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
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
Heartaches
Dolly Parton Lyrics
(Dolly Parton)
I thought I saw the promise of forever in your eyes
I thought that I was sure of what I saw
You led me to believe that I was special in your life
So I left my heart wide open for the fall
I thought I'd found a safe and loving place inside your heart;
And I was warm and willing any time
The same soft lips that kissed me sweet were lying from the start
But I swear I thought your love was genuine
What a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Like a switchblade that cuts quick and deep
Oh, what a heartache, what a heart break,
Love ain't always what it appears to be
Oh, what a heartache you turned out to be
It just goes to show that you never can tell
'Cause I really thought that I knew you well
I still can't believe I could be deceived so easily
Are all these wishes I'm wishin' to myself
Just rusty coins in a wishin' well?
Wishes come true, they come false as well
It's too late for you and me
Oh, what a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Love is two-faced and easy to deceive
Oh, what a heartache, what a heartache,
What a mistake to think I could believe
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Like a switchblade that cuts quick and deep
Ooh, what a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
What a heartache, what a heartache,
What a heartache.
Ooh, what a heartache you turned out to be
Ooh, what a heartache
Oh, what a heartache,
What a heart break you turned out to be
I thought I saw the promise of forever in your eyes
I thought that I was sure of what I saw
You led me to believe that I was special in your life
So I left my heart wide open for the fall
I thought I'd found a safe and loving place inside your heart;
And I was warm and willing any time
The same soft lips that kissed me sweet were lying from the start
What a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Like a switchblade that cuts quick and deep
Oh, what a heartache, what a heart break,
Love ain't always what it appears to be
Oh, what a heartache you turned out to be
It just goes to show that you never can tell
'Cause I really thought that I knew you well
I still can't believe I could be deceived so easily
Are all these wishes I'm wishin' to myself
Just rusty coins in a wishin' well?
Wishes come true, they come false as well
It's too late for you and me
Oh, what a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Love is two-faced and easy to deceive
Oh, what a heartache, what a heartache,
What a mistake to think I could believe
What a heartache, what a heartache,
Like a switchblade that cuts quick and deep
Ooh, what a heartache you turned out to be
What a heartache, what a heartache,
What a heartache, what a heartache,
What a heartache.
Ooh, what a heartache you turned out to be
Ooh, what a heartache
Oh, what a heartache,
What a heart break you turned out to be
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Tobias Dubose
I've been listening to Dolly for years and years. I never could understand why this album never was on Spotify until 2020. It's such an amazing album to listen to, especially if you like bluegrass and mountain music.
Brian Cormack Carr
This is the third recording she made of this song. The first one was on the Rhinestone soundtrack in 1984; then 1991’s Eagle When She Flies; then this one on Halos & Horns in 2002. It’s clearly an important song for her.
Lindley Matthias
Everyone can relate to this song (sadly)… whether it’s the disappointment of a relationship or friendship, the demise or a dream you had in life, or a situation that didn’t turn out the way you thought it would. Even the disillusionment when finding out that someone who you thought was of integrity and goodness… was not.
Bryan Mathew
So True , My Sister Turned Bad, Very Sad.
melissa l chadwick
This is amazing 🤩😍💕💕 with so many different songs you have to get the CD dolly is amazing and very cool you're really enjoy listening to these songs they come from the heart love always Melissa
Riogi
Just beautiful!
Roxanne Shannon
Lord knows we've all been there 😭♥️
Anthony Chandler
God nows what Bin throw i lost my sister in 2019
melissa l chadwick
I love this song that Dolly sings it makes a lot of sense common Sense really laugh out loud I love it it's cool she's so amazing trying to stay awake and the song is making me go to sleep but she is so 😎 cool love always Melissa from heart to heart
Littlewolf13
Again, Dolly is a Goddess!