Jack White Breaks a 19-Year Silence on “Jolene” With Emotional Dolly Parton Tribute in London
Jack White paid tribute to Dolly Parton in one of the most fitting ways possible, unexpectedly bringing “Jolene” back to the stage for the first time in nearly two decades during his London concert.
Parton died earlier that day at the age of 80, prompting an outpouring of tributes from musicians and fans around the world. White, who has long expressed his admiration for the country legend, initially marked the news with just two words on Instagram: “Instant sainthood.”
Hours later, he let the music say the rest.
A surprise return for “Jolene”
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Performing at London’s Eventim Apollo, White began his show with his recent single “That’s How I’m Feeling” before moving into the White Stripes favorite “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”
Then came a song few in the audience could have expected.
White launched into Parton’s “Jolene,” resurrecting a cover with deep roots in his own musical history.
The performance carried added emotional weight because White had reportedly not played the song live since the White Stripes performed at Madison Square Garden on July 24, 2007. He had also never performed it during his solo career until this London show.
Footage shared on social media captured an especially poignant moment during the performance. White looked upward and pointed toward the sky before clasping his hands together in a gesture resembling a prayer — turning a familiar cover into what appeared to be a deeply personal salute to Parton.
Why “Jolene” has always mattered to Jack White
White’s connection with the song stretches back long before Tuesday night’s tribute.
Parton originally released “Jolene” in 1974. The song reached No. 1 on the country chart and earned two Grammy nominations before becoming one of the defining recordings of her career.
Years later, the White Stripes radically reworked it.
Their version was initially released as the B-side of “Hello Operator” before becoming a regular part of the band’s live performances. Rather than simply reproducing Parton’s recording, the duo transformed the song through their stripped-down, raw rock sound.
Parton herself approved.
She once described the White Stripes’ interpretation as “wonderful.”
White had actually been fascinated by “Jolene” before becoming a professional musician. Speaking to NPR in 2008, he recalled hearing the song as a teenager and becoming intrigued by the power of its title.
“I thought that was an interesting name,” White recalled, explaining that as he became a songwriter himself, he began thinking about the particular impact of names beginning with the letter “J.”
He connected “Jolene” with another evocative name: “Jezebel.”
That fascination eventually helped turn Parton’s country classic into one of the White Stripes’ most memorable covers.
From a two-word farewell to a song
White’s tribute came amid a wave of remembrances following news of Parton’s death.
But rather than delivering a lengthy public statement, he initially kept his reaction strikingly simple.
“Instant sainthood.”
Then, onstage in London, White reached back to a song he hadn’t performed in 19 years.
For an artist whose relationship with “Jolene” stretched from his teenage years through the White Stripes and into his solo career, its unexpected return carried a meaning far beyond an ordinary cover.
On a night when musicians around the world were remembering Dolly Parton, Jack White brought one of her most enduring songs back into his set — and, with a glance toward the sky and his hands briefly clasped together, turned it into a farewell.