Dolly Parton - Jolene

An iconic album for good reason.

While Dolly Parton was known for a great many things, musically, her most famous work was her iconic 1973 hit “Jolene”, and the eponymous 1974 album the track was subsequently included on. The record also contained another of Dolly’s signature classics, “I Will Always Love You”, along with eight other songs recorded between 1972 and 1974. 

Jolene opens with the aforementioned track of the same name, and it is a perfect opener – even alongside its own brilliance as an individual song, it does an excellent job setting the tone for the rest of the project. It is a song that deserves every bit of praise it has ever received, a quintessential representative of its era and genre, but simultaneously a timeless classic that holds up to this day. The wording of the lyricism is precise and picked perfectly for every line to connect to the maximum, the flowing instrumental is produced wonderfully, and Dolly Parton’s vocals transmit the emotional turmoil of the track in a perfectly understated and simple way, avoiding any dramatics but still being very resonant. “I Will Always Love You” succeeds for the same reasons – while much softer and less pronounced and grand when compared to Whitney Houston’s famous cover, Dolly Parton’s version is no less piercing, just in a totally different way. 

And the other tracks on the album also don’t disappoint – while not quite as memorable, they still hold up that classic atmosphere, with compelling emotion and vivid instrumentation. “When Someone Wants To Leave”, "Highlight of My Life” and “Lonely Comin’ Down” are all particular standouts, but every track on the record has its own merit. The songs are mostly quite short, with some even dropping below the 2 minute mark, but none end up feeling incomplete or like something was left unsaid – everything is perfectly concise. 

Of course, the star of the show on Jolene is Dolly Parton herself – her voice is at its very best on this record, and her unique brand of country songwriting paints the pictures on the album perfectly. She was a brilliant and deeply singular figure as an artist and performer, one that deserved to make just as much of an impact as she did within the music world and beyond.

Thank you, Dolly.

Your music and your heart of gold will live on forever.