Dolly Parton has another accolade under her rhinestone belt.
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The Queen of Country was recognized by Rolling Stone last week as her second #1 single, “Jolene,” which she recorded and released in 1973, was named the #1 Country song of all time. The iconic song topped a list of 200 which featured classics by fellow legends of the genre including Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Webb Pierce and many more.
Just last year, Dolly posted a TikTok video explaining where she came across the name “Jolene” and how it inspired her to write the highly-praised song.
“I did get that name from a little girl that I was signing autographs for,” she explained. “I had never heard that name before. I remember signing the name Jolene and I was like ‘That’s a beautiful name. I’m gonna write a song about that.'”
Parton matched the young fan’s name with real-life experience between her husband and their bank-teller that wasn’t quite as “dreadful” as the song makes it sound. “She got this terrible crush on my husband. And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention,” Parton recalled in an interview with NPR. “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 think we’ve got that kind of money.’ So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
The song continues to stand the test of time and continues to breathe new life with artists young and old covering it left and right. Yet another version of the song will be presented on Dolly’s recently-announced Threads: My Songs in Symphony Tour. Kicking off March 20, 2025 with the Nashville Symphony at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the show will feature special orchestral celebration of her music that will be take worldwide.
Helping bring the show to life will also be special musical guests handpicked by Dolly herself for each show. More information is set to be available in the coming weeks.