meeting you

I thought I'd stay single always be free
I anticipated remaining single and carefree

But that was before I met you
However, my outlook on my love life shifted after meeting you

I said that no sweet thang could ever hold me
I claimed that no woman would ever be able to catch my attention or hold onto me

That was before I met you
However, my perspective changed after meeting you

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES LEWIS SEITZ, J. WILLIAM DENNY, JOE CANNONBALL LEWIS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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