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 Hope You're Never Happy
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish you all the luck I wish you only the best
Satisfaction in love, and true happiness
I wish you blue skies and rainbows, I wish you joy pure and sweet
I wish you all that you wish for, but only if you're with me
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I wish you nothin' but trouble if you've decided to leave
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I have had you too long, I have given too much
I have loved you too strong to think of giving you up
I've always envied those lovers that wish you well when you leave
And wish you luck with another; but there are others like me
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
And every face you look into, I hope you're haunted by me
Yes, I'm possessive and jealous; at least I speak honestly
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I'm just not like those heroes found in books and on TV
I hope you're never happy, never ever ever happy
Never ever ever happy
With anybody but me
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I wish you nothin' but trouble if you've decided to leave
I'm just not like those heroes found in books and on TV
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I hope you're never happy
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I hope you're never happy
The song "I Hope You're Never Happy" by Dolly Parton is a confession of possessiveness and jealousy towards a lover who the singer cannot imagine being happy with anyone else. The lyrics suggest that the singer has given too much of herself to this person and loves him too strongly to let him go. The singer wishes the lover joy and all the luck in the world, but only if he remains with her. The song takes on a somewhat dark and obsessive tone as the singer acknowledges her own flaws and confesses to being haunted by thoughts of the lover being happy without her.
The song can be seen as a commentary on toxic relationships, where one partner has a possessive and jealous attitude towards the other. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is aware of her own shortcomings and is torn between wishing the lover well and wanting to keep him for herself. The line "I'm just not like those heroes found in books and on TV" implies that the singer is aware that her desires are not healthy or acceptable, but cannot help feeling the way she does.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish you all the luck I wish you only the best
I hope you experience good fortune and success in all areas of your life.
Satisfaction in love, and true happiness
I hope you find contentment and genuine joy in your romantic relationships.
I wish you blue skies and rainbows, I wish you joy pure and sweet
I wish for you an idyllic life of happiness and positivity.
I wish you all that you wish for, but only if you're with me
I want all your dreams to come true, but only if you stay committed to our relationship.
I hope you're never happy with anybody but me
I am possessive and want you to stay exclusively devoted to me, even if it means you're unhappy with anyone else.
I wish you nothin' but trouble if you've decided to leave
If you choose to leave me, I wish for you to encounter difficulties and problems in your life.
I'm just not like those heroes found in books and on TV
I am not the perfect, idealized lover often portrayed in media.
And every face you look into, I hope you're haunted by me
I want to be constantly on your mind and for you to never forget about me.
Yes, I'm possessive and jealous; at least I speak honestly
I am honest about my feelings of possessiveness and jealousy towards you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
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.