Jolene

Most everyone is familiar with the Dolly Parton classic Jolene. According to an NPR article, the song is Parton’s most recorded song. The Taste of Country website shares a story from Parton about a baby named Jolene being left at her gate in a box while the song was climbing the charts.

The emotional plea that’s heard in the story of the song along with the catchy chord progression has folks still wanting to perform the song today-over 40 years after Parton released it herself.

Mark (my nephew and the girls’ cousin) has been wanting them to sing the song for several years. Back around Christmas they finally gave it go. Check out The Pressley Girls cover of Dolly Parton’s Jolene.

I’m always interested in the background of songs. Check out this interview to discover why Parton penned the song in the first place.

Tipper

p.s. Fun fact – I know a Jolene who has red hair and green eyes. Who knows maybe her momma named her for the song.

 

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20 Comments

  1. I love all your music! I love Dolly Parton too. I never cared for the message of this song, though. I would say, if you can take him, good riddance, you deserve each other, plus, he’s not worth it. Oh wait, that actually happened to me, lol.

  2. I’ve loved the girls’ version of that song from the first time I heard it. I can hear the “mountain” in their voices – beautiful!

  3. Tipper: We were over to HIGH HAMPTON, NC this weekend but did not hear any mountain music – just lots of great authors sharing their stories – some very sad!
    Coming through Dolly’s country side made me want to stop and show her a couple of pages from my “Fiddler of the Mountains” book where I share the time (1966) when Uncle Johnny played for her at the skating rink in Blairsville! She was an ‘unknown’ back then but I’ll bet she has NOT forgotten!
    Keep those girls singing and CLOSE BY YOU!
    Eva Nell

  4. Great song!!!
    Was in high school with a girl with that name; though she spelled it “Joeline” it was pronounced the same.
    She tried to commit suicide in 11th grade. Got the help she needed to get herself together, turned her life around, graduated from high school, and last I heard, she was in college nearby studying to be a psychologist.
    I pray she did well in life. I think about her often with a little prayer.
    Interesting how the Lord brings people to our minds sometimes. I always say a prayer for them when He does.
    God bless.
    RB
    <><

  5. I have been following the twins’ version of this song since it first made it onto youtube. I never cared much for Dolly Parton nor any of her music but a couple of Brasstown’s Brightest changed my mind. About this one song at least.

  6. Tipper,
    “Jolene” is one of my favorites,
    by Dolly, but Chitter and Chatter.
    Ben and Mark, and the Blind Pig
    Gang did a nice job too.
    Last night I was blessed and
    privileged to be at Martin’s Creek Community Building for some real Country Gospel Music. Paul is the Principal there and his older brother Steve was the MC. It was good to see an entire
    family for such an event, and
    yes…The Pressley Girls did sing
    “My Heart’s in Brasstown.”
    While Sonny Reighard and his wife
    Margaret and their lead singer
    Deneice Wilson was singing, Tipper came over and sat with me
    awhile, talking a mile a minute
    just like Chitter and Chatter does. I can’t hear that well and
    I was afraid someone was going to
    “shush” us. There was another
    couple there that did some nice
    singing also.
    I talked with Miss Cindy ahile
    earlier and she wished me a
    “happy Birthday” for today. I’m
    glad I went cause it was if I
    had found “a lily for my Valley”.
    …Ken

  7. Great job! I can tell the girls enjoyed doing that song. I like Dolly’s music and I love her sense of humor. She once said, “it takes a lot of money to look this cheap!”

  8. Chatter and Chitter did a great job with Dolly’s “Jolene.” It had been a long time since I had heard or thought about the song! Thanks, girls, for reviving, singing and recording it! (Enjoyed the story behind it, too)! With storms allayed somewhat after a near-tornadic Friday night and Saturday, let’s have a god, calm Sunday! Please remember to pray for the people in Nepal so devastated by and with such heavy losses in deaths and destruction from the earthquake there.

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