To everyone wanting to know if this is a reference to "JoJo": No, the Japanese series was developed in 1986, but Dolly wrote and recorded "Jolene" in 1973.Th...
It’s kind of interesting to see Dolly the subtle songwriter in conflict here with Dolly the inveterate show-woman. Jolene is such a brilliant song because of the state of desperation and weakness the speaker is living in, and it comes out in that swelling but plaintive melody.
But… that’s a fuckin’ bummer when you’re doing a jaunty variety show in peak wig and frontier-fringe glam, and she knows it, so you get the sexed-up version of the back story and some audience banter, and then you up the tempo a bit on the performance.
I reckon there was a reason she’d been pushing back on doing the song on the show, and this performance being just a tiny bit off (imho) is because she just needed to get it done, since despite being a poor fit for the situation, it was also an iconic hit, and she still does it justice even if there are other versions I like better.
The Jack White and Miley Cyrus covers are also really good, btw.
LOL, you can’t know where somebody’s head is at, though I understand that the version of the story in this video is way exaggerated, with Jolene being a composite of a cute and flirty bank teller and a redheaded fan with a unique name. I also think Dolly probably had to dig way deep to find the level of insecurity our speaker portrays, but as I recall she had to pretty meticulously craft her big persona to get the respect as a performer that she wanted.
I never thought I’d like anything Miley Cyrus has done since pop music makes me a little sick but some of her covers are bangers. Her Zombie cover was pretty fucking great too among others
She’s got the pipes to be sure, and it seems some good instincts about music, but I agree I don’t find most of the limited portion of her work that I’ve heard to be all that compelling. The little bit of husk that crept into her voice before she started doing Jolene gives it a bit of Southern Gothic (subcategory: trailer park) bite that works well and took it somewhere Dolly’s voice never would.
Not saying it’s better; many versions of Dolly doing the song, including this early one from Porter Wagoner’s show, are haunting in a way Miley can’t touch. Not exactly a hot take here, but I’ve always been of the school that a cover is only interesting as recorded music if the new artist puts their own spin on the song, and both Cyrus and the White Stripes did that.
It’s kind of interesting to see Dolly the subtle songwriter in conflict here with Dolly the inveterate show-woman. Jolene is such a brilliant song because of the state of desperation and weakness the speaker is living in, and it comes out in that swelling but plaintive melody.
But… that’s a fuckin’ bummer when you’re doing a jaunty variety show in peak wig and frontier-fringe glam, and she knows it, so you get the sexed-up version of the back story and some audience banter, and then you up the tempo a bit on the performance.
I reckon there was a reason she’d been pushing back on doing the song on the show, and this performance being just a tiny bit off (imho) is because she just needed to get it done, since despite being a poor fit for the situation, it was also an iconic hit, and she still does it justice even if there are other versions I like better.
The Jack White and Miley Cyrus covers are also really good, btw.
Only issue I have with Dolly, or Miley, singing Jolene, is that there’s no chance in hell anyone ever stole their man.
Talent wise, they both did amazing.
LOL, you can’t know where somebody’s head is at, though I understand that the version of the story in this video is way exaggerated, with Jolene being a composite of a cute and flirty bank teller and a redheaded fan with a unique name. I also think Dolly probably had to dig way deep to find the level of insecurity our speaker portrays, but as I recall she had to pretty meticulously craft her big persona to get the respect as a performer that she wanted.
I never thought I’d like anything Miley Cyrus has done since pop music makes me a little sick but some of her covers are bangers. Her Zombie cover was pretty fucking great too among others
She’s got the pipes to be sure, and it seems some good instincts about music, but I agree I don’t find most of the limited portion of her work that I’ve heard to be all that compelling. The little bit of husk that crept into her voice before she started doing Jolene gives it a bit of Southern Gothic (subcategory: trailer park) bite that works well and took it somewhere Dolly’s voice never would.
Not saying it’s better; many versions of Dolly doing the song, including this early one from Porter Wagoner’s show, are haunting in a way Miley can’t touch. Not exactly a hot take here, but I’ve always been of the school that a cover is only interesting as recorded music if the new artist puts their own spin on the song, and both Cyrus and the White Stripes did that.