The Jolene Effect

I think the negative response of people—frankly, the vast majority of them white, near as I can see—to Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene” says a lot about how people view Beyoncé and what she “should” be able to do as a performer. And any time someone seems to be telling a Black person how they “should” behave, it pisses me off.

Now, don’t get me wrong. You are entitled not to like the Beyoncé version of “Jolene.” I get that people associate it with Dolly Parton. I get that people have a legacy attachment to it. I get that Beyoncé isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. That doesn’t make you racist if you don’t like her twist on a Dolly Parton favorite. But you might want to examine why you dislike the song so much—if indeed you do.

I’ve seen and heard about plenty of rather impassioned posts online that are more like hate letters than anything else. And it seems a strange desire for people—again, mostly white—to post so emphatically how much they hate the song. Why do you need to express that desire so publicly? Haven’t there been other songs aplenty you’ve hated and said nothing about? Why does Beyoncé get your special attention?

It’s also interesting how some people are acting like Beyoncé ruined Dolly Parton’s version. People, this isn’t like someone drawing a big Groucho Marx mustache on the “Mona Lisa” in black Sharpie ink. The original “Jolene” still exists. It hasn’t gone away. In fact, this isn’t the first time it’s been covered or referenced (and yes, Beyoncé’s version isn’t technically a cover since it deviates so much from the original, but bear with me). The White Stripes covered “Jolene” a few years back, and I tell you, a guy singing that song certainly flips the script in a big way, since he sang the lyrics in their original form. My daughter listens to a song about a woman fending off a rival trying to steal her man and the singer refers to her as a “trailer park Jolene.”

The point is, the song has been part of musical history for a long time. It’s not above being tinkered with, played with, etc. And Dolly Parton herself has given her seal of approval, so it’s not like the originator of the song is being insulted or attacked.

One can critique the song. My ex-husband and coparent disliked the song greatly at first. After his initial knee-jerk reaction, and as our daughter continued to play it during car rides, he sort of grudgingly accepted the song. It’s sort of growing on him a bit but I don’t think he’ll ever really like it. And that’s fine. He admires the stylistic change in terms of lyrical structure and he appreciates the flip of the script in terms of dynamics between the singer and the character of Jolene. But it’s a combination of how those come together along with some other elements that make it hard for him to see it as an homage or a spiritual successor. Instead, for him, it’s a whole different song that inexplicably has the title “Jolene.”

Again, all of this is fine. But vitriol against Beyoncé changing the song so much and loud public complaints that she ruined something precious are weird—and suggest that more is at play than music appreciation. You know, like how people got so mad at Beyoncé for releasing two country songs before the “Jolene” song came out, complaining she didn’t belong in country music at all even though she’s from Texas originally. And that smacks of some racial animus, to me.

I think back to when she released “Lemonade” and did a performance while visibly pregnant in a yellow gown giving off vibes of the goddess Oshun and just seeming so effortless in performing while also expressing the joy of motherhood—and a lot of people hated it. Just ridiculed and insulted her for some kind of shameful display, as they saw it.

And I’m sure we’ll see plenty of complaints about her album Cowboy Carter overall because, again, people dislike her venturing into country. Thing is, though, that while there is plenty of country twang in there, there’s more than that too (including a cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird”)—and as some have noted, the album very much feels like a journey of reminding listeners how much of the music claimed by white people was originated by Black people, and that includes country music.

So, you can like or dislike this rework of “Jolene.” You can like or dislike the new album. You can like or dislike Beyoncé. That’s all fine and dandy. But take care, if you plan to constantly grumble about what this musical artist is doing or shout your opinions to the rooftops, ask yourself why it all bothers you so much.