"Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton.
[3] The song was nominated at the Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance twice, in 1975 and 1976 for its live recording.
[4] The song was covered in English and Spanish by many artists, including Olivia Newton-John, The White Stripes, Miley Cyrus and Måneskin.
In 2024, Beyoncé covered the song with significant changes in lyrics and production; the version reached the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Official Singles Chart.
[13] The song tells of the narrator confronting Jolene, a stunningly beautiful woman, who she worries will steal away her lover/husband.
[14][15][16][17] Onstage in 1988, Parton told the audience that "Jolene" was a true story and the reason she did not like to sing it too often.
It reached the top position in February 1974; it was also a moderate pop hit for her and a minor adult contemporary chart entry.
[32] In the film The Intervention (Clea Duvall; 2016), Annie (Melanie Lynskey) tells Lola (Alia Shawkat), "Nobody likes a Jolene," after the younger woman stirs up trouble among a group of older couples by making a play for several individuals among them.
The song's international popularity became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when the New Zealand government put the country in lockdown.
However, in 2017, a cover by the a cappella group Pentatonix won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance; this version featured Parton as a guest singer.
In 1976, Olivia Newton-John recorded a version and released it as the second and final single from her seventh studio album, Come On Over, in selected countries.
The song was a part of the 1982, 40-city Physical Tour set list, then became a popular concert event on HBO in 1983.
[65] In September 2016, the American a cappella group Pentatonix released a cover of the song with Dolly Parton herself as feature artist.
[34] American singer Beyoncé recorded a cover of "Jolene", with significant lyrical changes, and included it on her eighth studio album Cowboy Carter, released on March 29, 2024.
[83] On March 11, 2024, in an interview with Knox News Dolly Parton revealed that Beyoncé asked to record a cover of the song.
In the track preceding "Jolene" on the album, titled "Dolly P", Parton introduces the cover, saying "You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about?
[98][99][100] In the United States the cover debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the version of "Jolene" with the highest placement on the chart.
[106] "Jolene" debuted at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart on 5 April 2024, one of three songs from Cowboy Carter in the top ten that week.
Kirsty MacColl's 1995 song "Caroline" was inspired by "Jolene" and is told from the other woman's point of view.
[14] In 2013, country singer Jennifer Nettles recorded "That Girl", which she stated in interviews is a lyrical counterpoint to "Jolene".
The other woman is coming forward to break the news to the wife about an affair, respecting her enough to have that hard conversation, once she realized he was married.
And in true country fashion, I've set the whole raw story to upbeat music, so you can dance while you process it all.