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 Wanna Go Back There
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a place in my mind that's suspended in time
When we were happy in love
Days warm and sweet, and the night so complete
Then life was perfect for us
It was just you and I, only love in our eyes
No sorrow, no pain, only sunshine, no rain
Before something else took its place
Oh, I wanna go back there
Back to the time there was no doubt you cared
Back to the time love was tender and fair
I wanna go back there, I wanna go back there
Doop-do-do-do, doop-do-do-do-do
I wanna go back there
Doop-do-do-do, doop-do-do-do-do
I wanna go back there
Do you think if we tried we could put life aside
And see if we might make it back
I know in my heart what we had at the start
I believe it could still be like that
Oh, I wanna go back there
Away from these heartaches, these worried and cares
Back to the time love was tender and fair
I wanna go back there, I wanna go back there
Doop-do-do-do, doop-do-do-do-do
I wanna go back there (say you care)
I wanna go back, I wanna go back
I wanna go back there
Doop-do-do-do, doop-do-do-do-do
I wanna go back there
Doop-do-do-do, doop-do-do-do-do
I wanna go back there, I wanna go back there
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's "I Wanna Go Back There" depict the singer's yearning for a past time when her love was pure and life was perfect. She desires to go back to a place in her mind that is "suspended in time," where days were warm and sweet, and nights were complete. The memories that she shares are those where she and her lover were the only two in the world, with no sorrow, pain, or tears to dampen their happiness. The singer shares that she wants to go back to the place where there was no doubt about her lover's care and where love was tender and fair.
In the second verse, she questions the possibility of putting their current life aside to see if they could make it back to the place they once were. The singer believes that she knows what they had at the start and that it could still be possible if they tried. She expresses her desire to get away from the heartaches, worries, and cares of her present and return to the time when life was perfect for them.
The song is an emotional reflection on love and the loss of it. It talks about the yearning to turn back time and change the present to relive moments of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place in my mind that's suspended in time
I have a memory within my mind that is frozen and never changes
When we were happy in love
During the period that we were content and satisfied in our relationship
Days warm and sweet, and the night so complete
The time when our days were pleasant and enjoyable, and the nights were perfect
Then life was perfect for us
At that period in my life, everything was flawless and without flaw
It was just you and I, only love in our eyes
We were the only ones in our world, and all that existed between us was love
Not a sign of a tear on our face
We were happy and content, and did not have any reason to cry
No sorrow, no pain, only sunshine, no rain
During that time, we did not experience any sadness or distress, just happiness and good times
Before something else took its place
Until some other circumstance or situation replaced our idyllic time together
Do you think if we tried we could put life aside
Do you believe that we could ignore our current obligations and responsibilities and return to that time?
And see if we might make it back
And find out if it's possible to revisit that time period
I know in my heart what we had at the start
I am convinced in my heart that we had something extraordinary at the beginning
I believe it could still be like that
I have faith that we could get back to that happy time
Away from these heartaches, these worried and cares
I want to escape the pain and the troubles that I am currently experiencing
Back to the time love was tender and fair
To return to a time when love was gentle and just between us
I wanna go back there, I wanna go back there
I wish to return to that time and revisit those joyful moments
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.