A woman from Prince George, named Juline Whelan, has a strong belief that she could be the inspiration behind Dolly Parton’s iconic song, ‘Jolene.’ Whelan recalls meeting the country music star in 1972, matching the description given by Parton of the little girl who inspired the song’s title.
In an interview with a Norwegian television program in 2008, Dolly Parton shared the story of a red-haired, green-eyed girl named Jolene who had approached her for an autograph during her early career. Parton was captivated by the girl’s appearance and decided to write a song about her.
Whelan, who was 10 years old at the time, met Parton during a family trip to Disneyland a year before ‘Jolene’ was recorded. She vividly remembers getting the singer’s autograph after being mesmerized by her performance, especially loving the song ‘Coat of Many Colors.’
Years later, after watching a TV movie about Dolly Parton’s life in 2015, Whelan connected the dots and realized the potential inspiration she might have been for ‘Jolene.’ Her own features and the frequency of being mistaken for ‘Jolene’ reinforced this belief.
Despite being initially annoyed by the song’s popularity and teasing from others, Whelan has come to appreciate the significance of sharing a name with such a renowned song character. She now finds ‘Jolene’ to be an amazing song and hopes for a chance to meet Dolly Parton again during her Vancouver performance in September.
The song ‘Jolene,’ inspired by a child’s name but portraying a mature theme of love and jealousy, remains one of Dolly Parton’s greatest hits and a timeless classic in music history.