Analyzing the Themes of Power and Control in 'Jolene'

First, a little note to you, the listeners. Lez Hang Out will be taking a bit of a different direction with our Should’ve Been Gays this season in support of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. As such, we will not be covering any material from the struck companies until an agreement is reached with the studios. While this means you will be hearing a bit less about movies and TV shows for a while, don’t fret, because if there is anything we have learned from the past 108 SBGs it’s that we can make absolutely anything gay.

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Before Fletcher could shake up the sapphic community with the absolute banger, Becky’s So Hot, Dolly had all the gays gagged with Jolene. This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) talk about the iconic Dolly Parton song, Jolene. Dolly released Jolene in 1973 and it was not only an instant classic, but an instant gay anthem. Unless you have been fully living under a rock your entire life, you have heard this song hundreds if not thousands of times and could probably recite the lyrics in your sleep (it helps that the majority of the song is just Dolly moaning Jolene’s name over and over). 

At first glance, this song is giving heterosexual. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who is afraid her husband will leave her for the overwhelmingly beautiful Jolene and her locks of auburn hair. When you look a little closer, it’s almost impossible not to be totally slapped in the face by the lesbian subtext. It literally opens with a description of Jolene that rivals an Emily Dickinson love poem. This woman is honestly way more enamored with Jolene than her husband ever could be. Instead of being upset with her husband or even with Jolene for the potential affair, Dolly gives all the power to Jolene. She’s so hot that she quite frankly cannot be stopped. 

For the sake of the gay mafia, we are *not* speculating at all about Dolly’s sexuality. But when you approach this song from the perspective of the wife, it reads a lot like a closeted lesbian’s attempt to process her own attraction to Jolene while maintaining her relationship with her Beard. She’s basically saying, please don’t take my man because I’ll literally never find another one that I can tolerate being around (you can take me instead though, Jolene). 

We know one thing for sure, Dolly Parton’s Jolene Should’ve Been Gay. 

Follow along on the platform formerly known as Twitter: Lez Hang Out (@lezhangoutpod) and answer our Q & Gay at the end of every episode. Leigh Holmes Foster (@lshfoster) and Ellie Brigida (@elliebrigida). You can also join us on Facebook.com/lezhangoutpod and follow along on Instagram (@lezhangoutpod). 

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