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
Country Road
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In your big, black fancy car
You were dressed up fit to kill
With a pretty girl on your arm
You spun around and you headed up town
Where the neon lights all shine
Left me choking in a cloud of dust
You never pay me no mind
Chorus:
You're livin' in the fast lane
I guess I'm just too slow
I never wore silk or fancy furs
Just plain ole calico
I'll never be a fast lane lover
And they're the only kind you take up town
I am just a country road
That you keep turnin' down
If you ever hit a dead end street
If it's love that you're looking for
You can always turn around
And beat a path right to my door
Do I have to draw you a map
You seem to know your way around
So when you're tired of spinnin' your wheels
Baby, we can go to town
Repeat Chorus
I'll never be a fast lane lover
And they're the only kind you take up town
I am just a country road
That you keep turnin' down
I am just a country road
That you keep turnin' down
Repeat Chorus
In Dolly Parton's song "Country Road," she sings about a man who is living life in the fast lane, driving his big, black fancy car with a pretty girl on his arm. He's going up town where the neon lights all shine, leaving Dolly in a cloud of dust as he never pays her any mind. She's dressed in plain ole calico and knows she'll never be the fast lane lover that he takes up town. She's just a country road that he keeps turning down.
Throughout the song, Dolly expresses her frustration and disappointment that the man she likes doesn't see her for who she is. She's a simple country girl who doesn't wear silk or fancy furs, but she has a big heart and cares for him deeply. She tells him that if he ever hits a dead end street, he can always turn around and beat a path right to her door. She even offers to draw him a map but knows that he seems to know his way around. She believes that one day he'll tire of spinning his wheels and they can go to town together, but until then she'll just be the country road that he keeps turning down.
One interpretation of this song could be that it's about self-acceptance and the importance of staying true to oneself. Dolly recognizes that she's not the type of person who wants or needs to live life in the fast lane, and that's okay. She's happy being a country girl and doesn't need fancy clothes or material possessions to be content. She's true to who she is and knows that the right person will appreciate her for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw you turnin' down main street
I saw you driving down the main road
In your big, black fancy car
In your expensive and flashy black car
You were dressed up fit to kill
You were dressed in your finest and most attractive attire
With a pretty girl on your arm
With an attractive woman by your side
You spun around and you headed up town
You turned around and went towards the city
Where the neon lights all shine
Where the bright and colorful lights illuminate the cityscape
Left me choking in a cloud of dust
You left me behind in a dusty and smoky trail
You never pay me no mind
You never give me any attention or consideration
You're livin' in the fast lane
You live a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle
I guess I'm just too slow
I am not as fast-paced and glamorous as you are
I never wore silk or fancy furs
I have never adorned myself with luxurious clothing
Just plain ole calico
I only wear simple and basic clothing
I'll never be a fast lane lover
I will never be able to keep up with your lavish lifestyle
And they're the only kind you take up town
You only bring the glamorous and extravagant people to the city
I am just a country road
I am only a simple and ordinary person
That you keep turnin' down
That you keep rejecting and ignoring
If you ever hit a dead end street
If you ever find yourself stuck or lost
If it's love that you're looking for
If you are seeking true and genuine love
You can always turn around
You can always come back to me
And beat a path right to my door
And make your way to my doorstep
Do I have to draw you a map
Do I have to give you explicit directions and guidance?
You seem to know your way around
You appear to be familiar with the territory
So when you're tired of spinnin' your wheels
When you become exhausted from your fast-paced and glamorous lifestyle
Baby, we can go to town
We can enjoy the city together
I am just a country road
I am only a simple and ordinary person
That you keep turnin' down
That you keep rejecting and ignoring
Repeat Chorus
Reiterate the main point of the song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DOLLY PARTON, GARY SCRUGGS
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.