On Oct. 22, 1974, country legend Dolly Parton released one of her most popular songs, "Jolene." The song spent 19 weeks on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at No. 1 on Feb. 2, 1974.
According to Dolly, Jolene existed. Turns out the song was inspired by a bank clerk who she caught flirting with her husband, Carl.
"She got this terrible crush on my husband," Dolly explained according to NPR. "And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one."
(Don't worry, Dolly and Carl are still together and recently celebrated their 53 years of marriage).
However, the bank clerk's name wasn't Jolene. The moniker came to Dolly as she was signing autographs and came across a young girl "with beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes" named Jolene. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over four decades have passed and people are still obsessed with Dolly's pleading cries. The song has even been covered by some of the biggest names in music from Miley Cyrus — Dolly's goddaughter — to The White Stripes. Even if you're not a fan of country music, you can find a way to get down with this song. Keep scrolling for the best Dolly Parton "Jolene" memes.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pbXSramam6Ses7p6wqikaKhfmbytuNhmp5qqpKS7brbOpZynnV2isq6x0g%3D%3D