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NPR’s All Things Considered took a look at Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” this week, which is not only the lone song my wife will sing at karaoke, but a popular target for actual musicians as well. (It was also performed by an unnamed fifth grader at my son’s elementary school talent show last week. When a song hits the talent show playlist, you know it’s moved into “classic” territory.) “It’s a great chord progression—people love that ‘Jolene’ lick,” Parton told NPR. “It’s as much a part of the song almost as the song. And because it’s just the same word over and over, even a first-grader or a baby can sing, ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.’ It’s like, how hard can that be?” Parton’s version, as well as some notable covers, below the cut.
Dolly Parton, on the Wilburn Brothers Show:
Olivia Newton-John, who had a Japanese No. 1 with her version:
Mindy Smith:
The White Stripes:
Strawberry Switchblade:
An awful recording of Sisters of Mercy:
They neglected to mention the Geraldine Fibbers’ great version, or for that matter Brooke White’s totally lame version on the last season of American Idol.
Sophie Ellis-Bigface did a cover for some British TV show very recently (the same show also produced a Kylie/Dannii cover of “The Winner Takes It All”); it’s quite good.
I hate to say it, but my band has a version coming out soon as well. Eesh.
Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s still win.
Megadeth, Dead Kennedys, Superdrag, The La’s, Primus, Mudhoney, Alannah Myles, Joe Strummer, Jawbreaker, Earth Crisis and Chromeo have all covered it too.
Yeah, those were just the first band names to come to my head but what do you think the odds are that one actually HAS covered it? Probably pretty good.
Wow. That Olivia cover is wrong in about every conceivable way.
@revmatty: They do a mean “Hava Nagila” too.
Belgique nu-Balearic producer Peter Visti does a pretty sweet and laconic version on the Mindless Boogie edit series (as “Dolly”) that lasts twelve minutes or so and never wears out its welcome.
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