Korva is a scroll of the internet’s best ideas.
Jolene came from a bank teller
The bank teller
Her husband, Carl Dean, enjoyed the attention. Dolly joked that he seemed to spend an awful lot of time at the bank for someone with so little money. It was a playful thing, and it became the seed of the song.
Where the name came from
The name came from somewhere else entirely. An eight-year-old redheaded fan asked Dolly for an autograph, and Dolly thought Jolene was such a beautiful name that she told the girl she was going to use it. The song took one element from each story.
Two hits in a day
Dolly wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You in the same day. Whitney Houston later sang the second one, and her record became one of the best-selling singles of all time, with 14 consecutive weeks at number one.
Why did Dolly write I Will Always Love You?
Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, the singer who had brought her onto his television show and recorded duets with her. She was leaving the show to build her own career, and she performed the song for him in his office. Her recording reached number one on the country chart in 1974. She recorded it again in 1982 for a film, and that version also reached number one on the country chart.
Why didn't Elvis record I Will Always Love You?
By Dolly Parton's own account, Elvis Presley wanted to record the song. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that Presley's camp required half of the publishing rights. Parton declined, even though she has said it hurt to turn down Elvis. Because she kept the rights, she later earned large royalties when Whitney Houston's version became a hit in 1992.
Why do so many artists cover Jolene?
Jolene has been recorded by artists across rock, pop, and country. The White Stripes made it a staple of their live shows, and Beyonce recorded a version for her 2024 album Cowboy Carter. The song's pleading first-person plea and insistent guitar pattern travel well between genres. Parton has also re-recorded it herself over the decades.
More from Modern Wisdom
