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
Longer Than Always
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your soft warm lips whispered in my ear
You said you'd always love me
And we'd always be together
And you promised me your love would last forever
Is forever longer than always?
You're gone from me now and you have been for days
And in my mind I can't find the reason why you didn't stay
Is forever longer than always
You're gone from me now and you have been for days
And in my mind I can't find the reason why you didn't stay
Unless forever is longer than always
Is forever longer than always?
Dolly Parton's song Longer Than Always is a ballad that speaks of a love that should last forever, despite the anxiety and insecurity that often come with it. The lyrics begin with the singer describing her lover's touch and words that promised an endless love. However, in the second verse, the lover is gone, and the singer wonders whether forever is longer than always, because her lover's departure contradicts what they had promised to each other. She assumes that forever is the ultimate promise of love that extends beyond always, and therefore, her lover's departure is a sign that their love was not forever.
The song is bittersweet and melancholic, as it highlights the fear that accompanies intense loving. It recognizes that loving someone deeply can lead to heartbreak and loss, but one still yearns for that kind of love. The lyrics capture the complexity of human emotions and the vulnerability that comes with being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Your trembling hands held me near
You embraced me tightly with your shaking hands
Your soft warm lips whispered in my ear
Your gentle, warm kisses brushed against my earlobe as you whispered sweet nothings
You said you'd always love me
You promised to love me forever and without reservation
And we'd always be together
You assured me that we would never be apart
And you promised me your love would last forever
You guaranteed that your love for me would endure eternally
Is forever longer than always?
You questioned whether forever has a greater extent than always
You're gone from me now and you have been for days
You have left me and have been absent for a considerable period
And in my mind I can't find the reason why you didn't stay
I am unable to comprehend why you decided to depart
Unless forever is longer than always
Unless forever truly signifies a lengthier duration than always
Is forever longer than always?
You repeated your inquiry on whether forever surpasses always in time span
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.