Fifty-two years ago today, Dolly Parton released “Jolene” … a song that would become one of the most recognizable (and re-imagined) country songs of all time.
The story goes that Dolly wrote “Jolene” in one sitting, inspired by a real-life red-headed bank teller who flirted a little too much with her husband, Carl Dean. And that name? “Jolene” came from a young fan Dolly met at a show who had such a pretty name, she promised to write a song about her. Put those two moments together, and country music history was made. *(Sidenote: She wrote it on the same day she wrote “I Will Always Love You.”)
Released in October 1973, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard country chart the following year and it hasn’t gone out of style since. Over the decades, everyone from The White Stripes to Miley Cyrus to Lil Nas X has covered it, proving that “Jolene” transcends genre, generation, and even gender.
At its heart, “Jolene” is a plea that is raw, desperate, and disarmingly honest. Dolly didn’t paint the other woman as a villain; she painted her as heartbreakingly human. And maybe that’s why it still hits so hard.
In true Dolly fashion, she once joked that she still sang “Jolene” to keep her late husband Carl Dean on his toes. “I’m not taking any chances,” she laughed.
Half a century later, the song remains one of the cornerstones of her career with a mix of storytelling, vulnerability, and sass that perfectly sums up why we’ll always love her.
💋 Happy 52nd anniversary to “Jolene.” Still making us feel a little jealous, a little heartbroken, and a lot in awe of Dolly.
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