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One day, around the time Dolly Parton and Carl Dean got married in 1966, a pretty red-headed bank clerk started flirting with Carl. It bothered Dolly so much, she sat down and wrote a song about it.
"Jolene" was released in late 1973, and by February of '74, it was #1 on the country charts in both the U.S. and Canada! Internationally, it went to #3 in South Africa and #6 in New Zealand. In 1976, it was belatedly released in the U.K., where it went to #7. It was nominated for a Grammy but did not win.
In 2004, The White Stripes did a cover version that received some international chart action.
Then...in 2016, Dolly recorded a new version with the a capella group Pentatonix that went to #18 on the U.S. Country Chart...and FINALLY won a Grammy Award! (Best Country Duo/Group Performance.)
The song is also #219 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time!"
Check out both versions below!
In 2020, Carl and Dolly will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary.
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