Overview

• On Oct. 15, Parton shared a vintage performance on Instagram with the caption “52 years of ‘Jolene!’”.
• Released in 1973, the song drew on a red-haired bank employee’s attention to her late husband, Carl Dean, a backstory she has detailed in NPR and Glastonbury interviews.
• Parton has said the title was inspired by an eight-year-old fan named Jolene whom she met at a concert.
• The track is in the Grammy Hall of Fame and was ranked No. 63 on Rolling Stone’s 2024 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• More than 30 artists have covered it, including Beyoncé on the 2024 album Cowboy Carter, which also features a Dolly Parton interlude.