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 Power of Love
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love can make you cry like a little bitty child
Oh the power of love can make you sad and lonely
Or want to kick up your heels and face the world with a smile
Love has the power of a giant with a touch like a feather
Love can make your sky turn blue when it's stormy weather
Love can make you feel so cold or burn a hole right through your soul
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Love can make your whole world shake like a large explosion
Or love can leave you quiet and still if it takes a notion
Love can take you way up high and make you jump thinkin' you can fly
It's a powerful powerful thing the power of love
Oh the power of love...
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
In Dolly Parton's song "The Power of Love," she explores the various emotions and effects that love can have on an individual. The lyrics convey the notion that love has the power to influence and shape one's life in both positive and negative ways.
The first verse suggests that love can give someone the ability to do incredible things, like leaping tall buildings, but it can also make them vulnerable and emotional, even reducing them to tears. Love has the capacity to bring feelings of sadness and loneliness, yet it can also inspire one to face the world with a joyful and optimistic outlook.
The chorus emphasizes the immense power that love possesses. It likens love to a giant with a gentle touch and highlights its ability to change the nature of one's surroundings. Love can bring warmth to a cold heart or pierce through the very essence of one's being. Ultimately, the lyrics suggest that love is the most powerful force in the world.
Overall, "The Power of Love" by Dolly Parton celebrates the transformative and profound impact love can have on individuals, as well as the diverse range of emotions that it can evoke.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the power of love can make you leap tall buildings
Love has the ability to give you extraordinary strength and courage.
Love can make you cry like a little bitty child
Love can evoke strong emotions that can bring tears and vulnerability.
Oh the power of love can make you sad and lonely
Love has the potential to bring feelings of sadness and loneliness.
Or want to kick up your heels and face the world with a smile
Love can fill you with joy and confidence to embrace life with enthusiasm.
Love has the power of a giant with a touch like a feather
Love possesses great strength while remaining gentle and delicate.
Love can make your sky turn blue when it's stormy weather
Love has the ability to bring happiness and brightness even in difficult times.
Love can make you feel so cold or burn a hole right through your soul
Love can either leave you feeling empty and cold or deeply passionate and connected.
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Love is deemed as the most formidable force in the entire world.
Love can make your whole world shake like a large explosion
Love can create intense tremors and upheavals in your entire existence.
Or love can leave you quiet and still if it takes a notion
Love can also bring tranquility and stillness when it chooses to do so.
Love can take you way up high and make you jump thinkin' you can fly
Love can elevate you to great heights, making you believe in your ability to soar.
It's a powerful powerful thing the power of love
Love is undoubtedly an incredibly potent and influential force.
The most powerful thing in the world must be love
Once again, emphasizing that love is the strongest entity in existence.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DON COOK, GARY NICHOLSON
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.