Those of you who have been reading my blog this past week will have noticed I’ve been on a White Stripes bender showcasing some of their greatest songs. I was well into my preparations to knock out my next instalment when Dolly Parton’s death shook us all.
Jack White wrote two words on his instagram on Tuesday (25th August) following Dolly Parton’s death. It read: “Instant Sainthood”. It was followed up with a tribute to the late great country singer with an emotionally-charged live cover of her famous song Jolene during his show at London’s Eventim Apollo later that night.
To celebrate the incomparable country singers life and achievements, it honestly cannot be summed up in a few hundred words. So instead for now I’d like to look at the song Parton is most often associated with.
Parton’s most remarkable song Jolene was released ahead of her thirteenth solo studio album of the same name in October 1973. It reached the dizzy heights of #1 on the US country charts with a modest run on crossover charts around the world.
The inspiration for the song was inspired by two real-life events – a young fan’s name and a flirtatious red-haired bank teller who caught the attention of Parton’s husband Carl Dean.
In the late 1960s following the weekly broadcast of The Porter Wagoner Show, in which Parton was a regular co-host, she would often sign autographs for fans. One night likely no different than any other, inspiration struck following a brief encounter with a young fan. Standing before Dolly was a beautiful little girl with red hair hunting for an autograph.
“Well, you’re the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?’ And she said, ‘Jolene,'” Parton told NPR’s All Things Considered in October 2008. “And I said, ‘Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene.’ ‘That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.”
With that in mind Parton would need a story for a song to go along with the name. Another redhead would become the inspiration, this time a woman who was putting the moves – working as a bank teller – on Dolly’s new husband.
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us, when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’re got that kind of money. So it’s really an innocent song all round, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
Jolene has been covered by over 30 artists since its release – including The White Stripes, Olivia Newton John, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and Mindy Smith. Parton once said her favourite version of her song was sung by American singer songwriter Mindy Smith. But Parton has a soft spot also for The White Stripes cover version of her song which had once been an important element of their shows during their heyday. “Well, I love (Jack) to death. [The White Stripes] did one of the greatest versions ever of Jolene,” Parton told The Guardian in 2016.
Jack White’s reverence for Dolly Parton stems from his deep respect for her incredible songwriting, her genuine kindness and her lifelong work as a philanthropist. Choosing to honour Parton by putting his own spin on the song Jolene is so Jack White.
He famously channeled the emotional pain and jealousy of Parton’s lyrics by changing the perspective of the song. “I thought to take the character and change the context and make this red-headed woman my girlfriend, and that she’s cheating on me with one of my friends,” White once said. “Then, that would be what I could really get emotionally attached to.”
By doing so, White changed Parton’s country song into an emotionally charged, blues-rock belter full of venom and desperation. His plea for “Jolene” almost sounds unhinged, painful and urgent. It hits hard. It’s powerful. It’s Jack White, the showman at his best.
I’m sure tributes for Dolly Parton (aged 80) will continue to come in over the next few days and weeks. She is and always will be the undisputed queen of country music. With more than 3000 songs to her credit, I hope to cover many more for this series in the future. RIP Dolly Parton.
Rearview Mirror 
Nice take on the topic, Robert. It’s kind of mindboggling “Jolene” was one of 3,000 or even more songs Dolly Parton wrote. I didn’t realize she was such a prolific songwriter. That White Stripes rendition of “Jolene” is pretty powerful.
Yeah, it seems Dolly meant so much to so many including Jack White.