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Hmmm, a lot of young women have rewritten Dolly Parton's song "Jolene" but from Jolene's perspective. In one of them Jolene is in love with Dolly. she's warning Dolly off of the guy, and in a third, she's apologizing. And yet another has the narrator in love with Jolene.. Jolene - except the narrator is in love with Jolene.

Kind of fanfiction in regards to a song. Which is really cool. I love it when people play with other's art.

My brother's view was that whenever we interact with art, it changes in some way, and we make it our own.

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From:

atpo_onm

Waaaay back in 1993 (I had to look at the disc, memory's not remotely that good) I heard this track played on the radio, and it was one of those that I go-- WHOA! I gotta get me that CD even if that's the only cool song on it. Fortunately, there were lots of cool songs on it, but this ones still a fave. Actually a very old traditional folk song that's also a ghost story, although that isn't necessarily obvious at first listen.

But besides the more contemporary instrumental rendering, as you will notice, it's a female singing the song, and she doesn't do a gender flip to where "he" moved through the fair, which she certainly could have.

Looked up the singer (who also plays cello), not sure if this track from this rare-ish disc would be on youtube, but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Yy0DeYH7Q

BTW, I admire Dolly, many great songs, although sometimes a mite too country-ish for my tastes, but was never a fan of Jolene. IMO, if the guy she was singing about would leave her for this Jolene babe, then-- frankly she's better of without him!

Edited (typos) Date: 2023-03-07 07:10 am (UTC)

From:

kingstoken

Both of those are really great.

From:

cjlasky7

On a recent season of America's Got Talent, a trio called Chapel Hart drew national attention with a sequel song called "You Can Have Him, Jolene."

Dolly loved it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WLKmDbDv6j0&feature=shares

From:

yourlibrarian

It is indeed a great example of how art evolves over generations and as it spreads throughout a culture. Wouldn't be surprised if this is helped along because Dolly is so well regarded.

From:

shadowkat

I think part of it is that Dolly is open to it? Her ego isn't invested in her songs. And she doesn't mind if others play with them or remaster them. Dolly fans had issues with Whitney Houston's remastering of the song I Will Always Love You - but Dolly was grateful, proud, and laughing all the way to the bank. She was amazed that anyone could do that with her little song - which was basically written to politely disengage from a toxic manager. Dolly's fans aren't as gracious as Dolly - which is why she's so respected, I think? She is grateful not "entitled". It's the difference between Dolly and a lot of other less successful song-writers.

From:

tellshannon815

I'll have to check those out - I've now got the Theresa May parody version stuck in my head (basically, Theresa May begging Arlene Foster not to vote against her Br*xit deal or any of her other policies. "If you vote my budget down, you end up with that Boris clown, be careful what you wish for, Arlene!")