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 Really Don't Want to Know
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hated to let you go
How many, how many I wonder
But I really don't want to know
And how many lips have kissed you
And set your soul aglow
How many, how many I wonder
So always make me wonder
And always make me guess
Even if I ask you
Darlin', don't confess
No you just let that remain your secret
'Cause, darlin', I do love you so
How many, how many I wonder
But I really don't want to know
How many, how many I wonder
But I really don't want to know
In Dolly Parton's song "I Really Don't Want to Know," she sings about the fear of finding out her lover's past romantic experiences. The lyrics suggest that the singer's partner has been with other people before, and the singer doesn't want to know the details. She asks how many people have held and kissed her lover before, but quickly dismisses those questions, saying she really doesn't want to know. The singer admits that she loves her partner, but she's afraid that knowing too much about the past could ruin their present relationship.
The chorus of the song reveals the root of the singer's fear: she doesn't want to lose the mystery and magic in their relationship. She wants her lover to keep her guessing and keep the romance alive. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and that knowing too much can be detrimental to a relationship. The singer acknowledges that her partner has a past, but she doesn't want to dwell on it. She chooses to focus on the present and the future, and to continue to love her partner without knowing all the details of their history.
Overall, "I Really Don't Want to Know" is a song about the fear of losing the magic in a relationship by delving too deep into the past. The lyrics suggest that sometimes, it's best to leave things in the past and focus on the present, rather than risking ruining a good thing by looking too closely at what came before.
Line by Line Meaning
How many arms have held you
How many people have you been with?
And hated to let you go
How many of these people did not want to end things with you?
How many, how many I wonder
How many experiences have you had?
But I really don't want to know
I prefer to stay in ignorance and not have to confront the truth.
And how many lips have kissed you
How many people have you kissed?
And set your soul aglow
How many of these people made you feel alive?
So always make me wonder
I would rather stay oblivious.
And always make me guess
I don't want to know the real answer.
Even if I ask you
Even if I am curious enough to ask.
Darlin', don't confess
Please don't tell me the truth, honey.
No you just let that remain your secret
Please keep this to yourself.
'Cause, darlin', I do love you so
Despite my curiosity, I do love you.
How many, how many I wonder
How many times have you done these things?
But I really don't want to know
I'd rather not know the answer to my questions.
Lyrics Ā© Wixen Music Publishing, DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Barnes, Don Robertson
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.