"One night, I was on stage, and there was this beautiful little girl — she was probably 8 years old at the time," Parton says. "And she had this beautiful red hair, this beautiful skin, these beautiful green eyes, and she was looking up at me, holding, you know, for an autograph. I said, 'Well, you're the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?' And she said, 'Jolene.' And I said, 'Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jolene.' I said, 'That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I'm going to write a song about that.'"

Is is just that easy for some songwriters, isn't it?  That is why Dolly wins.  But that's only part of it:

Parton says that she got the story for her song from another redhead in her life at the time — a bank teller who was giving Parton's new husband a little more interest than he had coming.

"She got this terrible crush on my husband," Parton says. "And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one."

An innocent song that sounds like a dreadful one.   Now we know.  And because it is so durn good, there's a clip of a young, bell-bottomed Dolly performing the song the jump, followed by the White Stripes' live cover version.

Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' Still Haunts Singers [NPR]

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In the shadows the fire cast on Sean's furry brown fleece and beard, I saw something I attributed to emotional distress in his face (though it may have been the difficulty he had hitting the higher notes on the 4th Jolene) which replay in my mind every time I hear the song. There was a great segment today on All Things Considered which features Dolly herself discussing the origins of the song. The post contains links to watch Jack White and Mindy Smith performing their interpretations.

Thanks Sean for introducing me to this classic with such a great story behind it.

[dailymotion id=xk4kh]

Video Clip : I Will Always Love You

Singer : Dolly Parton

Jolene (my blogging buddy) tagged me over the weekend. Since I enjoy a quick game of tag, here goes:

____________________________________

Here are six unspectacular things about me:

1. Fall is my favorite season. The crisp air and changing leaves often bring a smile to my face and a special warmth to my heart.

2. My favorite colors are 4 of the primary colors...red, blue, purple, and green. (These are pretty much what I wear.)

3. Even though I suppose I know better, on occasion I've been known to say "y'all" and "ain't." (Well, I probably say them more than occasionally. I'm o.k. with it though...I am from the south, you know. )

4. I like to participate in many forms of art...singing, writing, photography, etc. I love the thought of capturing something beautiful to share with others.

5. The sight of a furry, baby animal still brings a smile to my face and makes me say, "A-w-w..." I just can't seem to help myself!

6. Nowadays, I choose comfort over appearance when it comes to clothing. If it's not comfortable, I'm probably not going to wear it. (Yep, plain t-shirts, blue jeans, and sneakers...every day but Sunday.)

____________________________________

Meme terms & conditions:

1. link the person who tagged you
2. mention the rules on your blog
3. list 6 unspectacular things about you
4. tag 6 other bloggers

____________________________________

O.k., now I tag the following:

Carol, Tracy, Barb, Jendi, Gina, and Lori

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In their first head-to-head debate, Sen. John McCain criticized Sen. Barack Obama as a candidate who "doesn't understand" the key issues the country faces, and Obama linked McCain to President Bush on several issues.

Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama discussed their differences in Friday's presidential debate.

1 of 3

more photos »

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"I'm afraid Sen. Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy," McCain said Friday as the two traded jabs over Iraq.

Obama shot back, "I absolutely understand the difference between tactics and strategy. And the strategic question that the president has to ask is not whether or not we are employing a particular approach in the country once we have made the decision to be there."

McCain drew from his experience overseas as he tried to portray himself as the more qualified candidate.

"Incredibly, incredibly Sen. Obama didn't go to Iraq for 900 days and never asked for a meeting with Gen. [David] Petraeus," he said. Watch McCain, Obama talk about fighting in Iraq »

McCain slammed Obama for not supporting the surge, an increase of about 30,000 troops to Iraq in early 2007. Bush sent the additional troops as part of a campaign to pacify Baghdad and its surrounding provinces.

