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.
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