How Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” Became A Country Classic
Dolly Parton’s legendary song “Jolene” tells the story of a woman desperately asking a beautiful red-haired woman not to take her husband. But the inspiration behind the beloved country classic actually came from two very real moments in Dolly’s life.
The song was recorded in 1973 and went on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart the following February.
Over the decades, “Jolene” has become one of the most recognizable and celebrated songs in country music. The timeless hit received another major honor in 2014 when it was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
The song has also been performed by artists from a wide range of generations and musical styles, including Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Pentatonix, and Olivia Newton-John.
What’s The Real Story Behind “Jolene”?
Dolly has explained that the name “Jolene” came from a young fan she met while signing autographs. The little girl’s name immediately caught Dolly’s attention, and she told her that she would one day write a song using it.
“One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl—she was probably 8 years old at the time,” Dolly once explained. “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.’”
While the name came from that young fan, the story behind the song was inspired by a very different experience. Dolly has said that a flirtatious bank teller appeared to have a crush on her husband, Carl Dean.
Dolly later joked that the woman possessed many of the qualities she did not have, including striking red hair and a figure that seemed to attract Carl’s attention.
By combining the memorable name of a young fan with her own real-life experience involving the bank teller, Dolly created what would become one of the most famous songs of her legendary career.
More than five decades after it was first recorded, “Jolene” continues to resonate with audiences around the world. It remains one of Dolly Parton’s most beloved songs and an enduring classic in country music.
You can listen to Dolly Parton perform “Jolene” below.