Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” is a perfect song and typically I would want a perfect song left alone to exist in its perfection, but there are three other versions that I love almost as much as I love the original.
Here’s Dolly’s 1975 version:
Jack White at Glastonbury (2002)
Dolly gives us the desperate kind of vulnerability and Jack gives us the scared and angry kind. With a male vocalist, the “woman poised to steal my man” storyline gains another layer of richness.
Miley Cyrus (barefoot) in her backyard (2012)
If you ever for one second find that you’ve forgotten that Miley Cyrus is an incredible vocalist with deep country roots, watch this. With hair up in a bun and a real musician’s head sway, a long black skirt, eyes closed, and bare feet in the grass, Miley belt’s out her godmother’s song with pure talent and soul.
This video is also the last we get of wholesome Miley for a while (see, things Miley Cyrus did in 2013).
“Slow Ass Jolene,” DJ Good Little Buddy (2012)
When I hear this version, I’m pretty sure Jolene has already gotten the guy and now we’re all in mourning over it. Played at 33RPM (versus the record’s 78RPM), we get the haunting, melancholic take on the same story.
The original “Slow Ass Jolene” has been removed from the internet due to a copyright battle, but here are two good-enough versions.
Record slowed down:
Dolly herself slowing it down for Dumplin’:
More to buzz about:
Dolly Parton’s America podcast, hosted by Jad Abumrad, creator of Radiolab
Specific episode on Jolene features the song’s origin story, some music nerdery, a hilarious interpretation of the song as the start of a threesome (and an additional verse to go with it, performed for Dolly herself!), and a firsthand report of Nelson Mandela playing it over the loudspeaker at Robben Island.
A very academic analysis by Nadine Hubbs, professor of women's studies and music at University of Michigan
