Song by Song: "Jolene" Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

Although Dean Dillon wrote numerous famous country songs, including "Tennessee Whiskey" and "Down and Out," he did not write "Jolene." Dolly Parton herself wrote the song, which was produced by Bob Ferguson. Dolly is a prolific songwriter, having penned over 5,000 titles and recorded and released over 950.

Dolly told GQ magazine she wrote "Jolene" about the same time she wrote "I Will Always Love You," another one of her big hits. "If I didn't write it on the same day," she said, "it was during that same week or that period of time."

Answer: man

"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don't take him just because you can."

Rolling Stone magazine included "Jolene" on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time." The song ranked 217 on the list in 2004 and moved up to 63 in 2021.

"Jolene" has inspired serveral response songs, including "You Can Have Him, Jolene," which was released as a single from the 2021 album "The Girls Are Back in Town." In the song, American country music group Chapel Hart tells Jolene:

"When you think that he's in love, he'll surely leave
Like he did me
You can have him, Jolene."

Answer: Auburn, ivory, and emerald green

"Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green."

"Jolene" was covered by the pop duo Strawberry Switchblade in 1985 and by Janet Devlin in 2017. Iranian pop star Leila Forouhar, who emigrated to Los Angeles, California in 1988, covered the song in 1990.

Answer: A young red-headed girl who asked for her autograph

NPR's "All Things Considered" October 9, 2008 broadcast quotes Dolly Parton as she describes her inspiration for the song: "One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl - she was probably 8 years old at the time, and she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. I said, 'Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?' And she said, 'Jolene.' And I said, 'Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene.' I said, 'That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'"

Dolly Parton has also claimed the inspiration for the song came from a red-headed bank teller who flirted with her husband.

Answer: 1973

The song was released as a single on October 15, 1973. It appeared on Dolly Parton's 13th studio album, "Jolene." The B-side of the single contained the song, "Love, You're So Beautiful Tonight."

Answer: Beyoncé

Beyoncé included the cover on her 2024 studio album "Cowboy Carter." Beyoncé's version turns the song on its head, such that the singer is not pleading with Jolene to stay away from her man because she is afraid of losing him, but rather warning Jolene that her efforts will prove futile because the singer and her man have a strong relationship: "We've been deep in love for twenty years / I raised that man, I raised his kids / I know my man better than he knows himself." Dolly Parton gave her interview to Knox News on March 11, 2024.

Answer: Pentatonix

Pentatonix was awarded a Grammy for the song in 2017 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. It was included on their fifth album "PTX Vol. IV". The song was uploaded to YouTube on September 16, 2016.

Answer: The White Stripes

The song was released as a live single from "Live Under Blackpool Lights" on November 15, 2004 and peaked at 16 on the UK Singles Chart. They also released a less popular studio version of the song earlier in 2000, as the B-side to "Hello Operator."

Answer: Olivia-Newton John

The song, released in 1976, peaked at number 29 on the Australian Kent Music Report weekly charts. It peaked even higher in Japan, at number 11 on the Oricon Singles Chart. Olivia-Newton John's version of "Jolene" later appeared on her 2022 "Greatest Hits" album.

Answer: Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X covered the song alongside cuts from his debut album "Montero." Other covers of "Jolene" include those by Mindy Smith, Kelly Chen, and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Answer: Miley Cyrus

The song was included on the artist's third live album, "Attention: Miley Live." Dolly Parton has collaborated with Miley Cyrus on two songs: "Christmas Is" and "Rainbowland." Dolly Parton became close to Miley Cyrus's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, when he toured with Dolly while promoting his 1992 single, "Achy Breaky Heart." In a November 17, 2023 "Today" interview, Dolly explained, "And [Billy Ray Cyrus] said ... 'We're having a girl, and you've got to be her godmother!' And I said, 'Well, I'd be honored.' So actually, Miley and I took over from there. We just stayed very, very close through the years.'"

Answer: Canada

"Jolene" also hit the top ten on singles charts in the U.K. (number seven on OCC), Ireland (number eight on the IRMA), and South Africa (number three on Springbok Radio). It was not as popular in Australia, where it only peaked at 99 on the Kent Music Report.

Answer: Summer rain

"Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compare to you Jolene."

For the original recording of "Jolene," Wayne Moss played steel-string guitar on the second refrain of the song, while Chip Young did the thumb-picking on the primary part of the song.

Answer: In his sleep

"He talks about you in his sleep
And there's nothin' I can do to keep
From cryin' when he calls your name, Jolene
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene"

"Jolene" was Dolly Parton's second number one country hit as a solo artist. Her first number one hit, "Joshua," was released in 1971. As of 2024, Dolly Parton held the record for the most number one hits as a female country artist, with 25 such hits to her name.

Answer: 3

"Jolene," featuring Dolly Parton with Pentatonix, finally won a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance in 2017. It was nominated twice before, in 1975 for the original recording and in 1976 for a live recording from the "In Concert" TV series, but it did not win either time.