Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S… Read Full Bio ↴Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946 in Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.) is an American country singer, songwriter, composer, producer, entrepreneur, author and actress.

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

Malena
Dolly Parton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(A wish that Malena had wings)
Malena for hours would run in the meadow well Malena would go to play every day
She chased butterflies and she'd say with the smile
If I had wings I could fly that away
Maena would cry when we try to explain
That little girl's world's supposed to haven wings
That only in heaven can little girls fly we'd see a strange look in Malena's eyes
(A wish that Malena had wings)

We'll always remember Malena's last birthday
Boxes with bright colored ribbon and string
And the wish that she made as she blew out the candles
A wish that Malena had wings
And with all the gifts that we bought for Malena
The wish that she made we could not satisfy
But on the night of her birthday the angels fullfilled it
They gave her wings and now Malena can fy
Malena has wings and Malena can fly on the wings of an angel in heaven on high

From the time she could talk her wish was the same a wish that Malena had wings
(A wish that Malena had wings)

Overall Meaning

"Malena" is a poignant ode to a little girl named Malena who has passed away. The song talks about how she would run in the meadow every day and chase butterflies, wishing that she could fly away with them. The song takes us through Malena's life and how she longed to have wings so she could fly. The lyrics convey the sadness of the people who knew her and their efforts to explain to her that little girls can't have wings, only the angels in heaven can. But on her last birthday, the angels granted her wish and gave her wings, allowing her to fly away.

The lyrics of "Malena" speak to the universal desire for freedom and escape. The imagery of the butterfly being chased by Malena is a metaphor for our own individual quests for self-discovery and freedom, and the song's themes resonate with anyone who has ever longed to be free from the constraints of life. The song also speaks to the idea of hope, the belief that even when all seems lost, there is always something bright and beautiful waiting for us.

Line by Line Meaning

(A wish that Malena had wings)
Malena wished she had wings to fly away and play in the meadow, but we tried to explain that only in heaven can little girls have wings. Her wish persisted until her last birthday when she made the same wish as she blew out her candles: a wish that Malena had wings.

Malena for hours would run in the meadow well Malena would go to play every day
Malena loved to play in the meadow and chased butterflies. She would play every day without fail.

She chased butterflies and she'd say with the smile If I had wings I could fly that away
Malena would smile and say that she could catch the butterflies more easily if she had wings to fly.

Maena would cry when we try to explain That little girl's world's supposed to haven wings That only in heaven can little girls fly we'd see a strange look in Malena's eyes
Malena would cry when we tried to explain that only in heaven can little girls have wings. We could see a strange look in her eyes as she continued to wish for wings.

We'll always remember Malena's last birthday Boxes with bright colored ribbon and string And the wish that she made as she blew out the candles A wish that Malena had wings
We will always remember Malena's last birthday when she made the same wish for wings. We gave her gifts with brightly-colored ribbon and string, but we could not satisfy her wish for wings.

And with all the gifts that we bought for Malena The wish that she made we could not satisfy But on the night of her birthday the angels fulfilled it They gave her wings and now Malena can fly
Despite all the gifts we gave Malena on her birthday, we could not fulfill the wish for wings that she made. However, on that same night, the angels granted her wish and gave her wings. Now, Malena can fly on the wings of an angel in heaven on high.

Malena has wings and Malena can fly on the wings of an angel in heaven on high From the time she could talk her wish was the same a wish that Malena had wings
Thanks to the angels, Malena now has wings and can fly on the wings of an angel in heaven. Ever since she could talk, her deepest wish was for wings.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DOLLY PARTON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS