Dolly Parton Talks “Jolene”
In 2024, Rolling Stone Magazine compiled a list called 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. Number three on the tabulation is “Crazy” from Patsy Cline. The second spot features Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line.” Coming in at number one, “Jolene” by Dolly Parton.
Released in October of 1973, “Jolene” was a tremendous success with fans and critics alike. The song became Dolly’s second #1 single, scored two Grammy nods, and went triple platinum in both the US and the UK. It also heavily influenced the singer’s trajectory, redirecting Parton’s path from budding country star to international pop icon.
In the five decades since its debut, “Jolene” continuously resonates with the next generation. It has been covered by over 30 artists in at least six languages. In addition, the song regularly appears in films, on television, and is an advertising favorite. In early April of 2025, a partnership was announced between Parton and Khloé Kardashian. The product is a denim line, appropriately named Joleans.
However, Dolly’s most important partnership was forged the day she arrived in Nashville. That was the day she met Carl Dean. The pair were married two years later, in 1966. The union remained intact until Carl’s passing in March 2025. Parton, now 79, says simply, “Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years.” But besides the love he gave Dolly, perhaps Dean’s biggest legacy is as the indirect inspiration of “Jolene.”
It all started with Carl’s financial routine. According to Dolly, “There was a girl who worked at the bank when my husband and I first got married. She got a big crush on him, and I think he kindly had a crush on her. I know he was spending more time at the bank than we had money, so I called him on it. And so, I just kind of took a little bit of that ‘other woman’ kind of thing.”
52 years after its release, “Jolene” is a staple not only of popular music, but popular culture. It is one of the signature songs from one of the greatest songwriters of all time. It is also a sincere plea for mercy. The sentiment comes from a real place and hits home in a real way. Because behind the enticing melody, it represents the insecurities that exist inside all of us. Only one woman was astute enough to express these universal angsts in such an alluring way. Over the years, she has not been shy regarding her classic tune. This is Dolly Parton talking “Jolene.”
“I think everybody has that fear”
Every woman can relate to [Jolene] and every man, really. Women love it because we all know that there is somebody out there that could turn the head of the person that you love. I think everybody has that fear and it happens all the time. But every now and then, I look at him sleeping in that La-Z-Boy chair and think, ‘where’s Jolene when I need her?’ You can have him now.
Beyoncé
In 2024, Beyoncé included a reimagining of “Jolene” (with new lyrics) on her debut country effort, Cowboy Carter. “I think it was very bold of her. When they said she was gonna do ‘Jolene,’ I expected it to be my regular one, but it wasn’t. But I love what she did to it”, says Dolly. Parton is not at all perturbed by other artists covering her songs. She states, “As a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them. She wasn’t gonna go beg some other woman like I did. ‘Don’t steal my man.’ Instead, [Beyoncé says] ‘Shit, get out here, bitch. You ain’t stealin’ mine.’
“I had never heard that name before”
I did get that name from a little girl that I was signing autographs for. I had never heard that name before. I remember signing the name ‘Jolene’ and I was like ‘That’s a beautiful name. I’m gonna write a song about that.’ I said, ‘If you ever hear a song about that, you’ll know I wrote it about you.’
“That’s the chorus, right there”
I just kept thinking ‘Jolene, Jolene’. I didn’t want to forget it before I got back to the bus…All of a sudden it just became ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jo-lene.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s the chorus right there.’ So, I just kind of made it into a song and made up those verses.
“That ‘Jolene’ lick”
It’s a great chord progression — people love that ‘Jolene’ lick. It’s as much a part of the song almost as the song…I love little minor chords, and I just started picking and hitting that little lick and it started sounding better and better. And I thought this is really a clever little thing. I mean, I’m enjoying playing it and I’m enjoying how this is sounding.
“She’s not so hot now”
Just so you know, I did see Jolene not long ago, she’s not so hot now. She used to have that beautiful red hair, now she’s gray. She used to have a little tight butt, now it’s a tight spot getting her butt through the door. And she used to wear a D-cup, now she’s wearing Depends.
Dolly Parton continues to tour and thrill throngs of people each year. No performance would be complete without the song that Dolly refers to as “the pitiful story of Jolene.”