"John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007," Obama shot back. "You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong." Watch entire debate: Part 1 » | Part 2 » | Part 3 »

Obama repeatedly criticized the Bush administration and charged that McCain is an endorser of his policies. See scenes from the debate

In describing his tax plan, Obama said, "over time, that, I think, is going to be a better recipe for economic growth than the -- the policies of President Bush that John McCain wants to -- wants to follow."

Obama also said the economic crisis is the "final verdict on eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush, supported by Sen. McCain."

Both candidates squeezed in a few cheap shots. Obama brought up McCain's jokingly singing a line about bombing Iran, and McCain jabbed Obama for his short-lived "presidential seal."

Immediately after the debate, both campaigns issued statements declaring their candidate the winner. Grade the candidates' performance in the debate

"This was a clear victory for Barack Obama on John McCain's home turf. Sen. McCain offered nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies, and Barack Obama made a forceful case for change in our economy and our foreign policy," said Obama-Biden campaign manager David Plouffe.

"John McCain needed a game-changer tonight, and by any measure, he didn't get it," he said. iReport.com: Who do you think won the debate?

McCain's campaign said "there was one man who was presidential tonight; that man was John McCain."

"There was another who was political; that was Barack Obama. John McCain won this debate and controlled the dialogue throughout, whether it was the economy, taxes, spending, Iraq or Iran. There was a leadership gap, a judgment gap and a boldness gap on display tonight, a fact Barack Obama acknowledged when he said John McCain was right at least five times," communications director Jill Hazelbaker said. Full coverage of the debates

During the first 30 minutes of the debate, the candidates focused on the economy, even though the debate was supposed to be centered on foreign policy.

For a while, it seemed like the debate might not even take place, because McCain said he would not show up unless Congress came to an agreement on the government's proposed $700 billion bailout plan.

McCain said Friday that enough progress has been made for him to attend the debate, even though Congress has not made a deal.

Here's a snapshot of what the candidates said.

On government spending:

McCain said he would consider a spending freeze on everything but defense, veterans affairs and entitlement programs in order to cut back on government spending.

Obama disagreed, saying, "The problem is, you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel.

"There are some programs that are very important that are currently underfunded," Obama said.

He agreed that the government needs to cut spending in some areas, but he said other areas, such as early childhood education, need more funding.

McCain repeated his call to veto every bill with earmarks. Watch the candidates spar over earmarks »

Obama said the country "absolutely" needs earmark reform but said, "the fact is, eliminating earmarks alone is not a recipe for how we are going to get the middle class back on track."

On the bailout proposal:

Obama said that the United States was facing its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

McCain said he was encouraged that Republicans and Democrats were working together to solve the crisis.

Obama refused to be pinned down on whether he would support a $700 billion plan proposed by President Bush's top economic advisers, saying the final details of the proposal were not known.

McCain said he hoped to be able to vote for it.

On the likelihood of another terrorist attack:

McCain that another attack on the scale of the September 11 hijackings is "much less likely" now than it was the day after the terrorist attacks.

"America is safer now than it was on 9/11," he said, "But we have a long way to go before we can declare America safe."

Obama agreed that the United States is "safer in some ways" but said the country needed to focus more on issues such as nuclear non-proliferation and restoring America's image in the world.

On relations with Russia:

Obama called for a re-evaluation of the United States' approach to Russia in light of the country's recent military action in the Caucasus.

"You cannot be a 21st-century superpower and act like a 20th-century dictatorship," he said.

McCain accused Obama of responding naively to Russia's invasion of neighboring Georgia last month by calling on both sides to exercise restraint.

McCain said he would support the inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO.

On Iran:

McCain said Iranian nuclear weapons would be an "existential threat to the state of Israel" and would encourage other countries in the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons as well.

"We cannot allow another Holocaust," he said.

Obama agreed that the United States "cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran," calling for tougher sanctions from a range of countries including Russia and China.

McCain called for a new "league of democracies" to stand firm against Iran.

