In 1977, Dolly Parton released “Here You Come Again“. The title track of her album, which was also released in 1977, was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.
One of Parton’s biggest hits, “Here You Come Again” stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks. The song begins with, “Here you come again / Just when I’ve begun to get myself together / You waltz right in the door / Just like you’ve done before / And wrap my heart ’round your little finger.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Ironically, those lyrics, which helped make the song so successful, actually came from a mistake, after Weil accidentally erased part of the original lyric.
“I didn’t know what to do, so I made one up,” Weil recounts to Songfacts. “I made up the melody and the lyric. When [Mann] came back, I sang it to him. He said, ‘That’s not my opening line, but I like yours better.’ We kept it.”
Before the song was pitched to Parton, it was given to Brenda Lee, who ultimately passed on the feel-good tune. It became Parton’s first major pop hit as well.
Why Dolly Parton Was Worried About Recording “Here You Come Again”
Now, “Here You Come Again” remains one of Parton’s most revered songs. But at the time, the country star admits she was initially worried about releasing “Here You Come Again”.
“She said a monkey could sing this song and have a hit with it,” Parton’s manager, Sandy Gallin, tells Andy Cohen. “She was very nervous that it would turn off the country market, which she was very loyal to. There was no way she wanted to ever let anything insinuate that she may be turning her back on the country audience.”
Gallin was so convinced “Here You Come Again” was a big hit, he made a deal with Parton.
“If the song is not No. 1 country and No. 1 pop, I never get into your music again,” Gallin recounts telling Parton. “I said, ‘I’ll bet it’s No. 1.’ She said, ‘You’re sure of this?’ I said, ‘I’m positive.’”
“Here You Come Again” did not hit No. 1 on the pop charts. Still, it did land in the Top 5. Her first pop hit came in 1980 with her “9 to 5” single.
“Here You Come Again” is about not being able to walk away from someone, even though the relationship isn’t healthy. The song says, “Here you come again / Just when I’ve begun to get myself together / You waltz right in the door / Just like you’ve done before / And wrap my heart ’round your little finger.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
More Behind The Song
-
KENT, WA – DECEMBER 06: Country music singer and songwriter Luke Combs performs on stage during The Hometown Holiday show hosted by 100.7 The Wolf at ShoWare Center on December 6, 2018 in Kent, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images) -
Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff performs on stage at Porte de Pantin, in Paris. (Photo by John van Hasselt/Sygma via Getty Images) -
Left to right: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page, of British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, performing at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May. Total ticket sales were 85,000. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images) -
Portrait of country singer Eddie Rabbitt in Memphis, Tennessee, May 31, 1981. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – FEBRUARY 22: 31st Annual Grammy Awards. Broadcast February 22, 1989. Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. Pictured accepting award is Bobby McFerrin. His song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. Also Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images) -
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: Singers Mike McGuire (L) and Marty Raybon of Shenandoah attend the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rick Diamond/ACM2016/Getty Images for dcp) -
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images -
The three founding members of Talking Heads on a Manhattan rooftop, US, 1976. (Jerry Harrison would join the group at the beginning of 1977.) (L-R) Bassist Tina Weymouth, singer-guitarist David Byrne and drummer Chris Frantz. (Photo by Linda D. Robbins/Getty Images)