Song Information
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Title: Jolene
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Artist: Dolly Parton
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Writer: Dolly Parton
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Release Date: October 15, 1973
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Album: Jolene (1974)
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Genre: Country
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Label: RCA Victor
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Producer: Bob Ferguson
“Jolene” is one of Dolly Parton’s most iconic songs, both commercially and culturally. Released in late 1973, it became her second solo number-one hit on the Billboard country charts by early 1974. The song also earned a Grammy nomination and has since been covered by dozens of artists across genres—from The White Stripes to Miley Cyrus—making it one of the most covered country songs in history. Interestingly, Parton wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” on the same day.
Song Narrative
The lyrics of “Jolene” tell the heartfelt plea of a woman who feels threatened by another woman’s beauty and charm. The narrator addresses Jolene directly, describing her flaming locks of auburn hair, ivory skin, and eyes of emerald green. She fears that Jolene might steal her man simply because she can. Despite the lack of direct wrongdoing from Jolene, the narrator’s insecurity and desperation are vividly portrayed in every line.
Rather than confronting her partner or expressing anger, the woman chooses to beg Jolene not to take him away. This choice gives the song a haunting vulnerability. The minimal instrumentation highlights the raw emotion in Dolly’s voice, conveying heartbreak, fear, and silent strength. It’s a tale as old as time, wrapped in simplicity but layered in pain and admiration.
Explaining the Deeper Issue
What makes “Jolene” especially powerful is not just the story of potential infidelity—it’s the emotional complexity behind it. Dolly Parton’s lyrics present a woman who is not angry or confrontational. Instead, she’s insecure, pleading, and deeply aware of her own fragility. The true heartbreak lies in the quiet way she expresses this fear: she is not fighting Jolene, she is begging her.
The song raises a deeper question about the nature of love and self-worth. Why is the narrator not confronting the man who may be tempted to stray? Why is the other woman seen as the threat, not the partner’s disloyalty? These unspoken questions reveal the emotional dynamics many women have felt: the silent rivalry, the internalized insecurity, and the unbalanced emotional labor in a relationship.
It’s important to note that Dolly Parton based “Jolene” on a real-life bank teller who flirted with her husband. But the character of Jolene also represents a timeless archetype—the “other woman”—embodying all the fear, admiration, and power society projects onto beauty. In the end, “Jolene” is not just about jealousy. It’s about the fear of not being enough, of losing love without even being betrayed.