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
Makin' Believe
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's leaving me alone and so blue
I'll always dream, still I'll never own you
Making believe, its all I can do
Can't hold you close when you're not with me
You're somebody's love, you'll never be mine
Making believe that I'll spend my lifetime
Loving you and making believe
Making believe that I never lost you
But my happy hours are fun and so few
My plans for the future will never come true
Making believe what else can I do
Can't hold you close when you're not with me
You're somebody's love, you'll never be mine
Making believe that I'll spend my lifetime
Loving you and making believe
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song "Making Believe" tell the story of a person who is deeply in love with someone who doesn't love them back. The singer of the song is making believe that their love is still alive, even though they know it's not. They dream of being able to hold the person close, but they know that they can never be together because the person belongs to someone else. The song is a heartbreaking expression of unrequited love and the pain that comes with it.
The repetition of the phrase "making believe" throughout the song highlights the singer's attempts to convince themselves that their love is still alive. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that their attempts at make-believe are futile. Although they dream of a future with the person they love, they know that it can never become a reality.
Overall, "Making Believe" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the pain of unrequited love. It's a reminder that even when we can't be with the person we love, we can still hold onto hope and imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
Making believe that you still love me
Pretending that your love for me still exists, even though the reality is that it has faded away, and this is making me feel alone and sad.
It's leaving me alone and so blue
Your absence and the knowledge that your love for me is gone is causing me to feel lonely and depressed.
I'll always dream, still I'll never own you
I will continue to have hopes and aspirations for us, but the truth is that you will never belong to me in the way that I desire.
Making believe, its all I can do
The only way I can cope with the absence and loss of your love is by pretending that it still exists.
Can't hold you close when you're not with me
I can't physically embrace you when you are not present, which is causing me to feel disconnected from you.
You're somebody's love, you'll never be mine
I understand that you belong to someone else, and I can never truly have you for myself.
Making believe that I'll spend my lifetime
I am pretending that I will love you for the rest of my life, even though the reality is that our time together has ended.
Loving you and making believe
I am continuing to love you even though you no longer love me, and the only way I can do this is by pretending that our love is still real and alive.
Making believe that I never lost you
I am pretending that I never lost your love, even though it is clear that our relationship has ended.
But my happy hours are fun and so few
Although I try to find happiness in other things, there are few moments where I am truly happy, and most of my time is spent feeling sad and alone.
My plans for the future will never come true
I had hoped for a future where we could be together, but now those dreams will never come to fruition because our relationship has ended.
Making believe what else can I do
Pretending that our love is still alive is the only way I can cope with the loss of our relationship.
Lyrics © TRADE MARTIN MUSIC INC.
Written by: TRADE MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pi286
Im 28, never gave Dolly a chance…thought she just had a ‘country accent’… well I stayed up until 3am binging listening to Dollys songs… and WOW. Her voice made me cry… simply perfection. 😊😊
@alwaysjeasus
Should try lyreta Lynn she is as good if not better
@nathaliebresson9976
Makes me cry...incredible voice
@judedokey2909
I really love everything about you more especially your angelic voice. No one can beat you in terms of voice. Supernatural
@MoJoPiano
I think Miss Kitty Wells would highly approve of Dolly's rendition of her big 1955 hit. Thanks and FIVE STARS!
@stellalovell7431
She still got it love her
@nickjackson3272
You either love it or hate it. To those of you that hate it shame on you. Got to love Dolly Parton love it for ever still listening in 2018
@dustinlongie1102
Such a Beautiful song💞💞💞💞
@UMBAH22KAS
love this song
@TheRobric01
this is Great!!!!