Dolly Parton wrote “Jolene” in 1973, and it was her first smash solo hit. It was nominated for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards — twice! Once in 1975 for the original recording and again in 1976 for Parton’s live recording of the song. “Jolene” didn’t win either time, but the song did go on to garner a Grammy for Dolly Parton in 2017 for her collaboration with pop group Pentatonix. They won GRAMMY for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with their a cappella recording of “Jolene”.

“Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” another iconic song from Parton, have been inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame. Dolly Parton also received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Here’s all about what inspired “Jolene” and the big life it’s had for over five decades.

The history behind Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’

When superstars share details of their real lives in their lyrics, fans typically want to know even more. Who doesn’t want to know the full story behind a song one takes to heart? So, for years, Dolly Parton fans clamored for details, wanting to know whether “Jolene” was a real person.

The truth is a bit more complicated. “Jolene” is, in fact, sort of based on two people. The character was based on a bank teller who had a crush on Carl Dean, Dolly Parton’s husband who passed away on March 3, 2025.

During an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, Parton said, “There was a girl that worked at the bank when my husband and I first got married. She got a big crush on him, and I think he kind of had a crush on her. I knew he was spending more time at the bank than we had money. So, I called him on it, and so I kind of took that little bit of that “other woman” kind of thing.”

The name Jolene was inspired by a different experience entirely. Dolly Parton told NPR, “One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl. She was probably 8 years old at the time. And she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. I said, ‘Well, you’re the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So, what is your name?’ And she said, ‘Jolene.’ And I said, ‘Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene.’ I said, ‘That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.'”

Looking back on the song’s success and how it still resonates today, Dolly shared on 60 Minutes Australia, “Every woman can relate to it, and every man, really. I think women love it because we all know that there’s somebody out there that could turn the head of the person that you love. I think everybody has that fear, and it happens all the time.”

Olivia Newton-John’s last recording was a ‘Jolene’ duet with Dolly Parton

Olivia Newton-John had a 1976 hit with her cover of “Jolene” on her album Come On Over. She would often perform it in concerts, and it was always a crowd-pleaser. (As a little girl, I thought it was an Olivia Newton-John song until I later learned Dolly Parton wrote it.)

Even before that, Dolly Parton stood up for Olivia early in her career. There was some backlash about Olivia Newton-John’s early career as a country artist since she was from Australia and her music wasn’t what some people considered to be “country music”. In 1974, she won the Country Music Association (CMA) Award for Female Vocalist of the Year, and some people in the industry resented the win so much that they formed a short-lived splinter group called Association of Country Entertainers as a form of protest, according to Newton-John’s obituary in AL.com.

Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly’s sister Stella Parton stood up for Olivia. USA Today reported Olivia said of her gratitude for Dolly Parton’s support, ““She was always there for me and what she did for me early on in my career in Nashville is something I will never forget.”

Stella Parton even wrote a song called “Ode to Olivia” with Bob G. Dean in defense of Olivia Newton-John and her right to record country music.

Olivia Newton-John and Dolly Parton recorded a duet of “Jolene”. Both women expressed their excitement about working together. and that would be the Olivia Newton-John’s last recording. It was released in 2023 after Newton-John’s death. The song is available on Olivia Newton-John’s Just The Two Of Us: The Duets Collection Vol. 1 album.

Miley Cyrus sings ‘Jolene’ many times over the years

Miley Cyrus is Dolly Parton’s goddaughter, and the two have performed on stage a lot over the years. Miley has also frequently performed “Jolene”. Also, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus got together to perform “Jolene” more than once on stage.

Miley and Noah Cyrus gave a powerful performance of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” at Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party on NBC and Peacock TV on December 31, 2021.

Other special covers and collaborations of ‘Jolene’ stand the test of time

“Jolene” is such a beloved song that many artists have covered it. Here are some of the more memorable covers and collaborations with Dolly herself.

Pentatonix collaborated with Dolly Parton herself for their recording of “Jolene”, and the result was a beautiful track that, as mentioned above, earned them a GRAMMY.

Straight No Chaser also collaborated with the legend herself. They recorded “Jolene” featuring Dolly Parton, and it is a lovely version of the song.

Lil Nas X performed a cover of “Jolene” in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

Chiquis and Becky G collaborated Spanish-language cover of “Jolene” in 2020.

The White Stripes adapted “Jolene” for one of the most original and interesting cover versions.

Dolly Parton performed “Jolene” with Pink, Sheryl Crow, Annie Lennox, Pat Benatar, Brandi Carlile, Rob Halford, Simon Le Bon and Dave Stewart at The 37th Rock & Roll of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2022.

Beyoncé changed the lyrics to ‘Jolene’ in a powerful way

Beyoncé created a more empowered narration with stronger warnings with her interpretation of “Jolene”. It came with remarkable and dramatic lyric changes.

Dolly Parton fully approved, telling Entertainment Tonight, “I was so honored that she did the song.” She also shared that they both sent each other flowers. Parton went on to speak admiringly about how Beyoncé “wasn’t going to be humble enough to say some woman is going to be able to take her man.”

Dolly Parton supported a new band who shared a response to ‘Jolene’

The country band Chapel Hart gained attention and success for their song “You Can Have Him, Jolene” when they appeared on America’s Got Talent. The song is a sequel to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, and Parton responded.

Dolly Parton shared a video of their performance and replied on the site then known as Twitter. She shared, “What a fun new take on my song, @ChapelHartBand! Carl’s birthday is today so I think I’ll hang on to him, and I’m not notifying Jolene that today is his birthday.”

‘Jolene’ keeps inspiring new artists after 52 years

“Jolene” is a song that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. New artists continue to cover it and engage in conversation about how the song inspired them. Dolly Parton herself paid tribute to it on October 15, 2025. She marked “52 years of ‘Jolene’” by sharing one of her live performances of the modern classic song.