No matter your taste in music, odds are, you enjoy the song “Jolene” — and that includes the many covers countless singers have made over the years. This classic song is one of Dolly Parton’s most popular ones, and it’s one she still sings to this day. It’s no wonder why: It has a catchy tune, and the story it tells is still considered to be unique. It was released in 1974, but folks still ask Parton about it to this day.
Parton recently opened up about “Jolene” and its continued success in an interview with Vulture. After 40 years, turns out, there’s still much to say about the beloved song. This is what she had to say when asked what makes it so special.
“Jolene’s” Relatability
“With ‘Jolene,’ I remember hearing so many people say, ‘That’s such a humble song. It’s a true song,'” Parton said. “For a woman to say, ‘I can’t compete with you. I’m not as beautiful as you, I’m never going to be that beautiful. Your beauty is beyond compare, but I don’t have all that going for me.’ It was unusual at the time in songwriting.”
This sentiment is one that Parton says many women relate with, and they frequently tell her just that. Parton herself says that it’s about “loving him enough to understand how he would fall in love with someone else because they’re that beautiful.”
Parton believes that it’s this brutal honestly that causes so many to connection with the song.
“People thought it was a very honest, open, and humble kind of song about the subject,” Parton said. “Nobody had been writing about affairs from that side of it — to go to the person who was trying to steal your man.”
Dolly Parton’s Take On Feeling Threatened
If you’re like me, you’ve likely wondered, at least once, how it is that Parton could feel threatened by another woman. After all, she is known to be beautiful herself. This is also something she addressed in this interview, and her response is amazing.
“Look, there’s always somebody more beautiful than you,” Parton explained. “There’s always somebody more special than you, and you’re going to always feel a bit threatened and insecure when it comes to someone you love. There’s a certain amount of fear that you hope to be able to hang on to them and you don’t want to take anything for granted.”
Truly, it’s no wonder that Parton is still such a beloved icon after all these years!
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