Oh, Dolly, my Dolly! Does Dolly Parton really need a fancy introduction? She's only one of the most famous, wholesome country stars to ever live! But, while the megastar's career is well-trodden ground on the surface, Dolly's got some depth to her! This leads us to "Jolene," a Parton song known the world over. "Is there a Dolly Parton 'Jolene' story?" As with many pieces of art, there's always a deeper story involved! ...Or "mostly," I'll say.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Now, before we get to the "Jolene" lyrics and the meaning behind them, let's start with the basics and ease our way forward. Parton wrote and recorded the song in 1973 (and if you're a release date nerd, it specifically dropped on October 15, 1973). "Jolene" ended up being the main track on Parton's 13th album. Would anyone like to raise their hand and guess what the name of that album was? Why, yes! Jolene!
Jolene's most popular song, hilariously enough, wasn't even its namesake. Instead, a little-known song titled "I Will Always Love You" would eat up most of the album's goodwill, casually topping charts left and right. (Also, yeah, the "Whitney Houston song"! She was directly inspired by Parton!) Okay, let's leave all the dry history behind us. On to the main event!
Why Did Dolly Parton Write 'Jolene'?
Your beauty is beyond compare / With flaming locks of auburn hair / With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green.
If I'm honest, the answer is a little less "artistic" than I hyped it up to be. In a 2008 interview with NPR, Parton laid the song's story bare for all her fans to see. "One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl — she was probably 8 years old at the time," Parton recalled.
"And she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. I said, 'Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?'"
"And she said, 'Jolene.' And I said, 'Jolene. ... Jolene.' I said, 'That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'" That's it. That's the only reason she wrote the song; a young fan spurred the idea. So, we can go home! Easy article! ...Come on. Y'all know it's never that simple.
Who Is The Jolene Dolly Parton Sings About?
Your smile is like a breath of spring / Your voice is soft like summer rain / And I cannot compete with you, Jolene.
That same NPR interview pivoted slightly to the real meat you wanted to sink your teeth into! Parton, at the time, was married to Carl Thomas Dean. At a bank Dean frequented, there was a redheaded lady who seemed to have the hots for him. Thus, art was born!
"She got this terrible crush on my husband. And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, '[Heck], you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one." So, you know, a nice, inoffensive tale. But what if I told you there was an interesting wrinkle added to the whole thing?
In 2014, during a concert in Glastonbury, Parton stopped her show to explain the origins of "Jolene." This time, the story's tone was less than its amiable aura in 2008. "Now, some of you may or may not know that that song was loosely based on a little bit of truth," Parton told the audience. "I wrote that years ago when my husband... was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should be."
Maybe it was show(wo)manship, or perhaps it was a more raw, emotional truth than she felt comfortable talking about a few years prior. "I put a stop to that. [Parton] got rid of that redhead woman in a hurry. ... Had it not been for that woman I would never have written 'Jolene' and I wouldn't have made all that money, so thank you, Jolene."
Tell Us About The Emotional Stakes Behind 'Jolene'
He talks about you in his sleep / And there's nothin' I can do to keep / From cryin' when he calls your name, Jolene.
The best part of having a captive reading audience? I can attribute traits to y'all that you didn't even contribute! Let's get artsy! It's not like the song is too complex on its face. It's about a woman not wanting her man to be seduced and enticed by "Jolene." Although, there's a somber undertone to Parton's version of the song (I'll come back to that, I promise).
Explicitly, Parton is begging this woman not to take her man. Jolene is given all the power. Jolene gives, and Jolene takes. In the song, Parton is powerless. She's not threatening Jolene; she even says Jolene surpasses her in every conceivable manner. It's as if this rival is given the status of "goddess" against a mere flawed human. Additionally, the husband wants Jolene. Dreams about her. However, Parton persists. "Please don't take him from me. Please."
And I can easily understand / How you could easily take my man / But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene.
Dolly Parton And 'Jolene' Through The Eyes Of Others
"Jolene" has been covered by a few other musicians. Many of them, actually. Olivia Newton-John. The White Stripes. Pentatonix. ...That's everybody, right? Let me check my notes... ah, wait! I almost forgot! Beyoncé. If you thought I was going to leave that ground untouched, then you've learned nothing from my output at this publication!
Truthfully, Beyoncé's cover of the song itself and the subsequent conversations surrounding it could be an article as lengthy as this. However, we're going to filter through all the noise and focus on the tweaks Beyoncé made to the song! I won't post all the lyrics, of course, but the opening should be enough to explain why this is a whole new ballgame in terms of the story being told.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / I'm warnin' you, don't come for my man (Jolene).
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / Don't take the chance because you think you can.
Where Parton's original conveys desperation and powerlessness to stop Jolene, Beyoncé's rendition of the song is a full threat. Here, there will be consequences for Jolene if she dares. In an interview with E! News, Parton embraced the lyrical changes! "I love what she did to it. ... She wasn't gonna go beg some other woman like I did. 'Don't steal my man.' [Instead, Beyoncé says] 'S--t, get out here, b--ch. You ain't stealin' mine."
In Conclusion
Basically, its legacy is set in stone. "Jolene" was nominated at the Grammys twice for Best Female Country Vocal Performance but came up short both times. The cruelest part about that? In 2017, Pentatonix's cover of the song won a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. You might ask yourself why fate was so cruel to Parton. But, then again, I think Parton will be just fine. As an 11-time Grammy winner -- and considering the rest of her career -- I have a feeling she doesn't exactly lose any sleep at night.
