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
Make Love Work
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of all the roads I've traveled and all the sights I've seen
The most amazing thing is the power of our dreams
And anything is possible for those who can believe
Just get your heart to rearrange its priorities
For us to make love work
And for love to work we gotta hold on
A human heart is just too precious
To spend it feeling hurt
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
It takes faith in one another to see things eye to eye
And it's hard to trust but you know it's worth the try
There's a candle in my window and whenever you feel blue
You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there for you
For us to make love work
We've got to try a little bit harder
And for love to work we gotta hold on
A human heart is just too precious
To spend it feeling hurt
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
Oh I do believe in miracles
But I know they don't come easy
So why don't we give destiny
A helping hand
For us to make love work
We've got to try a little bit harder
And for love to work we gotta hold on
A human heart is just too precious
To spend it feeling hurt
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
Life is just too beautiful
To spend it feeling hurt
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
In Dolly Parton's Make Love Work, the singer reflects on the power of love and the importance of working hard to make it last. The song's lyrics speak to the idea that love requires effort and dedication, and that it is ultimately up to us to create the kind of relationships that we want. In the first verse, Parton reflects on the many experiences she has had in life, and notes that the most amazing thing she has seen is the power of our dreams. She goes on to suggest that anything is possible for those who believe, as long as they are willing to rearrange their priorities and put in the work.
The chorus of Make Love Work emphasizes the idea that, in order for love to thrive, we must be willing to try harder and hold on when things get tough. Parton notes that the human heart is too precious to waste on feeling hurt, and encourages listeners to take a chance on love. She acknowledges that it can be hard to trust and work together, but suggests that it is worth it in the end. The second verse speaks to the importance of faith in one another, and suggests that if we are willing to see eye to eye, we can overcome any challenge.
Overall, Make Love Work is a powerful message about the importance of working to create lasting, meaningful relationships. Parton's lyrics speak to the idea that love is both challenging and rewarding, and that it is ultimately up to us to decide whether we want to put in the effort to make it work.
Line by Line Meaning
Of all the roads I've traveled and all the sights I've seen
Throughout all of my experiences, I have found nothing more amazing than the power of our dreams.
And anything is possible for those who can believe
With a strong belief, anything is possible.
Just get your heart to rearrange its priorities
Focus on what really matters in life.
For us to make love work
In order for our love to succeed,
We've got to try a little harder
We must put in more effort and work harder.
And for love to work we gotta hold on
We also need to hold on to our love and never give up on it.
A human heart is just too precious
Our hearts are valuable and should not be wasted on feelings of hurt.
To spend it feeling hurt
We shouldn't waste our hearts on hurtful emotions.
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
It's time for us to take risks and try to make our love work.
It takes faith in one another to see things eye to eye
We must trust and have faith in each other to have the same perspective.
And it's hard to trust but you know it's worth the try
Though trust is difficult, it's worth the effort.
There's a candle in my window and whenever you feel blue
Whenever you're feeling down, I will be there for you.
You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be there for you
You can always count on my support and love.
Oh I do believe in miracles
I believe in the power of miracles.
But I know they don't come easy
However, I understand that miracles are not always easy to come by.
So why don't we give destiny
Let's try to change the course of our future.
A helping hand
With a little help, we can make things work.
Life is just too beautiful
Life is too precious and beautiful.
To spend it feeling hurt
We shouldn't waste our time and energy on negative emotions.
Let's start to take the chance to make love work
Let's take risks and work hard to make our love succeed.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC KAZ
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.