Jolene
A country classic about confronting a beautiful rival.
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Jolene is a song that Dolly Parton wrote and performed. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and cut at RCA Studio B in Nashville on May 22, 1973, hitting shelves on October 15 of that same year.
Legacy
Critics often point to it as a defining track of the country genre. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it at number 217 on its list of the 500 greatest songs ever; a revised version of that list in 2021 bumped it up to number 63. The song earned two Grammy nominations for Best Female Country Vocal Performance—one in 1975 and another in 1976 for a live take.
A wide range of artists have covered it in both English and Spanish, including Olivia Newton-John, the White Stripes, Miley Cyrus, Måneskin, and Leila Forouhar (who did so in 1977). A 2016 version by Pentatonix won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Commercial performance
In 2024, Beyoncé released a cover with major changes to the lyrics and production; it cracked the top ten on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Singles Chart. After Parton’s death, the song re-entered the charts. Along with 26 other Parton tracks, it broke Nicki Minaj’s record for the most simultaneous songs in the top 30 on US iTunes.
Background
The backstory: Onstage in 1988, Parton told the audience that “Jolene” came from a real situation, which is why she didn’t like to sing it too often. She said a red-headed bank clerk used to flirt with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch when they were newlyweds.
In another interview, she revealed that Jolene’s name and look—red hair, green eyes, fair skin—came from a young fan who came onstage for an autograph. That fan may have been Juline Whelan, a Canadian who met Parton at age ten in 1972; her appearance matched the description, and her first name has often been mistaken for Jolene. Parton sang “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene” to remember the name, and that became the chorus.
The guitar work on the recording was handled by Chip Young and Wayne Moss. Young played the main thumb-picked part, while Moss added the complementary steel-string part that kicks in on the second refrain. Young borrowed the fingerpicking pattern from a similar one played by Joe South.
Background
The song tells of the narrator confronting Jolene, a stunningly beautiful woman, who she worries will steal away her lover or husband. Throughout the song, the narrator implores Jolene, 'Please don't take him just because you can.' The lyrics state the narrator's partner is fixated on Jolene and speaks her name in his sleep, but it is unclear if Jolene actually intends to steal the narrator's lover, an ambiguity that has been addressed in several answer songs. Onstage in 1988, Parton told the audience that 'Jolene' was based on a true story, which was why she did not like to sing it too often. A red-headed bank clerk used to flirt with her husband, Carl Dean, at his local bank branch when they were newly married, she has said.
In an interview, she also revealed that Jolene's name and appearance (red hair, green eyes, and fair skin) are based on those of a young fan who came on stage for her autograph. This fan may have been Juline Whelan, a Canadian who met and got an autograph from Parton at age 10 in 1972; her appearance was as described, and her first name has often been confused with Jolene. Parton sang 'Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene' to remember the name, which is how it became the chorus. The guitar parts on the recording were performed by Chip Young and Wayne Moss.
Young played the primary thumb-picked part, with Moss playing the complementary steel-string part that enters on the second refrain. Young got the fingerpicking pattern from a similar pattern played by Joe South. During an interview on The Bobby Bones Show in 2018, Dolly Parton revealed that she wrote 'Jolene' on the same day that she wrote 'I Will Always Love You'. Parton said in a later interview the songs were written 'pretty close at the same time' but not necessarily on the same day.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Jolene (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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