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
Sweet Lovin' Friends
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what we've always been
Just breezin' along like the wind
Just sweet lovin' friends
Well you're my kind of woman
You just naturally flow
And you're my kind of man
Just takin' it easy and takin' it slow
But takin' it just as far as it wants to go
Well you're all I can handle
And that's sayin' a lot
Well you've got the handle
That sure hit's the spot
You've got just what it takes
To take what I've got
And we're just sweet lovin' friends
Just sweet lovin' friends
That's what we've always been
Just breezin' along like the wind
Just sweet lovin' friends
Well I like the way we never have to pretend
We're better than lovers
We're sweet lovin' friends
Well I like to snuggle
Up against your warm skin
And kiss you all over and over again
But I'm not the kind of girl
That married dear dad
Well the good girls are never good
The best things are bad
And you're still the very best
Thig I ever had
We're just sweet lovin' friends
Yeah, with no obligations
And no strings attached no expectations and
No questions asked just ridin' the feeling
For as long as it lasts
Just sweet lovin' friends
We're just sweet lovin' friends
That's what we've always been
Just breezin' along like the wind
Just sweet lovin' friends
Just sweet lovin' friends
Just sweet lovin' friends
Hey woman! Yeah?
You sure you wanna be my "friend"?
Oh, as long as it can grow
Well how much growing did you have in mind?
Hm hm, I think I better just avoid that
But you sure do look like
The healthy outdoor type!
Well, that's real interesting
Because you surely look like
The healthy indoor type
Well I was kinda wondering if you'd
Like to snuggle? You know? Sounds real good
It does sound good, don't it? Sounds great!
The song “Sweet Summer Lovin’" by Dolly Parton is an ode to the joys of summer romance. The lyrics describe the simplicity and beauty of being with a lover during the hot and carefree days of summer. The first verse talks about waking up to the sweet love of her partner, who is like the sunshine of the day. She enjoys being with them in the country, running free and feeling alive. Their love binds together with the earth, like the sweet scent of dandelions.
The second verse paints a picture of a beautiful summer evening, watching the sunset like a painting on the horizon as the sky turns crimson blue. The couple enjoys the warm summer wind, as they sit together looking at the moon. The window is open and the warm summer air flows in and around them. They are letting their love flow freely, enjoying their sweet summer lovin’ in the moment.
Overall, the song is really about the beauty of summer love and how it lifts our spirits with happiness and freedom. It’s about living in the moment and making the most out of happiness and simple things of the season.
Line by Line Meaning
Though the sun may be dawning
Even though a new day may be beginning
You're the one that lights the morning
You are the person who makes my day brighter
As I awake to the heaven
As I wake up and feel blessed
Of your sweet summer lovin'
Because of the love we share during the summer
By a stream in the country
We are together in a peaceful natural setting
Running barefoot and feeling free
We are relaxed and unencumbered
While the love in our hearts blend
As our love becomes stronger
Into sweet summer lovin'
During this beautiful summer we're having
Sweet summer lovin' in the dandelions
Our love in the flowers makes this summer even sweeter
Sweet summer lovin' keeps me high as candy wine
Our love makes me feel like I'm on a natural high
When that big red balloon sets
At sunset, when the red sun looks like a big balloon
Like a painting across the West
The beauty of the sunset is like a work of art
As the sky turns a crimson blue
As the sky changes color to deep blue
As the world turns for me and you
The world is still turning as our love continues
By the light of the moon glowing
During the night, as the moon shines brightly
While the warm summer wind blows
As the wind gently blows and it's still warm outside
Cross the sill of your window
Through your open window
We'll be letting our love flow
We will continue to express our love
Sweet summer lovin' in the dandelions
Our love is still blooming among the flowers
Sweet summer lovin' keeps me high as candy wine
Our love still makes me feel like I'm on a natural high
Sweet summer lovin'
Our love during the summer
I love your sweet summer lovin'
I love the love we share during this summer
Sweet summer lovin'
Our love during this beautiful season
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.