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
It Must Be You
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We belong together, you and me
Just like the dawn followed by day
We'll always be together
And that's just how it will stay
It must be you that's always walking in my dreams
It must be you who'll always be right next to me
Just think of me and I'll be there
Must be you by my side the whole way through
Just like the fresh white winter snow
Our love is pure and it will always grow
And when we're in those autumn years
Together, we'll look back, but we won't shed a single tear
It must be you that's always walking in my dreams
It must be you who'll always be right next to me
So when you find yourself alone
Just think of me and I'll be there
Must be you by my side the whole way through
When you find yourself alone
Just think of me and I'll be there
Must be you by my side the whole way through
Dolly Parton's "It Must be You" is a classic love song about two people who are meant to be together. The song is a celebration of the joys of love and the idea that some relationships are just meant to be. The lyrics liken the couple's love to the natural bond between the tide and the sea, the dawn and the day, and the winter snow. The song is about the purity and steadfastness of true love, and the comfort that comes from knowing you have found the one person who is meant to be by your side.
The first verse compares the couple's relationship to the natural world by saying they are like the tide and sea that belong together, and just like the dawn that is always followed by day. The second verse compares their love to fresh, white winter snow, which is pure and always grows. The chorus repeats the idea that it must be the other person who is always walking in their dreams, and who will always be by their side. The song ends with the comforting thought that when one person is alone, they only need to think of the other, and they will be there, side by side, the whole way through.
Overall, "It Must be You" is a feel-good love song about finding your soulmate, and the comfort and joy that comes from knowing that your love will only grow stronger with each passing year.
Line by Line Meaning
Just like the tide goes with the sea
Our relationship is natural and destined to be together, just like how the tide and the sea are inseparable.
We belong together, you and me
Our love is meant to be and we are a perfect match for each other.
Just like the dawn followed by day
Our love is constant and will always follow each other like the dawn follows the day.
We'll always be together
No matter what happens, we will always be together through thick and thin.
And that's just how it will stay
Our love will remain strong and unchanging for all eternity.
It must be you that's always walking in my dreams
I dream of you all the time, and I know that it's only you who can fulfill my dreams.
It must be you who'll always be right next to me
You are the only one who can be with me always, and I know that you will never leave my side.
So when you find yourself alone
Whenever you feel lonely, just remember that I am always there for you.
Just think of me and I'll be there
I'll always be there for you, no matter what.
Must be you by my side the whole way through
I want you to be with me throughout my life's journey, always by my side.
Just like the fresh white winter snow
Our love is pure and innocent, just like the fresh white winter snow.
Our love is pure and it will always grow
Our love will continue to grow and get stronger with time.
And when we're in those autumn years
Even in our old age, we will still have each other and look back on our lives with joy.
Together, we'll look back, but we won't shed a single tear
We will look back on our memories together, but we will not be sad because we have each other.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Blaise Tosti
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.