On Iraq:

McCain said the next president will have to decide when and how to leave Iraq and what the United States will leave behind.

The Republican candidate said that the war had been badly managed at the beginning but that the United States was now winning, thanks to a "great general and a strategy that succeeded."

"Sen. Obama refuses to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq," McCain said.

Obama responded, "that's not true; that's not true."

He blasted McCain as having been wrong about the war at the start, saying McCain had failed to anticipate the uprising against U.S. forces and violence between rival religious groups in the country. Watch Obama tell McCain he was 'wrong' »

"At the time when the war started, you said it was quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were," Obama said, citing the key White House policy justifying the 2003 invasion.

"You were wrong. You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong," he said.

**********************

Here is why Jolene wants us to see this article...

I picked this article to share because I thought it was very interesting and found it kind of funny how they go back and forth and test each other on their knowledge. I found the part where McCain tried to make it look like he had more experience and knowledge about the war funny  because he had gone over to Iraq for 900 days and that made him a more “qualified candidate“. Both candidates go on about different issues such as taxes, government spending, likelihood of another terrorist attack, Iran and Iraq. Obama and McCain each had something to say about all the topics. They didn’t agree with each others answers on the most of the topics. This article really shows the difference the two candidates have on some important issues.

Dolly Parton fans rejoice-- East Tennessee's favorite daughter is alive and well, according to Dollywood spokesperson Pete Owens.

Owens says his office, just like Channel 10, has been flooded with calls. WSMV, the NBC station in Nashville, says they have also recieved calls.

Owens believes the rumor that Parton died from congestive heart failure may have started Friday night. Apparently, a local high school announced Parton's death during its football game. Owens does not know which high school made the unfortunate mistake.

Owens says he spoke with Parton on Saturday, and she decided against releasing an official statement confirming that she is indeed alive.

Let's celebrate Dolly with my fav Dolly vid:

as many of you know, or should know, I FUCKING LOVE CAKE!

& not just the band, although they are pretty rad

cake is amazing & wonderful & can be subtle & glorious (lemon lavender, with a nice lemon glaze & garnished with sprigs of rosemary & edible flowers... mmm...)

but many times things go awry, terribly, terribly awry, just awfully wrong in the cake world... but at least there is the awesome cake wreck blog documenting & bringing to attention many of the awful atrocities that have been made & then laughing at them! (i love her commentary!) so you must MUST check it out, it's great!

& one of these days my food-blog with get some much needed attention & a whole week devoted to cake... & maybe i'll write here about NM... things did happen (mostly aggravating, but some lovely, some bizarre, some just hilarious...)

have a lovely tuesday! i'm off to breakfast with my ladies!!! (we haven't all been together since January so i'm pretta psyched!)

Today I listened to: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists "Shake the sheets" album, Dolly Parton "Jolene", Heart Monster "NYC".

I'm not saying that I don't find Speed Stacking to be very impressive, but I don't know if I'll ever get the appeal, it's like if I spent the next year learning to run around the couch really quickly... which I guess brings us back to the kitties because that's kind of their scene.

photo by siouxzen*

design by marylee

1)  aldrig 3 flasker rødvin og jolene

2) aldrig ovenstående kombineret med 14årige clubkids

3) ikke stresse over eksamen, acceptere at man har begrænset tid fordi man har taget et par andre sjove opgaver på sig

4) at man nogen gange bliver nødt til at sige nogle ting højt så man ikke går mugger over det

5) at læringspunkter er et koncept jeg ikke er enig i, men hvis jeg ser det som en opgave er det nemmere at overkomme (også hvis du punkt opstiller det... så kan man nemlig skrie mindre)

all for now

xoxo

For nu at komme med en lille indskydelse så bør folk der har en wii, prøve Wii fit! Der er en del fysiske udfoldelses muligheder med spillet Wii sport, som medfølger når man køber en Wii. Men med et Wii balance board, øges mulighederne næsten til det uendelige. Således var jeg igennem et utal af øvelser og aktiviteter, bla. Skihop, slalom, armstræk, mavebøjninger, løb, spurt, headning til fodbolde, youga, aerobic, samt enkelte andre små øvelser.  Det er hårdt i længen for en nørd som mig :P

