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
What Now My Love
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hurt me, you use me, you lie
You're heartless and hateful and cold
You don't care how you make me cry
You must have the last word
And be in control
What is it about you I love
You're selfish and stubborn and proud
You're arrogant, boastful and vain
You're careless and thoughtless and loud
A flirt and a tease
And you cause me such pain
What is it about you I love
What is it, what is it my love
There's something about you
That I seem to need
I have a hunger you know how to feed
And you satisfy me like nobody else
Those moments of heaven
Are worth all this hell
And I know you love me in your own crazy way
And I know you need me more than you can say
I may be a fool but I'll never give up
'Cause there's something about you I love
What is it, what is it my love
And there's something about me
That you seem to need
'Cause you have a hunger I know how to feed
And I satisfy you like nobody else
Those moments of heaven
Are worth all this hell
And I know in my heart that you want to be good
I understand that you're misunderstood
You're insecure and defensively tough
There's something about you my love
What is it, what is it my love
There's something about you
That I seem to need
What is it, what is it my love
In Dolly Parton's song "What Is It My Love," the singer describes a complicated love for someone who mistreats her. She lists various negative traits about this person such as being heartless, careless, and selfish. Despite these flaws, she acknowledges that there is something about this person that she loves, something that she needs that no one else can fulfill. The singer also acknowledges that the person loves her in their own way and needs her as much as she needs them.
The song speaks to the complexity of romantic relationships and highlights the fact that sometimes we love people despite their flaws. It also showcases the idea that love can sometimes be painful, but the moments of love and happiness make it all worth it. In some ways, the song can be seen as a commentary on the idea that no one is perfect, and sometimes we have to make compromises in love.
Line by Line Meaning
You hurt me, you use me, you lie
You cause me harm, take advantage of me, and deceive me.
You're heartless and hateful and cold
You lack compassion, display dislike, and are emotionally distant.
You don't care how you make me cry
You have no concern for my tears or pain caused by you.
You must have the last word
You always insist on having the final say in any matter.
And be in control
You feel a need to have power and authority over me.
What is it about you I love
Despite your negative traits, I still feel an attachment to you.
You're selfish and stubborn and proud
You prioritize your own needs, resist change, and have a high opinion of yourself.
You're arrogant, boastful and vain
You display a sense of superiority, speak excessively of yourself, and seek admiration from others.
You're careless and thoughtless and loud
You act without consideration, do not use much judgement, and make disruptive noise.
A flirt and a tease
You engage in playful, seductive behavior without any concrete intention.
And you cause me such pain
Your actions and behavior hurt me deeply and cause emotional distress.
There's something about you
Despite your negative qualities, there is still something that draws me towards you emotionally.
That I seem to need
I have an inner desire for and dependency on that certain something in you.
I have a hunger you know how to feed
You possess the ability to satisfy my emotional needs and desires.
And you satisfy me like nobody else
You are the only one who can make me feel this way.
Those moments of heaven
The times when we share a positive emotional connection.
Are worth all this hell
The positive moments of our relationship make it worth enduring the negative aspects.
And I know you love me in your own crazy way
You love me, but your way of expressing it is unique and unconventional.
And I know you need me more than you can say
You have a strong dependency on me, even if you cannot articulate it.
I may be a fool but I'll never give up
Despite potentially being seen as foolish for staying with you, I will not give up on us.
'Cause there's something about you I love
The strong emotional attachment I have to you outweighs the negative aspects of our relationship.
And there's something about me
Likewise, there is a certain quality within me that you are drawn to emotionally.
That you seem to need
You also have a dependency on that quality within me.
'Cause you have a hunger I know how to feed
I possess the ability to satisfy the emotional needs and desires that you have.
And I satisfy you like nobody else
I am the only one who can make you feel this way.
And I know in my heart that you want to be good
Despite your negative behavior, I understand that you have a desire to be a better person deep down.
I understand that you're misunderstood
I recognize that the negative perception of you is not entirely accurate and that there is more to you than meets the eye.
You're insecure and defensively tough
You lack confidence in yourself and overcompensate with defensive behavior.
There's something about you my love
Despite your negative traits, there is a certain quality to you that makes me love you.
What is it, what is it my love
I am unsure of exactly what it is about you that I am drawn to, yet I still feel an undeniable emotional connection to you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
yu3p2x1
I agree, this is a beautiful song, for its words, melody and singing. Well done Dolly Parton and thank you for letting us hear it.
Cats&Company
This is my life with my husband! Well worded beautiful song!
Allan G.
sorry dear
Elma Ware
Such a beautiful song about love..thanks Dolly for sharing this song.💕💋
Allan G.
this song and the melody triggers shivers down my spine!
top class
nambula isaac
This is an awesome song of all times
Chris
God Bless you Dolly for this song,,,
Frank Machotka
What is it my love I can't get enough of Dolly Parton I love you so much baby. Wow I wow I'm real love this this video that's beautiful welcome to the show. Dolly Parton she's the best singer in the world 🌏
Tia Beazley
This is an amazin song I LOVE YOUU DOLLY GARJOUSS PARTON
Armstrong Tshuma
timeless