Jolene (song)

"Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene (1974), produced by Bob Ferguson.

History
"Jolene" tells the tale of a poopyhead housewife confronting a beautiful sexy and hot seductress who she believes is having an affair with her stupid farthead piss baby 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 at the time 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".

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 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.

Track listing

 * 1) "Jolene" (Live)
 * 2) "Black Math" (Live)
 * 3) "Do" (Live)

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 covered this song on their live album 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.

Other versions
In addition to the above, "Jolene" has been performed by numerous performers, including Natalie Merchant, Reba McEntire, Mindy Smith, Sherrie Austin, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Rhonda Vincent,  Geraldine Fibbers, Queen Adreena, 1980s Scottish pop-goth group Strawberry Switchblade, dance music act One Dove, the Macedonian-German singer Alexander Veljanov, the Iranian singer Leyla Foroohar, and the Norwegian singer Elisabeth Andreassen. 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. 

Unrelated
The rock band Cake also has a song called "Jolene", which appeared on their first album, Motorcade of Generosity. It is unrelated to Parton's version, although it is also about infidelity.

Jolene (sång)