WHAT WENT DOWN
Jack White played "Jolene" at London's Eventim Apollo hours after Dolly Parton's death **††. It was his first live performance of the song in 19 years ¶††.
THE DETAILS
- The Aug. 25 show came hours after Parton died at her Nashville home at 80 **††.
- Setlist.fm has his last "Jolene" with the White Stripes at Madison Square Garden, July 24, 2007 — never once in his solo career *¶.
- Accounts differ: Stereogum reports a verse folded into "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground," others describe an unannounced full cover; White pointed skyward and made the sign of the cross as it ended ‡§††.
- The Stripes' version was the "Hello Operator" B-side; Parton called it "one of the greatest versions ever of 'Jolene'" ‡§.
- White posted a photo of Parton captioned "Instant Sainthood"; Third Man Records cited her Imagination Library *§**.
THE TAKE
A song he'd shelved for 19 years came back the night its writer died. Parton told The Guardian in 2016 that she and White had discussed recording together; no collaboration was ever released §.
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