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
God didn't make honky tonk angels
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The song about the wild side of life
As I listen to the words that you are sayin'
It brings memories when I was a trusted wife
It wasn't God who made honky tonk angels
As you said in the words of your song
Too many times married men
And have caused many a good girl to go wrong
It's a shame that all the blame is on us women
It's not true that only you men feel the same
From the start
Most every heart that's ever broken
Was because there always was a man to blame
It wasn't God who made honky tonk angels
As you said in the words of your song
Too many times married men
Think they're still single
And have cause many a good girl to go wrong
Dolly Parton's "God didn't make honky tonk angels" is a song that both critiques and defends women who frequent honky tonk bars. The jukebox that's playing symbolizes the melancholic memory of the past. As the song talks about the wild side of life, the lyrics bring back memories of when the singer was a trusted wife. The story proceeds as the lyrics talk about married men thinking they are single and how this perspective of married men leads to many good girls going astray. The song portrays a sense of resignation towards the reality of men's behavior, but the singer seems to feel proud of the women who pursued their desires and didn't let themselves be blamed for living their life to the fullest. Women often get blamed and judged for not staying in their appointed societal roles, while men face no consequences.
The song is a commentary on a controversial song of the same name, "The Wild Side of Life," written by Hank Thompson. Thompson's song condemned women who frequented bars, indirectly asserting that they were the reason why men couldn't find faithful wives. Parton's response, "God didn't make honky tonk angels," is a critique of the gender bias that is often woven into the lyrics of country music. She places the blame on men who fail to control their impulses, rather than on women who dare to live their lives on their own terms.
Line by Line Meaning
As I sit here tonight, the jukebox playin'
I'm in a bar listening to music.
The song about the wild side of life
The song is about a wild and reckless lifestyle.
As I listen to the words that you are sayin'
I am paying attention to the lyrics.
It brings memories when I was a trusted wife
The song reminds me of when I used to be loyal to my husband.
It wasn't God who made honky tonk angels
Women aren't inherently bad; it's the circumstances they find themselves in that lead them astray.
As you said in the words of your song
The song is blaming women for the men's bad behavior.
Too many times married men
Men who are already married
Think they're still single
Act as if they are still unmarried
And have caused many a good girl to go wrong
Their infidelity or thoughtlessness can lead women astray.
It's a shame that all the blame is on us women
Women are unfairly blamed for the bad choices of men.
It's not true that only you men feel the same
Women are just as capable of feeling hurt and being irresponsible.
From the start
From the beginning of time
Most every heart that's ever broken
Most people who have suffered heartbreak
Was because there always was a man to blame
It was usually caused by a man's actions or behavior.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Joseph D. Miller
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.