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
Still On Your Mind
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling you know, you know I love you like I love no other
And you told me, remember when you told me, you'd forget her in time
Time passes by but still you can't forget her, it looks like you can't forget her
Oh and that makes me wonder if you'll ever, ever be mine
There's no way, no way I'm gonna get inside of your heart, inside your heart
While there's another, another still on your mind
Not when there's another, another still on your mind
There's just no way, no way I'm gonna get inside of your heart, inside your heart
Not while there's another, another still on your mind, still on your mind
The lyrics to Dolly Parton's song "Still On Your Mind" talk about a love triangle where the singer is vying for the affection of someone who is still pining over another person. The lyrics begin with the singer professing their love for the person and expressing their hope that the person will forget their former lover with time. However, as time passes, it becomes evident that the person is still hung up on their ex. The singer acknowledges that they can't get through to the person's heart as long as the ex is still on their mind.
The lyrics are particularly poignant as they capture the pain of unrequited love and the frustration of being unable to make someone love you back. The repetition of the line "There's no way I'm gonna get inside of your heart" underscore this point and emphasize the idea that love is unpredictable and sometimes unattainable. The song ends with the sobering realization that as long as there is another person still on the singer's mind, there is no hope for a future with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling you know, you know I love you like I love no other
I love you deeply and uniquely
And you told me, remember when you told me, you'd forget her in time
You promised to forget about someone from your past
Time passes by but still you can't forget her, it looks like you can't forget her
Despite time passing, you are still thinking about that person
Oh and that makes me wonder if you'll ever, ever be mine
Your inability to forget that person makes me question our future together
There's no way, no way I'm gonna get inside of your heart, inside your heart
I realize that I cannot make you forget someone else
While there's another, another still on your mind
While you are still preoccupied with someone else
Not when there's another, another still on your mind
I cannot have a place in your heart while you are still thinking about another person
There's just no way, no way I'm gonna get inside of your heart, inside your heart
I understand that I cannot force my way into your heart
Not while there's another, another still on your mind, still on your mind
Especially not while that person from your past is still on your mind
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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.