‘Jolene’: The Dolly Parton classic that John Lydon called “astounding”
Every major rock band tends to have at least a little bit of eclectic taste in music. Rock and roll doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and what might sound like straight crap to one person might be the coolest thing in the world to another up-and-coming artist. Although John Lydon is probably the last person to go to when it comes to any politically correct opinion, his love of piss-and-vinegar punk was matched by his love for country music.
When you really break it down, there are a lot of similarities between country music and punk rock. Even though they seem like chalk and cheese half the time, the best country songs tend to take that kind of outlaw angle from the Old West, with artists reimagining themselves as the leather-clad cowboys of days gone by.
Looking at the clothing of most rock aficionados, those leather spurs and cowboy hats were just replaced with spiky hair and safety pins on the clothes of city punks. It’s one thing to talk about fashion, but what is it about the actual music that makes it similar?
After all, country is the kind of safe genre that keeps the traditional side of music alive, and punk is the genre designed to leave all tradition in the dust. Although the status quo was meant to be disrupted when it came to punk rock, everyone knew the shape of a heart, and Lydon was more than happy to talk about the aching passion in a work like ‘Jolene’ by Dolly Parton.
Despite being known as one of the resident grandmothers of music these days, Parton’s iconic song about a scorned lover is still a powerhouse today. From the minute that she starts singing, you can hear her practically begging this woman not to take her man away from her, even if she thinks she can win him over with her looks.
Whereas most punks might have turned their nose up at such a piece, Lydon thought that it was incredibly poignant, later recalling, “One of my favourite records of all time is Jolene. Just because of the tone of her voice – it’s astounding! When that woman sings real country, real grassroots stuff, I’m with her. I suppose that’s the Gael in me, the Gaelic.”
Whatever excuse Lydon needs to get him to love this song, it doesn’t really matter as long as the tune is there. Compared to the punk rock that Sex Pistols were used to spitting out, though, Parton’s tone of voice is far more comforting than any punk could hope to be, all while staying badass as hell.
At the time, it took some real guts for someone like Parton to speak her mind, and she would prove to be just as authentic as her music was in her later years. She might not have identified as a rock star by any stretch, but her ability to stick to her guns when people tried to push her around when Elvis Presley wanted to sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ takes courage that most punks don’t even conjure up that often.
Lydon’s music may exist on a completely different plane than Parton’s but both of them seem to have the same goal. Both of them see the problems happening in their lives, but if Lydon was crying out about the injustices of the world, Parton was doing everything in her power to change them.