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
My Heart Started Breaking
Dolly Parton Lyrics
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« © '75 Velvet Apple Music »
Love can make you feel just like you own the world
Or it can make you wish you've never seen it
The lips of one you love can give you cause for living
Or tell you things that never really mean it
Once I had a love I thought that it was mine just thought to take it
Judging by my love for him I thought his love for me was just as strong
And all the things he told me I really thought he meant them all alone
He had no plans to carry out all his plans that we'd been making
Cause all at once he left and all at once my heart started breaking breaking
Oh all at once I realized love can be a cruel and hurtin' thing
It can fill your world with sunshine but it can also bring you rain
And I know where the clouds would gather in my sunny sky of love
The rain came down he let me down he left and my heart started breaking
Breaking
The lyrics of Dolly Parton's song "My Heart Started Breaking" are about the sudden, unexpected end of a relationship and the pain that comes with it. The song begins by acknowledging the power that love can hold in a person's life. It can make them feel like they own the world, or it can leave them wishing they had never encountered it at all. The next lines contrast the way that the words and actions of a loved one can have a powerful effect on a person. They can give them cause for living, or they can tell them things that they never really meant.
Dolly then goes on to describe her own experience with love. She thought she had found love that would never end, but suddenly, and without warning, the person she loved left her. Her heart was broken, and she could feel it happening all at once. She had believed that the love they shared was equally strong, but it turned out that he had no intention of following through on their plans. The pain and confusion caused by this sudden breakup caused Dolly's heart to start breaking.
The song is a poignant and emotional exploration of the disappointment, hurt, and heartbreak that often come with love. It captures the intense vulnerability that comes with giving someone your heart and the painful sacrifice of that heart when the love ends. Through Dolly's words and voice, listeners can feel the raw emotions that come with love that has gone wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
Love can make you feel just like you own the world
When in love, you may experience a sense of empowerment and feel like nothing is impossible
Or it can make you wish you've never seen it
However, love has the ability to also make you regret ever experiencing it
The lips of one you love can give you cause for living
The affection and attention from someone you love can serve as motivation and purpose in life
Or tell you things that never really mean it
On the other hand, those same lips can also say things that lack sincerity and honesty
Once I had a love I thought that it was mine just thought to take it
The artist had confidence in their relationship and believed it to be secure and lasting
And all at once he left and all at once my heart started breaking breaking
However, in a sudden moment, the singer's significant other ended the relationship and the singer's heart was shattered
Judging by my love for him I thought his love for me was just as strong
The singer believed that their love for their partner was mutual and equally strong
And all the things he told me I really thought he meant them all alone
The artist took their partner's words at face value and believed every promise and declaration to be truthful
He had no plans to carry out all his plans that we'd been making
Despite promising a future together, the partner had no intention of following through with their plans
Cause all at once he left and all at once my heart started breaking breaking
The sudden and unexpected end to the relationship caused the artist's heart to break beyond repair
Oh all at once I realized love can be a cruel and hurtin' thing
The singer had a newfound understanding of the harsh reality of love and how it can cause immense pain
It can fill your world with sunshine but it can also bring you rain
While love can bring joy and happiness, it can also lead to sadness and heartache
And I know where the clouds would gather in my sunny sky of love
The singer knew where the problems and issues in their relationship existed, but chose to ignore them and remained optimistic
The rain came down he let me down he left and my heart started breaking
Ultimately, the issues in the relationship came to light and the partner's actions caused the singer's heart to break
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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.