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
When Love Is New
Dolly Parton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chorus:
Love is pretty when love is new
Like a blushing rose in a dazzling dew,
Intoxicating like cherry sweet wine.
When love is new it's magic.
Mother, oh Mother, why can't you see
He's the only love for me.
Why must thou be opposed to me
I'm asking for thy blessing.
Daughter, oh daughter, I know his kind.
You think he's handsome, you think he's fine.
He'll use your body and tangle your mind;
Too late you'll learn this lesson
Repeat Chorus
When love grows cold, it's tragic
Verse 2:
Mother, oh mother, he's not that way
His touch just takes my breath away.
You surely remember when you felt that way
When you and father first married
Oh, yes, I do remember it well.
What first was heaven soon turned to hell
He left with another the year you were born.
I told you he's dead and buried.
Repeat Chorus
Bridge:
He'll love me true 'cause he told me so.
He'll break you heart when love grows old.
I must go, Mother, I must go.
Then, daughter, why are you asking?
I love him so, I love him so.
Then I pray you're new love's lasting.
Repeat Chorus
Tag:
When love grows cold, it's tragic.
Dolly Parton's "When Love Is New" is a ballad that tells the story of a young woman who wants her mother's blessing on her relationship with a man who she believes is her true love. The chorus emphasizes the fleeting beauty of love at its beginning stages, describing it as "intoxicating" and "magic," but warns that when love grows cold, it is tragic.
In the first verse, the daughter pleads with her mother to accept her lover and give them her blessing, but the mother is reluctant, warning her daughter that the man will only use her and that she will regret it. The daughter insists that her love is true, and that her mother was once young and in love, but the mother counters that her own early love turned out disastrously. The second verse deepens the melancholy tone of the song, revealing that the mother's own father left her mother when she was pregnant, and suggesting that this trauma has conditioned her to be resistant to her daughter's enthusiasm.
The song's emotional depth and sympathy for the daughter's point of view make it an affecting exploration of the mother-daughter bond and the power dynamics between older and younger generations. The dual focus on the beauty and transience of love, and the inevitable disillusionment that is part of love's journey, gives the song a mature and realistic tone.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is pretty when love is new
New love is beautiful and charming
Like a blushing rose in a dazzling dew
New love is fresh, innocent and full of hope
Intoxicating like cherry sweet wine
New love is strong and irresistible
When love is new it's magic
New love brings excitement and wonder
Mother, oh Mother, why can't you see
Daughter is asking her mother for approval of her new love
He's the only love for me
Daughter believes that her new love is the one for her
Why must thou be opposed to me
Daughter wants to know why her mother disagrees
I'm asking for thy blessing
Daughter is requesting her mother's approval
Daughter, oh daughter, I know his kind
Mother warns daughter about men like him
You think he's handsome, you think he's fine
Daughter is attracted to him physically
He'll use your body and tangle your mind
Mother thinks that he will manipulate her and break her heart
Too late you'll learn this lesson
Mother worries that daughter will only realize this after it's too late
When love grows cold, it's tragic
If the love dies, it will be sad and painful
Mother, oh mother, he's not that way
Daughter disagrees with her mother's assessment of her new love
His touch just takes my breath away
Daughter is very attracted to him
You surely remember when you felt that way
Daughter thinks that her mother once felt the same way about her father
When you and father first married
Daughter is referencing her mother's early marriage
Oh, yes, I do remember it well
Mother confirms that she, indeed, felt that way before
What first was heaven soon turned to hell
Mother's love story turned tragic
He left with another the year you were born
Mother is telling her daughter that her father left her when she was young
I told you he's dead and buried
Mother is implying that her father is not someone to idealize or follow in love
He'll love me true 'cause he told me so
Daughter believes that her new love is sincere and genuine
He'll break you heart when love grows old
Mother predicts that her daughter's heart will be broken
I must go, Mother, I must go
Daughter is determined to follow her heart
Then, daughter, why are you asking?
Mother is skeptical about daughter's request for approval
I love him so, I love him so
Daughter is deeply in love
Then I pray you're new love's lasting
Mother hopes that daughter's new love will last and bring happiness
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOLLY PARTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jebbi1956
Dolly and Emmy Rossum did an excellent job on this beautiful song.
MyMoppet52
It is a lovely song and it reminds me of the mountains where my folks grew up and I still visit. I appreciate it that you took the time to leave a comment. If you'd like to hear the cd, you can go to my Channel Page and type in the "Search Channel" hidden black bar, The Songcatcher. All the songs will show up. Also, I have primitive songs from The Songcatcher II which might show up also. I have things labeled. Type old timey, mountain music, Americana, instruments, and artists. Have fun, Moppet
Taylor Alyse
Listening to this in 2016!!! Dolly Parton will forever and always be my idol!!!!
StarrySkys
goose bumps cover my body when listen/sing this song
MyMoppet52
Good! That's what great music does sometimes and I'm glad it does that for you. Thanks so much for listening to it here and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it. (Some songs do the same for me). If you'd like to hear the rest of the album, you can type in The Songcatcher on the "Search Channel" area on my Channel Page. There are lots of goose bump songs on that cd for me! My best to you, Moppet (Barbara)
Akebia Cooley
i love this song it reminds me of home and the olden times
Catherine Flaughers
Love it!
Mary Ann Miller
Keep that love new!! Great song and very good advice.
Wallace Crawford
Beautiful!
MyMoppet52
Love it! I moved to an apt. from a house. One of the things I miss the very most is being able to "crank it up!" (It's not the same with headphones turned up loud.) Enjoy & thanks for getting back to me. Barbara