We all know how Dolly Parton begged and pleaded with the infamous 'Jolene' not to take her man Carl Dean away. It's well known lore at this point that this was inspired by a real situation with a woman flirting with her late husband Carl Dean. However, Parton didn't actually sit idly, hoping and praying nothing would happen. Rather, it seems like she took Beyoncé's approach to the song by threatening to fight the titular Jolene if she was feeling froggy.
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An interview with Access sees Dolly open up about the making of "Jolene." Particularly, she admits that there is a bit of real life truth to the song. Moreover, Parton recalls this attractive bank worker trying to put the moves on ol' Carl Dean. "Well, actually, it was based on a little truth. Her name was not Jolene, but she was working at the bank, and she was this beautiful girl. And that was bad enough, that he was having to go to the bank as much as he was going. And I kept thinking, we ain't got that kinda money, not yet anyway," Dolly recounts. "He was in asphalt paving, he and his father, and I said, 'Why are you having to talk to her all the time?'"
Dolly Parton Recalls Putting The Beats on The Infamous 'Jolene'
Dean, ever the loyal man, insists that there's nothing to this. However, Parton is not even remotely okay with her late husband speaking with this bank teller. Consequently, she stresses that Carl better take a hint or else. Her fit of jealousy inspires her to put pen to paper and now we have Dolly's big hit today. "But I was just jealous, 'cuz she was prettier than me and I think I just felt threatened. He didn't have a thing going with her, but he was flirtin'. But I'm a flirt, too. Anyways, I thought, this makes a great idea for a song. So I wrote it," Dolly recalls.
However, it didn't just end at a bit of inspiration. Before a performance back in January 1988, Parton reveals that her issue with the bank teller expanded far past some long distance jealousy. Contrarily, she was willing to scrap with Jolene to ensure she kept her man Carl Dean. Moreover, Dolly even gave him some when that got back home. "Well that didn't go over too big with me, I fought that red-headed woman like a wildcat. She jerked my wig off and almost beat me to death with it. But I kept my husband, I got that sucker home and I beat the tar out of him," she reveals.
