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Never in history (or at least since 1973) has a bank teller causedall this conversation.
Some have made it totally their own, adapting the tale in genres ranging from punk to reggae.
Others have enshrined its status as a country standard with their own straightforward covers.
Some artists have even writtenresponsetracks, from the narrators or Jolenes perspective, essentially making fanfic about these characters.
(Im warning you, dont come for my man.)
37.Destructo Remix(2001)
This Dolly-sanctioned take is an abomination.
Instead, this thing sounds like the sort of dubstep you hear in commercials for vodka coolers.
35.Pentatonix ft. Dolly Parton(2017)
Its going to be an absolutely not from me.
Maybe she was a Barden Bella in a past life?
Anyway, Straight No Chasers 2014 rendition edges out Pentatonix because its a slightly more dynamic arrangement.
32.Trixie Mattel on Instagram Live(2019)
She should do it for real, though.
31.Maddie & Tae(2017)
This very perfunctory cover unfortunately does nothing to build on the original.
Their two-part harmonies are tight, but not new.
They sing like theyve never been the Jolene or the Dolly in this situation.
30.Wendy Moten(2021)
A pretty standard cover, differentiated by some subtle backing bongo.
Wearing a wig and a cowboy hat, he mumbles along to Cyruss vocals and plays tambourine.
The thing is, the way Dolly sings about the other woman in this song has alwaysfeltsuper sapphic.
But when everything gets literalized, it ends up less fun and less queer.
27.Maneskin ft. Dolly Parton(2024)
The second-most-recent cover on this list.
I cant say it sounds like the Eurovision-minted Beggin band even really knows what theyre singing about.
But Dolly gives it her all.
These were the originalBridgertonRegency pop covers.
At least the lead singer, Maris, has a stellar voice.
24.5-year-old onEllen(2020)
This little girl onEllenis a bit pitchy and looks like a horror-movie doll.
But ultimately, its really cute and funny to hear a child singing these particular lyrics.
(Content warning: Halfway through, theres a jump-scare cutaway to Ellen tearing up.)
23.Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, and Cheryl White(2006)
This live cover is nothing special.
Nice work, boys.
19.Reba McEntire(1989)
Leave it to Reba to meet an assignment head on.
and her rendition is pretty flawless, with lots of swelling strings, guitar (banjo?
picking, and background singers.
Did you know Fancy is also a cover?
Is Reba primarily a cover artist?
17.White Stripes(2000)
There are lots of different versions here to contend with.
And then theres theofficial music video, from the White Stripes live Blackpool Lights performance.
Shes set an unreasonably high bar for herself.
14.Olivia Newton-John(1976)
Olivia Newton-Johns 1976 version just might be the original Jolene cover.
She hits a whistle note in it!
13.Olivia Newton-John and Dolly Parton(2023)
Never underestimate the power of two divas working in tandem.
Instead we got Coach Beistes (Dot-Marie Joness) only solo performance in the series.
She makes it sound slutty, burlesque, pleading, desperate, intense.
People have an unfortunate tendency to make this song sound dour, but Garcia fills it with energy.
10.Sisters of Mercy(1983)
Goth Jolene rules.
Its totally committed and still manages to feel a wee bit sarcastic.
This song sounds great in a baritone.
This cover is no joke, however, with super-rich, full, moody arrangements.
8.Beyonce (2024)
This is such a tricky one.
And after listening to like 100 versions of Jolene all week, its a welcome change of pace.
On the minus side … the new lyrics are not exactly the slay Beyonce thinks they are.
The narrator is vulnerable, pleading, totally at the mercy of the other woman.
She loves her man, but its almost an afterthought, and definitely not the focus.
Its a strange dynamic that few other songs have.
Weve seen women tell the other woman to back off in songs before.
The jealousy and protectiveness?
The making it all about the man and the strength and sanctity of the marriage?
The, most damning of all, erasure of all sexual tension between the narrator and Jolene?
But that would be a stretch.
and Dolly, we love you!
This megaplayful Spanish-language version has fun Latin arrangements (accordions!
Would much rather hear this in the club than the Destructo remix.
These renditions fall into the Oh, the narrator is definitely horny for Jolene camp of covers.
What a total treat.
3.Strawberry Switchblade(1985)
Nowthisis how you make this song a dance track!
Scottish New Wave electropop Jolene is totally maximalist and delightful, with some especially ripping harmonica.
2.Lil Nas X(2021)
Lil Nas Xs rendition of the country classic is incredible.
LNX should really consider doing an album of classic country covers.
He basically made the songs story intoPassages.