Tilbage til aftenen, på park var der en del andre besøgende, og hen af aftenen var der tydeligt at mærke det store selskab blev prioriteret frem for andre besøgende. Der gik længer og længere tid imellem, de ellers søde, tjenere kom forbi, så vi blev selv nødt til at henvende os 2 gange. I en kombination med den faldende service og temperaturen, som efter solen havde forladt himmelen, var faldet en del besluttede vi at tage videre. Vi gik ned på Bopa´s plads, hvor cafe bopa og Pixie ligger, vi gik ind på først nævnte der var uheldigvis ikke nogle ledige borde. Der var adskillige borde der stod tomme men de var reserveret, dog til tidligere på aftenen, så vi fik lov at overtage et af bordene. Efter at have sat os og ventet et stykke tid, gik jeg op i baren for at bestille, men fik pænt af vide at det ikke var muligt at bestille i baren, og de ville komme fordi. Da hun kom 10 minutter senere, undskyldte hun, og forklarede manglede 3 mænd.  De to tjenere der var arbejdede hårdt for at følge med og leverede også en hurtig betjeningen, men det var tydeligt at se de var underbemandet.

Omkring kl 00.30 tog Nilsson og jeg en taxa til Karrierebar, i kødbyen, hvos vi bla. så kronprinsen og intet mindre en Preben Elkjær. Det var min første gang på karrierebar og det er et unikt sted. En kombination imellem en restaurant, cafe, bar og en kunstudstilling, det er en labyrint at komme på toilettet eftersom der er mange skjulte døre og der er altid rødt på alle dørene, også selvom der nødvendigt vis ikke er et toilet bag ved døren! Derudover bevæger baren sig!(ja du læste rigtigt, baren køre frem og tilbage, og således står man pludselig med sidemandens drink!).  Alt i alt, består det af nogle gamle slagter lokaler, krydret med kunst, noget elektronisk musik, lidt vesterbro  snobberi, nogle halv peberede barpriser og en masse mennesker. Altså noget specielt, der skal opleves!

På vej hjem rundede vi forbi Jolene, en tidligere Nørrbro-bar som pga naboklager var blevet nødt til at lukke. De har valgt at åbne ude i kødbyen næsten lige ved siden af Karrierebar, og hvis du spørger mig, er det kun et spørgsmål og tid, før der åbner flere cafe, diskoteker og bare i kødbyen, som forhåbentlig bliver forvandlet til Københavns svar på Jomfru ane gade. Der var mildt sagt ret dødt på jolene, så vi var hurtigt ude igen, og var faktisk på vej hjem, da vi ser omkring 50 mennesker stå på flæsketorvet, som det så fint hedder, og danse/snakke/ryge.
Vi går derover af for at se hvad det er, og der var gang i den indenfor så vi beslutter os for lige at kigge ind. Det viser sig at være en eller anden form for undergrunds fest, det virkede i hvert fald sådan på mig. I baren var det kun muligt at købe guld tuborg på dåse, og vand, dj´sne var ikke lige frem professionelle, de tog ikke imod dankort nogle steder og det virkede ikke som om der var nogle der som sådan havde ansvaret for noget men der var dog hyret dørmænd.  Til gengæld var det super hyggeligt, der var gang i den, der var en masse diskoteksrøg, og dj´en gik fuldkommen amok med stroboskopet, hvilket gjorde man ikke kunne se en halvtime efter, men ellers tror jeg det er svært at sætte en finger på noget. Omkring kl 4-5 stykker mødte vi, af alle steder, Morten Gade, en kollega som skulle have været på karrierebar, men de havde lukket og derfor var han også kommet herhen.  Jeg ved ikke hvad klokken har været, men da det begyndte at blive lyst igen, og folk lige så stille begyndte at forlade dansegulvet, blev mig og Nilsson enige om det nok også var tid til vi forlod dansegulvet for i aften og tog hjem af.

