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
Control Yourself
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you wanna make him care for you, oh
Control yourself, control yourself
Though its gettin' mighty hard to do
I let him tell me all those lies
And then I look into his eyes
And then it begins, I go in a spin
And now that we are going out, girl you'd better
Control yourself, control yourself
If you wanna make him care for you, oh
Control yourself, control yourself
Though its gettin' mighty hard to do
And when he's holding me so near
He whispers sweet things in my ear
And then it begins, all over again
I just want him to hold me tight
Tell me that everything's alright, girl you'd better
Control yourself, control yourself
If you wanna make him care for you, oh
Control yourself, control yourself
Though its gettin' mighty hard to do
Yeah, its gettin' mighty hard to do
Getting mighty, mighty hard to do
Yeah, its gettin' mighty hard to do
Oh its gettin' mighty hard to do
In the song "Control Yourself," Dolly Parton sings about the struggles of maintaining self-control while being with someone she truly cares for. The lyrics "If you wanna make him care for you" suggest that she believes that by exercising restraint and not giving in to her emotions entirely, she will be able to make him care for her more. However, the repetition of the phrase "though it's getting mighty hard to do" suggests that it is becoming increasingly difficult for her to maintain control.
The lyrics also describe the conflicting emotions that come with being in love. On one hand, she's happy that she's with the boy she once dreamed about, but on the other hand, she's afraid of losing him if she doesn't maintain control. The lyrics "I let him tell me all those lies" suggest that he may have lied to her in the past, and yet she still finds it hard to resist him.
In conclusion, "Control Yourself" is a song that speaks to the struggle of balance when it comes to love and desire. Dolly Parton encourages her audience to exercise self-control in order to maintain a healthy relationship, and yet she also acknowledges the difficulty of doing so.
Line by Line Meaning
Control yourself, control yourself
Maintain self-control and composure
If you wanna make him care for you, oh
To retain the interest of the man, it is essential to regulate oneself emotionally
Though its gettin' mighty hard to do
Although it is becoming increasingly difficult
I let him tell me all those lies
I listen to his lies willingly
And then I look into his eyes
Initially, I believe him to be truthful
And then it begins, I go in a spin
But then I start getting carried away and losing control of myself
He's the boy that I dreamed about
He is the man I always dreamt of
And now that we are going out, girl you'd better
Now that we are together, it is important to keep one's emotions in check
And when he's holding me so near
When he holds me close
He whispers sweet things in my ear
He says nice things to me and tries to charm me
And then it begins, all over again
I start losing my self-control again
I just want him to hold me tight
All I want is for him to hug me tightly
Tell me that everything's alright, girl you'd better
Assuming things are going well, it is important to retain composure and avoid becoming too emotional
Yeah, its gettin' mighty hard to do
Although it is challenging, it is necessary to maintain self-control
Getting mighty, mighty hard to do
It is becoming increasingly more difficult to control oneself
Oh its gettin' mighty hard to do
This is becoming a difficult task
Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@michaelmcmahon1855
Back to listening to this over and over again!! Love it!! Go Dolly!! ❤️
@michaelmcmahon1855
I just discovered this gem a few days ago, and have listened to it over and over. Love it. Dolly Parton can sing, and it's gold!!
@nellieworld8909
I adore this song! It’s very groovy and 60’s as hell but you can tell it’s all Dolly. I wish she’d made more songs like this.
@frankmachotka3488
I can't get enough of Dolly Parton she's the best singer in the whole world and rock and rock and roll of Fame Hall of Fame. She's the greatest singer in the world 🌏💝💝💝💝🤠🥰💋💋💋💋💕💕💕💕🎸🎤🎧
@blossie33
I heard this played for the first time on the radio today, amazing! I didn't know Dolly ever recorded any soul records, she sounds great.
@imolaredm3
Thank you. Great never-seen-before Dolly pictures. And how many people know that Dolly set out early in her young career, to be a pop singer? She is the master of reinvention! Madonna needs to step aside and take notes from Dolly!
@fkylemaguire3526
omg what a singer,dolly never lets me down,what a great song and a great voice too go with it,dolly and tammy wynette are the two best female singers in the whole world..loyou dolly and tammy rip..............kyle
@adambrocklehurst4211
Very blue eyed soul feel to this
@davidkorgan7069
K I am all Dolly today! Perfect!
@littlesparrow185
your welcome & I agree Madonna needs to take notes from dolly