The Story Behind Dolly Parton’s Jolene
Dolly Parton is the queen of country. Since her beginnings in 1967 on The Porter Wagoner Show, she has become a legendary songwriter, singer and personality of the country music genre. Her influence on popular culture has no sign of dissipating, with Netflix originals like Dumplin illustrating her lasting affect on music and female creative identity, and the series Heartstrings, that showcases the stories behind her legendary songs. One song that skyrocketed Dolly Parton to the top of the charts in 1973 is Jolene. From the melodic twang of the chord progression to her deep vocal riffs, the song has stuck with listeners through the decades, earning the 217th spot on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
So what is the story behind Jolene? In an interview with NPR in 2008, Parton discussed the meaning, a far more adorable explanation than most people have assumed. Back in the 1960s, Dolly Parton would sign autographs after each show. "One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl — she was probably eight years old at the time," Dolly said. "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. Jolene. Jolene.' I said, 'That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'"
Intent on writing a song featuring the name Jolene, she drew thematic inspiration elsewhere. In 1966, Dolly Parton married Carl Dean. Shortly after her wedding, an attractive “auburn haired” bank teller began flirting with her husband on his regular bank visits. In the interview with NPR, she said, "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…I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.’"
Memorable cover versions of the song include her goddaughter Miley Cyrus’ and The White Stripes, but Dolly has said her favourite version of the song is Mindy Smith’s, which essentially kicked off the country singers’ career.
The lasting effect of Jolene can be seen even now during the COVID-19 pandemic, when New Zealand instructed the country to wash their hands, “as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice or the chorus of Dolly Parton's hit song Jolene."
The song only has 200 words, but the message is universal. We all feel less alone in our insecurities with the knowledge that someone as fearless as Dolly Parton compares herself to others too. We’ve heard country songs about women being angry at men for cheating, women being angry at women for stealing, but never has there been such a poignant song simply pleading with another woman to show restraint at her obvious power, one that the singer feels saddened and upstaged by.
