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
Somebody's Everything
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say I've seen too many movies, watched too much TV,
Read too many fairy tales that I live and make believe.
You say the kind of love I'm dreamin' of does not exist.
And there's no one like I'm searchin' for, well, I believe there is.
And I want someone to come alive when they lay eyes on me,
Reality and fantasy should be one in the same
And I want to be somebody's everything.
I refuse to settle for something less than great.
And if it takes a lifetime, then that's how long I'll wait.
'Cause all I want is everything, is that too much to ask?
Have romance, love and passion; find magic that will last.
And I want someone to think they'll die if they can't be with me.
I want to be their joy, their pride, their dreams,
The very air they breathe.
I want to wake up feelin' loved and go to bed the same.
Yes, I want to be somebody's everything, somebody's everything.
Oh, I want someone to come alive when they lay eyes on me.
Have a lust within their touch, a passion fire beyond belief.
I'd love to wake up feelin' loved and go to bed the same.
Yes, I want to be somebody's everything.
Someone to hold me close and tremble when the lovin's done.
Think it's heaven, call me angel, think I hung the moon and sun.
Get misty eyed just knowin' with a love song people sing.
Yes, I want to be somebody's everything.
And I'm gonna be somebody's everything,
Somebody's everything.
I want to be, I'm gonna be somebody's everything.
I want to be, I want to be somebody's everything,
Somebody's everything, somebody's everything
Somebody's everything, somebody's everything
Yes I want to be, I'm gonna be somebody's everything
I want to be, I'm gonna be, I wanna be somebody's everything
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's "Somebody's Everything" express the desire to find a love that is all-encompassing and fulfilling. The singer refuses to settle for anything less than great and dreams of having a partner who loves them completely. They want a love that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, where romance, love, passion, and magic all coexist. The singer wants to be someone's joy, pride, and dreams - the very air they breathe. The desire to be somebody's everything is a powerful one, and Parton's lyrics convey that longing with great intensity.
The song's message is a sentiment that many people can relate to - the desire to find a love that is complete and all-consuming. The lyrics are framed by the opposition of two opposing viewpoints - one that says such love does not exist and one that believes it does. The singer believes that the latter view is the correct one and is willing to wait a lifetime for it to happen. The lyrics are both hopeful and wistful, expressing a deep longing for the kind of love that many people seek.
Overall, "Somebody's Everything" is a powerful love song that articulates a yearning for a love that is complete and all-consuming. Parton's lyrics capture the intensity of that emotion with great skill and sincerity.
Line by Line Meaning
You say I've seen too many movies, watched too much TV,
You claim that I live in a fictitious world because I have seen too many movies and watched too much TV.
Read too many fairy tales that I live and make believe.
You imply that my dreams and aspirations are nothing but fairy tales since I have read too many of them.
You say the kind of love I'm dreamin' of does not exist.
You deny the possibility of the kind of love that I dream of and desire.
And there's no one like I'm searchin' for, well, I believe there is.
You think that the person I am searching for does not exist, but I believe that they do.
And I want someone to come alive when they lay eyes on me,
I desire that the person I am with would light up with joy and excitement when they just see me.
Have a lust within their touch, a passion fire beyond belief.
I crave for the person I am with to have such strong passion and desire that their touch would be electric.
Reality and fantasy should be one in the same
I believe that the love that I am dreaming of can be a reality and that my dreams and reality should be one and the same.
And I want to be somebody's everything.
I long to be everything to the person I love and for them to be everything to me.
I refuse to settle for something less than great.
I am determined to find the best kind of love and will not settle for anything less.
And if it takes a lifetime, then that's how long I'll wait.
I am willing to wait for as long as it takes to find the love that I am looking for.
'Cause all I want is everything, is that too much to ask?
I simply desire everything that love has to offer, and I don't think it's too much to hope for.
Have romance, love and passion; find magic that will last.
I hope for a love that is romantic, passionate, and magical, and which will last forever.
And I want someone to think they'll die if they can't be with me.
I want to be so important to the person I love that they feel like they cannot live without me.
I want to be their joy, their pride, their dreams, The very air they breathe.
I want to be everything to the person I love, the source of their happiness, pride, and the air they breathe.
I want to wake up feelin' loved and go to bed the same.
I desire to experience love every moment, from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep.
Someone to hold me close and tremble when the lovin's done.
I wish to share such a strong bond with my lover that they would tremble in my arms after making love.
Think it's heaven, call me angel, think I hung the moon and sun.
I want my lover to appreciate me and cherish me so much that they think of me as an angel who can do anything, even control the moon and sun.
Get misty eyed just knowin' with a love song people sing.
I aspire to create so much love with my partner that even listening to a love song would bring tears of joy and warmth to our eyes.
Yes, I want to be somebody's everything.
I want to give my all to the person I love and be everything to them.
Lyrics © OBO 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.