On This Day in 1973, Dolly Parton Stepped Into a Nashville Studio and Recorded One of the Greatest Country Songs in History

On this day (May 22) in 1973, Dolly Parton stepped into RCA Studio B to record “Jolene.” No one in the room that day could have known how much of an impact the song would have on Parton’s career in particular and country music in general. It later became her second No. 1 single. Since then, it has been covered by hundreds of artists and has been hailed as one of the greatest country songs ever recorded.

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“Jolene” came at a pivotal time for Parton. She was beginning to break away from Porter Wagoner and blaze her own path in the music world. She released it as a single in December 1973. It reached the top of the Hot Country Songs chart during the first week of the following February. It also peaked at No. 60 on the Hot 100, marking Parton’s first entry on the all-genre survey.

“Jolene” was the first in a string of four consecutive No. 1 singles for the East Tennessee native. “I Will Always Love You,” “Love Is Like a Butterfly,” and “The Bargain Store” mirrored the single’s success. These hits gave her the momentum she needed to break out of her previous role and into an incredibly prosperous period. She had nine more top 10 hits before the end of the decade. Five of those went to the top of the chart. Additionally, she found crossover success, notching four top 40 hits on the Hot 100, one of which peaked at No. 3.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1978, Dolly Parton Was at No. 1 With One of the Sexiest Songs in Her Discography]

Dolly Parton Learned an Important Lesson from “Jolene”

Two major inspirations led Dolly Parton to write “Jolene.” One of those was a young fan named Jolene. When Parton heard the name, she knew it belonged in a song. Then, there was the red-headed bank teller. Her name wasn’t Jolene, but she did seem to be going for Parton’s husband, Carl.

“Now some of you may or may not know that that song was loosely based on a little bit of truth,” Parton told the Glastonbury crowd in 2014. “I wrote that years ago when my husband was spending a little more time with Jolene than I thought he should,” she added.

“I want you folks to know, though, that something good can come from anything. Had it not been for that woman, I never would have written ‘Jolene,’ and I wouldn’t have made all that money.”

Featured Image by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns