"Jolene" #MusicMonday

The song “Jolene” is among one of the most iconic (country music) songs ever written and recorded. To my eye, it’s one of Dolly Parton’s earlier hits that put her on the map. And also to my eye, it’s a gold standard within the country music world, as is Dolly. I have heard that there are over 400 versions of the song, which quite honestly is hard to believe but certainly there are many. Here’s the original from 1973:

And now here in 2024, comes a version from Beyonce from her new country album complete with that opening guitar!

Now as I mentioned, there are many covers of this infamous song. Here’s one from Miley Cyrus with a more “rock” edge to it:

And here’s Dolly and Miley singing the song together:

With all the hype of Beyonce’s “Country Carter” album, I have to believe that Dolly is getting a huge lift these days as well. In fact, she herself appears on the new album with a song called … wait for it … “Dolly P” where they have some fun with this woman named Jolene.

So clever! Can’t tell you how much this makes me smile. And they are together again in “Tyrant” from the same album.

“Jolene” is a song that just keeps on giving, making it a national treasure. And I could say the same about Beyonce’s new album “Country Carter” too. It keeps on giving and I do believe it’s on its way to being a national treasure. When asked about the album, Beyonce says “it’s not a country album, it’s a Beyonce album.”

Well there you have it. What’s your experience? JIM