Jolene (song)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene (1974), produced by Bob Ferguson. It is ranked #217 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
History
"Jolene" tells the tale of a housewife confronting a beautiful seductress who she believes is having an affair with her husband. It became her second solo number-one single on the country charts after being released as a single in late 1973 (prior to the album's release). It reached the top position in February 1974; it also was a moderate pop hit for her and a minor adult contemporary chart entry, and was released as a single in the UK the following year, where it reached number seven in the UK singles chart.
It has been said that the original inspiration for "Jolene" was a red-headed bank teller whom Parton suspected her husband was fantasizing about, due to his suddenly frequent trips to the bank, though Parton herself has stated on many occasions that her inspiration came from a little red-headed girl seeking an autograph after a concert who told the singer her name was "Jolene".
On a side note, in her live performances, Dolly often states she fought this woman tooth and nail for her husband.
Covers
- Olivia Newton-John
- Olivia Newton-John's version of "Jolene" is featured on her 1976 album Come on Over. Released from the album as a single for the Japanese market, it reached #11 on Japan's Oricon chart and is her second-biggest hit there, second only to her cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The song is regularly featured in her live sets and live concert videos and DVD's.
- The White Stripes
- "Jolene (Live Under Blackpool Lights)" was released as a single by The White Stripes. It contains their cover version of "Jolene", recorded live in concert. The single reached number sixteen in the UK singles chart in November 2004. The White Stripes previously released a studio version of "Jolene," as the B-side to their 2000 single of Hello Operator, from the album De Stijl.
- Track listing
- "Jolene" (Live)
- "Black Math" (Live) (only on cd version)
- "Do" (Live) (only on vinyl flip side)
- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
- The punk cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover the song on their sixth album Love Their Country, released in October 2006.
- The Sisters of Mercy
- Post punk band The Sisters of Mercy often covered this song in concert as part of a series of tasteful but goth-"uncool" covers to provoke the audience. It can be heard on their live bootleg Amphetamine-Boeblingen.
- Miss B. Haven
- Danish country-inspired female group Miss B. Haven recorded a notable version in 1987.
- Darcy Clay
- New Zealand singer-songwriter Country Punk Rocker Darcy Clay included a cover version of the song on his EP Jesus I Was Evil.
- Susanna and the Magical Orchestra
- Norwegian Electric and Experimental duo Susanna and the Magical Orchestra covered the "Jolene" in 2004 for them debut album List of Lights and Buoys.
- Other versions
- In addition to the above, "Jolene" has been performed by numerous performers, including Natalie Merchant, Paula Cole, Reba McEntire, Cake, Mindy Smith, Katie B, Sherrié Austin, Rhonda Vincent, the Geraldine Fibbers, Lacrimosa, Queen Adreena, 1980s Scottish pop-goth group Strawberry Switchblade (1985), dance music act One Dove, the Macedonian-German singer Alexander Veljanov, the Iranian singer Leyla Foroohar,The Dutch singer Patricia Paay in 1977 Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen in 2004, Swedish singer Jill Johnson in 2007, and season 7 American Idol contestant Brooke White on the April 1, 2008 show. The version with Mindy Smith was performed on stage with Dolly Parton who is also featured in the official music video.
- Mindy Smith covered the "Jolene" in 2003 both for her debut album One Moment More and the Dolly Parton tribute album Just Because I'm a Woman. The Song has also been parodied by Australian satirical comedy show The Chaser's War on Everything. The title was altered to "Pauline" in a reference to former One Nation Party leader Pauline Hanson.
A version by Swedish show group Spirella Girls in 1992 was named "Brolin, Brolin" and was about Swedish soccer player Tomas Brolin.
