Dolly Parton celebrates 52 years of 'Jolene' with heartfelt throwback

Dolly Parton is honouring the 52nd anniversary of her timeless hit Jolene, and she’s doing it in true Dolly fashion—with a nod to its roots and a heartfelt throwback.

On October 15, the country legend, 79, posted a vintage video of herself performing the iconic song, captioning it simply, “52 years of ‘Jolene!’”

Released in 1973, “Jolene” was inspired by a real-life incident involving Parton’s late husband, Carl Dean, and a red-haired bank teller who showed him a little too much attention. “She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR in 2008.

“And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention... So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”

The song’s title came from a young fan Parton met at a concert. “I said, ‘Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?’ And she said, ‘Jolene.’ I said, ‘Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene.’ That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that,” she recalled.

Jolene became a signature track in Dolly’s career, earning Grammy nominations and a spot at No. 63 on Rolling Stone’s 2024 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

It’s been covered over 30 times, including by Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter, where Parton also featured on an interlude. Over five decades later, the song’s emotional depth still resonates deeply.