På vej hjem tog jeg nogle billeder med mobilen, jeg er så fantastisk glad for der er et så godt kamera i den mobil, derudover er der også nogle billeder fra aftenen herunder.
Tak for en fed aften Nilsson!

Dammit, I'm showing my age again.

Doesn't Dolly look absolutely fantastic? My goodness, she's 62 years old according to Wikipedia! She either had a lot of cosmetic surgery, or she's a vampire who maintains her youth by drinking the blood of virgins. Either way, she looks younger than me, and I'm only 45. Gee, now I made myself feel ugly. Thanks, self. Now I guess it's back to the Lancome counter so I feel un-ugly again.

Brooke White (Jolene) - She's just so damn cute, she could charm a snake. I really like this song, but I'm not sure about how she's doing it. She's going WAY too fast at times, it's almost as if she's in a hurry to get to the next line, but in the process she leaves the music behind. Cool song though, I think I said that already .... "Jolene Jolene Jolene Jolene, I'm beggin' of ya, please don't take my man. Jolene Jolene Jolene Jolene please don't take him just because you can" .... that's good stuff, timeless. It's definitely a country song through and through, in my opinion, so I'm not sure how well it works as a folksy song, but she's just so damn cute, I'm going to like it anyway. LOL. Randy thought it was okay, Paula liked it, Simon didn't like it. It seems like that's almost always the way the judges vote, isn't it?

David Cook (Little Sparrow) - First I have to ask who he stole his arrangement from this time. Yeah, I know, that's not nice. But last week he did a cool and very different arrangement, then it turned out that he got the arrangement from Chris Cornell. Now, I don't trust him, which is probably dumb, but still. It doesn't change the fact that I'm now suspicious of whether it's his own talent, or if he's just borrowing others' arrangements. It's alright, I guess, but not great because I'm used to hearing the original, plus his breasteses aren't big enough for him to be Dolly. Then again, even Anna Nicole didn't have big enough breasteses to be Dolly. Randy loved it, Paula loved it, Simon thought it wasn't as good as last week but that if a guy can do a song about a sparrow and make it sound good like he did, more power to him. I agree.

Ramiele Malubay (Do I Ever Cross Your Mind) - Ramiele is cute as always, but my goodness. I could hear people from church choirs singing this just as well. So far, I think she's going to be gone next week, because this is so forgettable that I've forgotten it already. Who was singing this again? LOL, yeah, I know, that's not nice. But she's cute and she has a big voice, but she just didn't pull this one off, it wasn't very good. She was so forgettable that people will forget to vote for her. They may not even remember she was on the show. She sang it better than I could do, but that's not necessarily saying anything since I couldn't carry a tune in a spit bucket. Randy gave it 6.5 out of ten, Paula thought it was okay, Simon thought it was cute but that's all. She needs to fix her hair differently, at least then she'd be memorable for something.

Jason Castro (Travelin' Through) - Dolly thought he was funky looking and just kind of cool, so she thinks it's a good song for him. Uh-oh, my toe is tappin'. It's a good song for him. He's playing guitar. He got some work done on the dreads, which he really needed. Dreads are really just intentionally matted hair, did you know that? I looked it up when Elf wanted dreads, and that's why I wouldn't let him do it. No child o' mine is going to walk around with their hair all matted and nasty looking. Well, maybe it wasn't as good as I thought, since despite the toe-tappin', I just didn't like it enough to not ramble on about something completely unrelated. Randy liked it, Paula liked it and liked his confidence, and Simon didn't like it, he thought it sounded like the same song as before, it doesn't suit him, and said he's lost his season pass to Dollywood for saying so, LOL.

