50 Years Ago: Dolly Parton and ‘Jolene’
It’s hard to imagine that any woman could be beautiful enough to compete with Dolly Parton. But that’s what her hit song “Jolene” is all about.
While some songs are little more than wild tales set to music, a thread of reality runs through “Jolene.” In actuality, a bank teller with “flaming locks of auburn hair” flirted with Parton’s husband. Like any good songwriter, Dolly channeled those feelings into music. But that wasn’t the only source of inspiration. In 2008, Dolly revealed to NPR that another redhead inspired her hit song.
“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.’”
And so, in 1973, she did.
“Jolene” went on to become Dolly’s second number-one single on the country charts. According to her, it’s also her most-covered song. Fortunately for both Dolly and her husband, the red-headed bank teller did not, in fact, take her man. Dolly and Carl Dean have been married for almost 57 years. And while Dolly may not have appreciated that woman’s flirtation with her husband, she’s certainly grateful for all the Grammy nominations “Jolene” has received!
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Originally published February 19, 2024
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