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
Busy Signal
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Busy signal
That's what I get when I call you
Busy busy
Talking to someone new
I wish I knew
Or then again it could even be his little brother
On the line
Making me lose my mind
Hang up hang up hang up hang up
Come on hang up hang up hang up
Gotta talk to my baby
Gotta tell him I'm sorry
Busy signal
How can I tell him I'm sorry
When I said I didn't care
I didn't mean a word I said
Talking outta my head
I've got to reach him now and tell him that I love him
And from now on I'll stay right by his side and love him
All the time
So please somebody quit tying up the line
Hang up hang up hang up hang up
Come on hang up hang up hang up
Gotta talk to my baby
Gotta tell him I'm sorry
I didn't mean to hurt you baby
I really really love you baby
In Dolly Parton's song "Busy Signal," the singer is trying to reach their significant other but only hears a busy signal. They assume the person is talking to someone else and feel jealous and insecure about it. The singer tries to reassure themselves that it may be innocent, like talking to their mother or brother, but it still makes them upset. They keep trying to call but the line is always busy, making them frantic and wanting to hang up.
As the song progresses, the singer realizes that they made a mistake by saying they didn't care earlier. They want to reach their partner to apologize and tell them that they actually love them. The busy signal is preventing them from being able to do so and they become increasingly desperate to make things right. The song ends with the singer pleading with whoever is on the other end of the line to hang up so they can talk to their loved one.
The song explores the frustration and anxiety that comes with trying to reach someone who is always busy. It also touches on the guilt that can come with saying things we don't mean and the importance of communicating our true feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Busy signal
The sound indicating that the person she is trying to call is not available.
That's what I get when I call you
Whenever she calls the person she is trying to reach, she receives a busy signal.
Busy busy
The person she is trying to call is preoccupied talking to another person.
Talking to someone new
The person she is trying to call is talking to a different person.
I wish I knew
She wishes she knew who the person on the other line is.
I shouldn't worry 'cause it's probably his mother
She tells herself not to worry since it could be the person's mother that he's talking to.
Or then again it could even be his little brother
She speculates that it might be the person's younger brother on the other line.
On the line
Someone is holding up the phone line.
Making me lose my mind
The busy signal on the line is making her upset and agitated.
Hang up hang up hang up hang up
She is telling the person on the other line to hang up the phone so she can speak to her loved one.
Come on hang up hang up hang up
She is urging the person on the other line to hang up the phone.
Gotta talk to my baby
She needs to speak with her significant other.
Gotta tell him I'm sorry
She wants to apologize for any hurt she may have caused.
How can I tell him I'm sorry
She is wondering how she can apologize since the phone line is busy.
When I said I didn't care
She is referring to something she said in the past that may have hurt her loved one, but she truly does care.
I didn't mean a word I said
She said things out of frustration but did not mean to hurt her loved one.
Talking outta my head
She said things impulsively without thinking them through.
I've got to reach him now and tell him that I love him
She needs to speak with her loved one and tell him how she feels about him.
And from now on I'll stay right by his side and love him
She is committed to staying with her loved one and being there for him.
All the time
She plans on being there for him always.
So please somebody quit tying up the line
She pleads with whoever is holding up the phone line to hang up so she can call her loved one.
I didn't mean to hurt you baby
She wants to apologize for any pain she may have caused her loved one.
I really really love you baby
She wants to express her love for her significant other.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Romy K.
on Gypsy Joe And Me
As a matter of fact she's contemplating suicide standing on the bridge, that's how they'll be together again.