Carly Smithson (Here You Come Again) - It's just her on the stage, with a guy sitting and playing guitar. She slowed the song into a ballad. I'm confused, and not just because she turned an upbeat little ditty into a ballad; I'm wondering what the hell she is wearing. Is it super-tight pants with a long shirt, or is it a mini skirt short enough to show her bum? I can't figure it out. The song works okay as a ballad. I still hate Carly though, because I still think she's a plant. I don't mean that I hate her like I'd want her to contract the Ebola Virus or anything, but I do wish she'd get voted off. Randy thought it would be the best song of the night. Paula loved it, but she loves everything so who cares what she thinks. Paula and Randy argued about her performance from last week, as if anyone cares. Simon thought it was good but not great. He told her to talk to whoever is dressing her. Obviously, I'd agree.

David Archuletta (Smoky Mountain Memories) - Dolly loves him, she almost cried but has to keep her false eyelashes in place, she thinks he has wat it takes to be a great singer. The kid has a great voice, I admit. It's weird that he sings "my southern eyes are teary" without any accent whatsoever, though. Cilla told me last week on "Live From Court Street" that this kid's dad is a real monster, yelled at the kid in rehearsals until he was in tears. To hell with his dad. No parent should ever treat their kid like that, to hell with him. All the judges loved it, and I liked it okay. I like him better now that I know that his dad is a bully. Still, he seems more Broadway to me. I can't see him having a successful pop music career. He really needs to sing something other than ballads, because otherwise I'm going to assume he has no range of musical styles.

Kristy Lee Cook (Coat of Many Colors) - I know this song, used to listen to it growing up. Kristy Lee has a nice voice for country music, but Dolly she ain't. It's a beautiful song though, especially for those like me who grew up poor as dirt. I can relate to it. Uh-oh, both feet are tapping. I'm not sure if it's because she's doing a good job, or because it's a song I like. She's just super cute, looks like she just stepped off the cover of "Seventeen". The outfit didn't match the song, though. She was dressed in a flowing dress which wasn't very colorful at all. Randy said this is "Kristy Lee Week", Paula said she looks stunning and gave a beautiful performance, Simon thought last week was better, and this week was pleasant but forgettable. Ryan points out that she's barefoot and has a French pedicure.

Syesha Mercado (I Will Always Love You) - Absolutely fantastic song, I love this one. Whitney Houston did a good job with it too. During the first "I" before I love you, she could have done much more with it. Then she picked it up with "I wish you joy" though. Then she nailed the second "I will always love you". I'm impressed, this girl can hold a note! WOW. Fantastic, best of the night without any doubt, her best ever. Wow, I got goosebumps. Randy and Paula loved it, Simon thought the first part was good but thought the second part paled in comparison to Whitney, so he wishes she hadn't sang it. I disagree with Simon, though I usually agree with him. Sure, she's not Whitney, but she still kicked that song's ass.

Michael Johns (It's All Wrong, But It's Alright) - Dolly likes him, would like to write some songs for him. He's a very good singer, he's turning this into white soul, and it works. it reminds me of something you'd hear from Hall and Oates, though I'm not sure if he could hit those really high notes that Daryl Hall hits. Speaking of which, they should have a Hall and Oates week. Anyhoo .... Impressive. He's a good looking guy too, which doesn't hurt at all. I think he could be a very good singer, maybe even a big star one day if he plays his cards right. Randy thought it was blazing hot, Paula said you're a star, blah blah blah (She says the same things so many times, just insert typical Paula "you are a star" comments for the blah blah blah). Simon said this was the best he has ever heard him sing.

I think Ramiele is going home tomorrow night. I also think that if not for his fan base, Jason Castro might be going home tomorrow. I just hope Carly the Plant is in the bottom three again, simply because she's so struck on herself, and thinks she can sing much better than she really can).