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
Love And Learn
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've lost again but can't I win these tears that I cried make my eyes burn
Each new love I'd find turns out to deepen the wrong time
And it looks like I'll just have to love and learn
Love and learn just hurt and yearn for someone who will love me in return
I'll be hurt many times before the right one I find
But that's the way love is you have to love and learn
[ steel ]
Yes that's the way love is you have to love and learn
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's song "Love And Learn" touch on the reality of love - that it often involves pain and heartbreak before finding the right person. The opening line, "That's the way love is, you have to love and learn," sets the tone for the rest of the song. Despite losing again and again, the singer refuses to give up on love. She acknowledges the tears that she's cried and the pain that she's felt, but she's unwilling to give up on the possibility of finding someone who will love her in return.
The line "Each new love I'd find turns out to deepen the wrong time" suggests that the singer is not just unlucky in love, but also that she's prone to choosing the wrong people at the wrong time. This is a common theme in love songs, but Parton's simple and honest lyrics give the sentiment a new and poignant weight. The chorus reminds the listener that finding the right person often involves being hurt many times, and that learning from these experiences is an essential part of the process.
Overall, "Love And Learn" is a thoughtful meditation on the nature of love and the challenges that come with seeking it out. It's a message of hope and resilience, and one that will resonate with anyone who has struggled with matters of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
That's the way love is you have to love and learn
Love is like an ever-changing journey; one must experience it in order to understand it.
I've lost again but can't I win these tears that I cried make my eyes burn
I've suffered heartbreak again, and although it hurts, I can't give up on finding love.
Each new love I'd find turns out to deepen the wrong time
Every relationship I enter seems to go well at first, but eventually we realize it's not the right time for us.
And it looks like I'll just have to love and learn
Despite my history of heartbreak, I have to keep trying and learning from my experiences.
Love and learn just hurt and yearn for someone who will love me in return
Learning about love can be painful, but I yearn for someone who will love me back in the way I deserve.
I'll be hurt many times before the right one I find
I understand that I will undoubtedly experience heartbreak before I find the person who is right for me.
But that's the way love is you have to love and learn
Love is full of challenges, but we must embrace them and learn from them in order to find true happiness.
[ steel ]
Instrumental music break
Love and learn...
The phrase 'love and learn' is repeated to emphasize its importance in understanding and experiencing love.
Yes that's the way love is you have to love and learn
The song concludes with a reminder that love is never easy, but we must continue to love and learn in order to find our true soulmate.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BILL OWENS
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.