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
I've Known You All My Life
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel like I've known you all my life
We just said, "Hello" I know
But still it's like I've known
You all my life (Known you all my life)
The things you like to do
The things that make you blue
And when I see you smile
It's not a stranger's smile
'Cause everything about you rings a bell
We've only just met and yet
I feel like I've known you all my life
(Known you all my life)
And I've kissed you all my life
(Kissed you all my life)
And I've loved you all my life
(Loved you all my life)
In my dreams (Loved you all my life)
"I've Known You All My Life" is a beautiful love song by Dolly Parton that encapsulates the instant connection and familiarity one can feel with someone they have just met. The song expresses the idea that sometimes, in the presence of certain individuals, time seems to bend and familiarity is established immediately. It begins by acknowledging that although they have just met, the singer feels as though they have known the person all their life. The phrase "We just said, 'Hello' I know, but still it's like I've known you all my life" emphasizes the instantaneous connection and the sense of familiarity that surpasses the limited time spent together.
The lyrics further explore this strong connection by highlighting how the singer already knows the things that make the person happy or sad. The line "The things you like to do, the things that make you blue, somehow I know them all so well" suggests a deep understanding of the person's preferences and emotions. The mention of the stranger's smile rings a bell indicates that everything about that person feels familiar, as if they have encountered them before.
The chorus reinforces the strong bond between the singer and the person they have just met, stating that they have kissed and loved them all their life, even in their dreams. This intensifies the feeling of a timeless connection that surpasses any logical explanation.
Overall, "I've Known You All My Life" celebrates the inexplicable pull of certain individuals and the way they can make us feel that we have known them forever, even if we have just met.
Line by Line Meaning
We've only just met and yet
Despite having recently met, I have an overwhelming sense of familiarity with you.
I feel like I've known you all my life
My connection to you is so deep that it feels as if we have been intertwined for eternity.
We just said, "Hello" I know
Even though our interaction has only involved a simple greeting, I am aware.
But still it's like I've known
However, the intensity of our connection gives the impression.
You all my life (Known you all my life)
That I have been acquainted with you for the entirety of my existence.
The things you like to do
I possess knowledge of your preferences and interests.
The things that make you blue
Even your sources of sadness and melancholy are familiar to me.
Somehow I know them all so well
In some inexplicable way, I am intimately familiar with all these aspects of you.
And when I see you smile
Observing your smile brings about a profound sense of recognition.
It's not a stranger's smile
This smile does not appear foreign or unfamiliar.
'Cause everything about you rings a bell
Every characteristic and trait you possess ignites a familiar sensation within me.
And I've kissed you all my life
In my dreams and imagination, I have engaged in countless kisses with you throughout my entire existence.
And I've loved you all my life
My capacity for love has encompassed you throughout the entirety of my being.
In my dreams (Loved you all my life)
But it is within the realm of my dreams that I have truly loved you for an eternity.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aVinylDaniel
Thank you guys so much for the support on this video! :D
J Hughes
I love her early pop songs! As far as I know, this is her only cover of a Gerry Goffin - Carole King song.
snap07801
This is true, she famously recorded "Here You Come Again" by their friends Mann & Weil but this is the only Goffin/King cover by Dolly in my G/K database.
aVinylDaniel
I do too!
aVinylDaniel
Why the thumbs down?
Mark Lender
Thumbs down for Dolly Parton? WTF kind of monster does that? There's another pop-ish type song from that time frame called "Control Yourself". I swear I have it somewhere
aVinylDaniel
@Mark Lender Oh my goodness, if you are willing to sell it i will buy it from you no matter what condition. It is her 3rd rarest 45 and very expensive, though it did sell for under $3 once. Would you cut me a deal? I will make a video of it if so.
Mark Lender
@aVinylDaniel I know I bought that once upon a time. I was young, I remember the record store, the guy was a total prick. I can't imagine I would have given it away. I'll have to look. I recently got my vinyl dolly collection out of storage and haven't gone through them yet. Probably tucked in one of the boxes
aVinylDaniel
You have the single?