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
The Great Pretender
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender
Pretending that I'm doing well
My need is such I pretend too much
I'm lonely but no one can tell
Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender
I've played the game but to my real shame
You've left me to dream all alone
Too real is this feeling of make-believe
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal
Oh yes I'm the great pretender
Just laughin' and gay like a clown
I seem to be what I'm not, you see
I'm wearin' my heart like a crown
Pretending that you're still around
Too real is the feeling of make-believe
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal
Oh yes I'm the great pretender
Just laughin' and gay like a clown
I seem to be what I'm not, you see
I'm wearin' this old heart like a crown
Pretending that you're still around
But I know what I am
I am the great pretender
In Dolly Parton's rendition of "The Great Pretender," she sings of a person who is struggling with loneliness and emotional pain. The song's narrator is pretending that everything in their life is fine, putting on a facade for the outside world to see. They are pretending so much that no one seems to notice the pain that they are truly going through. The first verse is sung with a sense of desperation, as the singer acknowledges that they are not well, though they pretend otherwise. In the second verse, the singer admits that they are lost in their own world, having played the game of pretending for so long that they are now dreaming all alone.
The chorus speaks of the deep sense of conflict within the singer's heart. They know that their make-believe world is not real, but they cannot help feeling the pain that comes along with pretending. Yet, they continue to laugh and act as if nothing is wrong, trying to be something that they are not. In the end, the singer admits that they are the great pretender, understanding that they are hiding behind a mask in order to cope with their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender
I am a great pretender
Pretending that I'm doing well
I pretend to be happy and content
My need is such I pretend too much
I pretend excessively because I am needy inside
I'm lonely but no one can tell
Although I'm lonely, I don't show it to anyone
Adrift in a world of my own
I feel lost in my own world
I've played the game but to my real shame
I played the game of pretending, but I'm ashamed of it
You've left me to dream all alone
You left me alone, only able to dream of you
Too real is this feeling of make-believe
The feeling of pretending is too intense
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal
It feels too real when my true feelings are hidden deep within
Just laughin' and gay like a clown
I put on a happy, carefree persona like a clown
I seem to be what I'm not, you see
I appear as someone I am not
I'm wearin' my heart like a crown
My heart is exposed, yet I continue to pretend
Pretending that you're still around
I'm pretending like you are still present in my life
But I know what I am
I am self-aware
I am the great pretender
I am a skilled, seasoned pretender
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Buck Ram
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Noel Aves
Absolute Perfection !!! Would love to have had her do a Duet with Freddie
DocinhoDeAmor
Me too!!
Natrum Dear
Omg that would be so awesome!! They are both beautiful singers and both know how to convey emotion so beautifully!
Natrum Dear
Omg that would be so awesome!! They are both beautiful singers and both know how to convey emotion so beautifully!
Luis Ovando
es un clasico que se puede escuchar por generaciones.
Huntinbear
Her voice just blows me away on this song, and certainly blows away any other version of this song. So Powerful. What a classy, talented lady.. Love You Dolly.
Nicanor Morales Cortés
"nunca más pierda un buen momento de su vida, por un dolor de cabeza" Zo1ben.
pleyades taygeta
😆😆😂😂😂😂
Graciela Rojas
Jajajajaja
Gonzalo Monsalve
carnet a la csm.