52 years have passed since the launch of the flagship “Jolene” and the Dolly Parton did not fail to share a nostalgic post on Instagram. She brought up a clip from an earlier performance of her performing the timeless song, sending her fans into a frenzy in the comments section.

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Released in 1973, “Jolene” is partly inspired by a real-life muse, a beautiful redhead who worked as a bank teller and courted her husband, Carl Dean, shortly after their marriage. The little jealousy and insecurity that Parton felt when she found out, she masterfully conveyed in the song’s lyrics. The piece is a plea to the other woman not to steal her man, as – as she says – she would “never be able to love again” if she lost him.

“The song is loosely based on a small dose of truth”he had said at the Glastonbury Festival in 2014, according to the Independent newspaper. “I wrote this years ago when my husband was… spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should”he added.

In an interview with NPR in 2008, Parton explained that the treasurer “she had fallen madly in love with my husband and he just loved going to the bank because she gave him so much attention.”

And he added: “It was like a joke between us – I’d say to him: ‘But you spend a lot of time in the bank. I don’t think we have that much money.’ So actually the song is completely innocent, but it sounds terribly dramatic.”

However, the woman’s name was not the real one as Parton had said in the interview. The title of the song is inspired by a chance meeting with a young fan of hers.

“Jolene,” which was ranked No. 63 on Rolling Stone’s 2024 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, has become one of Parton’s and country music’s most recognizable songs. As People reports, it has been covered in different languages ​​by more than 30 singers including Beyoncé, Keith Urban, the White Stripes and Miley Cyrus.