Miranda Lambert Explains Why ‘Geraldene’ Sparked a Fight Between Her 2 Co-Writers
Miranda Lambert recently opened up about the creation of her hit single “Geraldene.” She discussed how the track pays homage to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” But the country star also recalled how the song caused a fight between her two collaborators.
Miranda Lambert describes the fight over ‘Geraldene’
“Geraldene” appears on Miranda Lambert’s 2022 album, Palomino. She penned the song with co-writers Jack Ingram and Jon Randall. But the country star recently revealed to StageRightSecrets that the two men argued over how the song should sound.
Lambert, who came up with the title of the track, said Ingram and Randall began fighting over the song “because one of them wanted it to sound like this, and one of them wanted it to sound like this.”
Not interested in getting in the middle of their argument, Lambert said she went to go make herself a sandwich.
“I would look out the window and be like, ‘Five more minutes. Let them buck it out, and then we’ll go finish this song,'” she said she thought to herself. “It was actually really funny. That moment I came back, and I see them, like, this close to each other’s face, like really talking with their hands.
“I’m like, ‘Are y’all done? We’re writing about a truckstop queen — can’t be this hard,'” Lambert shared.
The connection between ‘Geraldene’ and Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’
Lambert’s fans love the lyrics to “Geraldene,” and a clip of the song has even become a trend on TikTok. Users post pictures of themselves and their moms and grandmas, while Lambert sings, “You’re trailer-park pretty, but you’re never gonna be Jolene.”
Though “Geraldene” is undeniably an ode to “Jolene,” Lambert insisted she and her co-writers were not trying to dethrone the Dolly Parton hit because neither she nor the iconic song could ever be beaten.
“But we wanted to do an ode to it because Geraldene wishes she was Jolene, but she’s never gonna be that cute,” Lambert explained. “And we knew that upfront.”
The major difference between the two songs is the tone. Parton’s song sees her pleading with Jolene: “I’m begging of you, please, don’t take my man.” Meanwhile, Lambert sounds ready to fight with the titular Geraldene, singing, “You get ’em all on thеir knees, but you can’t take a man from me.”
Rolling Stone named ‘Jolene’ 1 of the greatest songs of all time
It makes sense Miranda Lambert and her co-writers would want to shout out “Jolene” in “Geraldene.” The 1973 hit is one of the biggest country songs of all time. It reached number one on the Billboard country charts in 1974 and ranks 217th on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
“Jolene” is the Dolly Parton song most recorded by other music artists, the country legend told NPR. Singers who’ve covered it include Olivia Newton-John, the White Stripes, Lil Nas X, and Parton’s goddaughter Miley Cyrus.
