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 Wonder Where You Are Tonight
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wonderin' if I'm wrong or right
I dream about you though you've left me
I wonder where you are tonight
The rain is cold and slowly fallin'
Upon my window pane tonight
And though you're love was even colder
It's spring, the birds are gaily singing
The trees are blossoming so sweet
No other love was quite so happy
No other love was so complete
The rain is cold and slowly fallin'
Upon my window pane tonight
And though you're love was even colder
I wonder where you are tonight
Then came the dawn the day you left me
I tried to smile with all my might
But you could see the pain within me
It still lingers in my heart tonight
Oh, the rain is cold and slowly fallin'
Upon my window pane tonight
And though you're love is even colder
I wonder where you are tonight
In this ballad, Dolly Parton sings about the loneliness and heartache she feels after being left by her lover. She wonders if her feelings were wrong or right, questioning the true nature of their relationship. Despite the cold rain and her heartbreak, she cannot help but dream about her lost love and wonder where they are tonight.
The second verse contrasts the beauty of spring with the bitterness of lost love. The birds sing happily and the trees blossom sweetly, but no other love was as happy or complete as the one she lost. The rain continues to fall, a metaphor for her tears as she continues to wonder where her lover is and why their love ended.
The final verse reveals the pain that still lingers within her heart. Although she tried to smile when he left, the pain is still with her tonight. The rain is still falling, a somber reminder of her grief and loneliness, as she continues to wonder where he is and if he ever thinks of her.
Line by Line Meaning
Tonight my heart is sad and weary
My heart is feeling down and tired at this moment in time.
Wonderin' if I'm wrong or right
I am unsure if the decisions I have made regarding our relationship were correct or not.
I dream about you though you've left me
Even though you have gone, I still think about you in my dreams.
I wonder where you are tonight
I am curious about your whereabouts at this moment in time.
The rain is cold and slowly fallin'
Raindrops are falling down slowly and are cold to the touch.
Upon my window pane tonight
The rain is falling onto the glass pane that covers my window right now.
And though you're love was even colder
Your love towards me was colder than the rain that is falling tonight.
It's spring, the birds are gaily singing
It is currently the season of spring, and the cheerful chirps of birds can be heard in the air.
The trees are blossoming so sweet
The trees are in bloom with colorful and fragrant flowers that make the air smell wonderful.
No other love was quite so happy
I have never experienced a love that brought me as much happiness as ours did.
No other love was so complete
Our love was whole and perfect, unlike any other relationship I have had.
Then came the dawn the day you left me
The day you left me, the sun rose in the sky like any other day.
I tried to smile with all my might
I attempted to put on a happy face, but it was difficult to do so.
But you could see the pain within me
You could tell that I was hurting deeply and having a hard time coping with your absence.
It still lingers in my heart tonight
My heart is still burdened by the pain and sorrow caused by your leaving, and it remains with me even now.
Oh, the rain is cold and slowly fallin'
The rain is still falling down slowly and is still cold to the touch.
Upon my window pane tonight
The raindrops continue to fall onto the glass of my window on this night.
And though you're love is even colder
Despite the fact that your love towards me was already cold, it still feels even colder now that you are gone.
Lyrics © JOHNNY BOND PUBLICATIONS
Written by: JOHNNY BOND
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.