Olivia Newton-John’s final recorded performance was a new version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, bringing the two singers together on a song Newton-John first recorded in 1976.
by Paul Cashmere
Olivia Newton-John’s final official recording was “Jolene”, a duet with Dolly Parton that connected the beginning and end of one of the Australian singer’s most enduring relationships with country music. Recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic before Newton-John’s death in August 2022, the collaboration was released posthumously on February 17, 2023, ahead of the May release of Just The Two Of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 1).
“Jolene” extends beyond its status as Newton-John’s final recording. It brought her career full circle with a song that had been part of her repertoire since 1976, when she recorded Dolly Parton’s composition for her album Come On Over.
Newton-John’s original “Jolene” was recorded in London during the sessions for Come On Over, produced by her longtime collaborator John Farrar. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in October and November 1975 and released in March 1976.
The song became part of Newton-John’s country and pop crossover period. “Jolene” was issued as a single in Japan, where it reached number 11 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The Australian single release followed in 1978 and peaked at number 29.
Nearly 47 years after that first recording, Newton-John returned to the song with its author.
The final version was created as a duet, with Newton-John and Parton sharing the vocal performance. A video accompanying the release captured the collaboration and provided a record of the two singers working together. Before her death, Newton-John said she had always wanted to sing with Parton, while Parton described the recording as her last memory with Newton-John.
The relationship between the two artists had begun during Newton-John’s breakthrough years in country music. Newton-John had won the Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year award in 1974 for “If You Love Me (Let Me Know)”, becoming the first non-American-born artist to receive the honour. Parton and Newton-John remained friends for decades.
For Newton-John, “Jolene” was therefore more than a late-career revisit. It was a song that had followed her through several distinct phases of her career.
Her original version opened Come On Over, an album that demonstrated the balance between country, country-pop and mainstream adult contemporary music that characterised much of her work in the mid-1970s. The album reached number two on the US Top Country Albums chart and number 13 on the Billboard 200.
The original “Jolene” was also notable within the album because it was Newton-John’s interpretation of a song written entirely by Parton. The 1976 recording runs for 3:07 and credits John Farrar as producer.
Parton’s original had been released in 1973 and became one of her defining songs. Recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville and released in October 1973, “Jolene” was written by Parton and produced by Bob Ferguson.
The song’s durability has made it one of the most frequently recorded compositions in country music, with versions appearing across generations and genres. Parton’s own recording became her second solo number one on the US country chart, while the song subsequently developed a life far beyond its original release.
Newton-John’s association with the song continued well beyond the studio. “Jolene” was included in the setlist for her 1982 Physical Tour and remained part of her performance repertoire. A live version recorded in Osaka in December 1976 was later included as a bonus track on a Japanese edition of Come On Over.
The final duet consequently carries an unusual historical symmetry. Newton-John began her association with “Jolene” by interpreting Parton’s song during a pivotal period in her own country-pop career. Decades later, Parton joined Newton-John for what became the singer’s final recording.
“Jolene” was released on February 17, 2023, as the first public indication of Newton-John’s completed duets project. Just The Two Of Us: The Duets Collection (Vol. 1) followed on May 5, featuring collaborations recorded across Newton-John’s career. The project preserved her voice alongside a range of musical partners, with the Parton duet occupying a particularly significant place because it was the last song Newton-John recorded.
The recording now stands as the closing entry in Newton-John’s official recording career. Her final performance was not a new composition, but a return to a song she had carried with her since the 1970s, this time singing it alongside the woman who wrote it.
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