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
Sugar Hill
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up on Sugar Hill we'd go walkin'
Hand in hand while the south wind blowed
Bob whites callin', black crows cawkin',
Countin' the warts on a toad in the road
Down in the mill pond swimmin' naked
Showin' more than we should have showed
Learnin' more than we should have knowed
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories
Stealing sugar on the mountainside
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar
Sweeter than candy and cake and pie
A yellow dress drapin' off of my shoulder
Seein' myself in the lookin' glass
Older now and a little bit bolder
Thinkin' about our summers past
Up on Sugar Hill we'd go walkin'
Hand in hand up the mountainside
Teenage lovers plannin' and talkin'
Dreamin' of a future for you and I
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories
Stealin' sugar on the mountain top
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar
Sweeter than ice cream and soda pop
Years have past, we're married with children
Our days are happy and our memories fond
We still find it quite appealin'
To go to Sugar Hill and swim naked in the pond
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories
Stealin' sugar on the mountaintop
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar
Sweeter than ice cream and soda pop
Up on Sugar Hill there's a wealth of treasure
Down it's memory lane I go walking still
What it means to me is more than I can measure
Golden moments up on Sugar Hill
Up on Sugar Hill with the fireflies glowin'
Sound of katydids and the whipperwill
Honeysuckle bloomin' and a mountain stream flowin'
A little spot of heaven up on Sugar Hill
Up On Sugar Hill with the bobwhite's callin'
Black crows cawkin', and the soft wind blows
Up on Sugar Hill there are love birds talkin'
Up on Sugar Hill where the good times roll
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories
Stealin' sugar on the mountainside
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar
Sweeter than candy and cakes and pies
A little spot of heaven up on Sugar Hill
In Dolly Parton's song Sugar Hill, the singer reminisces about her childhood memories of growing up in a rural Southern town. She sings about walking up to Sugar Hill hand in hand with her lover, while the south wind blew and the birds called out. They used to go for a swim in the mill pond and explore nature, learning more than they should have known. The singer recalls how they used to sneakily steal sugar on the mountainside, and how sweet those memories were, sweeter than candy, cakes, and pies.
As the song continues, the singer talks about growing older and bolder, still thinking about her memories of summer past. She remembers how they used to plan their future together while holding hands on the mountainside. The song ends with the singer being married with children, but still, finding it appealing to go back up to Sugar Hill and relive those memories with her husband, by taking a dip into the mill pond.
The song is a beautiful reflection on nostalgia and the memories that define our lives. It speaks of a simpler time, of being young and free and reveling in nature. It's a testament to the power of memory, how those moments can stay with us forever and shape our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Up on Sugar Hill we'd go walkin'
We used to take walks on Sugar Hill.
Hand in hand while the south wind blowed
We would hold hands while the wind blew from the south.
Bob whites callin', black crows cawkin',
We heard birds like bob whites and crows making noise.
Countin' the warts on a toad in the road
We would count the warts on toads in the road.
Down in the mill pond swimmin' naked
We went skinny-dipping in the mill pond.
Showin' more than we should have showed
We showed more of ourselves than we probably should have.
We were just kids explorin' nature
We were just kids, exploring the natural world around us.
Learnin' more than we should have knowed
We learned more than we probably should have at our age.
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill memories
We have memories of Sugar Hill that we cherish.
Stealing sugar on the mountainside
We used to steal sugar while on the top of the mountain.
Sug, Sug, Sug, Sugar Hill sugar
The sugar on Sugar Hill was especially sweet to us.
Sweeter than candy and cake and pie
The sugar was even sweeter than candy, cake, and pie.
A yellow dress drapin' off of my shoulder
I remember wearing a yellow dress with one shoulder bare.
Seein' myself in the lookin' glass
I remember looking at myself in the mirror.
Older now and a little bit bolder
I am older now and a bit more courageous.
Thinkin' about our summers past
I am thinking about the summers we spent on Sugar Hill.
Teenage lovers plannin' and talkin'
We were young and in love, making plans for the future.
Dreamin' of a future for you and I
We were dreaming of a future together.
Years have past, we're married with children
Years have gone by and we are now married with children.
Our days are happy and our memories fond
Our lives are happy and we have fond memories.
We still find it quite appealin'
We still find it appealing.
To go to Sugar Hill and swim naked in the pond
We still enjoy going to Sugar Hill to skinny-dip in the pond.
Up on Sugar Hill there's a wealth of treasure
Sugar Hill is full of treasures and memories.
Down it's memory lane I go walking still
I still walk down memory lane and think about Sugar Hill.
What it means to me is more than I can measure
Sugar Hill means more to me than words can express.
Golden moments up on Sugar Hill
We have many precious memories from our time on Sugar Hill.
Up on Sugar Hill with the fireflies glowin'
We remember the fireflies lighting up the hill at night.
Sound of katydids and the whipperwill
We remember the sounds of the katydids and whipperwill.
Honeysuckle bloomin' and a mountain stream flowin'
We remember the smell of the honeysuckle and the sound of the mountain stream.
A little spot of heaven up on Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill was a little piece of paradise to us.
Up On Sugar Hill with the bobwhite's callin'
We remember the call of the bobwhite bird on Sugar Hill.
Black crows cawkin', and the soft wind blows
We remember hearing the crows and feeling the soft wind.
Up on Sugar Hill there are love birds talkin'
We remember hearing the sounds of love birds on Sugar Hill.
Up on Sugar Hill where the good times roll
Sugar Hill was where we had many good times together.
Sweeter than ice cream and soda pop
The memories we have of Sugar Hill are even sweeter than ice cream and soda.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ruthdp4305
I watched basically all of heartstrings today they're so good but I mean obviously they would be😂❤
@christianferguson6447
Halos and Horns is criminally underrated, and this is one of its crowning jewels
@217kaydee
This album got me through a very difficult time. I love it so much
@juliasieron5500
I love the part when she starts singing "A yellow dress...". That's just soooo good 😍😍😍😍👗🎶
@217kaydee
That's where I usually start singing along.
@melissawilson6322
and dolly parton heart strings
@nicolaamor6620
Dolly's voice is a fine wine... gets better with age (her youth was beautiful).
@courtneynorris271
DOLLY PARTON IS THE BEST
@melissawilson6322
so excited for 9 to 5 the musical
@agustinaaguirre2118
Me cantó ese episodio. Que linda historia de amor. Necesito un Logan en mi vida