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
Lovin' You
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you are sleeping, am I sleeping too?
Well, I'm just sitting here loving you
Close my eyes and loving you
I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
I have been wondering just what I would do
If I weren't sleeping, had I not found you
I'd be walking on the avenue finding you
Well, I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
Now the reason that you never see me running 'round
Fingers on my forehead couldn't calm me down
And he can't even get me up and on my feet
When I've got to take care of some business on the street
I have been walking all my streets alone
But I won't keep walkin' to keep from going home
I couldn't quite barely conceive of you
Now I can conceive ever leaving you
Oh, an' I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
If you've been wondering what I'm gonna do
While you are sleeping, am I sleeping too?
Well, I'm just sitting here loving you
I just close my eyes and loving you
Oh, an' I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
Dolly Parton's "Lovin' You" is a love song in which the singer expresses their unconditional love for their significant other. While the lyrics may seem simple and straightforward, there are a few nuances to the song that make it stand out. The song opens with the singer wondering if their partner thinks about them as much as they think about their partner. They reassure their partner that even in their sleep, they are still consumed by thoughts of them. The repetition of the phrase "I'm just sitting here loving you" emphasizes the depth of feeling and the sense of being content just to be in the presence of their beloved.
The verses of the song then take on a more melancholy tone. The singer expresses their gratitude for having found their partner but also acknowledges the fear of losing them. The line "I couldn't quite barely conceive of you, Now I can conceive ever leaving you" contrasts the reluctance to imagine life without their partner to their previous inability to fathom being with them. The final verse asserts that the singer has walked many streets alone but is now secure in the knowledge that they have found someone who can "calm them down" and make them whole.
Overall, "Lovin' You" is a song about the complexities of love - from the joy it brings to the vulnerability and uncertainty it can also create. The simplicity of the lyrics emphasizes the power of love to transform and enrich our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
If you've been wondering what I'm gonna do
I have been thinking about what I would do
While you are sleeping, am I sleeping too?
If you are sleeping, am I also asleep?
Well, I'm just sitting here loving you
I am just sitting here, loving you
Close my eyes and loving you
I close my eyes and I think of loving you
I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
I am just sitting here and loving you
Now the reason that you never see me running 'round
The reason you never see me running around
Fingers on my forehead couldn't calm me down
I cannot calm down despite trying
And he can't even get me up and on my feet
Even he cannot motivate me to move
When I've got to take care of some business on the street
When I have important things to do outside
I have been walking all my streets alone
I have been walking alone in life
But I won't keep walkin' to keep from going home
But I will not keep walking to avoid going home
I couldn't quite barely conceive of you
I could not even imagine you existed
Now I can conceive ever leaving you
Now I cannot imagine ever leaving you
Oh, an' I'm just sitting back, sitting here loving you
I am just sitting here and loving you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Benson Sebastian
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mercy Kamwere
Beautiful song
J&J rose hut 🌹
Dolly my most favorite country singer. It's difficult to spend the day without listening your songs.
sandra mwila
Beautiful song❤️❤️
Brenda Johnson
The female singer comparable to Elvis..no one can compare to these two..❤️❤️
mike simaubi
I will always and forever love you Dolly
Savannah Country Girl
Beautiful to my ears
Jimmy lloyd Chatama
Nice tune
Freedom Counts
Happy Birthday Dolly much love and light
Elizabeta Katalinic
You know Dolly that you are loved by millions and millions people in the world but I love you more than all this people ( private reasons) and I know about you little bit more than a year. Love you dear Dolly from all my ❤, your Eli from Switzerland (and Croatia).🥰🇭🇷❤🇨🇭❤🇺🇲❤🇺🇦
Ben Carol
Thanks, so inspiring