"Britney, I really think you should put some more thought into this one..."
"I want to cover this song. I have to." She pursed her lips and, with one hand on her hip and the other clutching sheet music, she stormed out of the studio.
"She doesn't have the voice for this, you know that as well as I do."
"When was the last time you saw her change her mind when it was this set?"
"I know... I know... Can we even get the rights to this? Maybe we can tell her that Dolly wouldn't give them up..."
"She's already gotten the go ahead from Dolly herself. Unless management can convince her otherwise, she's going to do this one. Look, you're just her vocal coach, she's not going to listen to you."
"Fuck. She really doesn't have the voice for this."
A week later, the producer had revised
the song and the band had nailed it and laid it to tape. Britney always
got her way.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeeeene.
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeeeene.
Please don't take him just because you can.
"She really doesn't have the voice for
this..."
It was a story that she had to tell and there was no better way than through her music. No other way that he would hear it. She knew that she could never actually write anything herself and no one else could write this one for her. And she knew this song; she had heard it her whole life and marveled at the desperation in the lyrics, the pureness of the story. And it told the whole story perfectly.
She knew that she would never sing it the way it should be sung. She knew that she would never make it sound the way that she wanted it to sound. She knew that no one would ever really understand.
Her fans would probably never even realize that it was a cover, unless their parents were like hers and listened to desperately sad country music around the house. A lot of them probably did.
But they would never understand her take on the whole thing.
She watched her man slowly be taken away from her.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeeene.
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeeene.
Please don't take him just because you can.
Your smile is like a breath of spring.
Your voice is soft like summer rain,
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene.
She drank hot tea with anise seed and honey and warmed up for four hours before she had to record and she still knew that she would never be able to hit the high notes. She knew that she didn't have the voice for this.
But she wasn't sure that it even mattered.
She knew that the tears in her voice would show through and she knew that her desperation ran deep enough and she knew that was the most important thing.
He talks about you in his sleep
There's nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, Jolene.
And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you don't know what he means to me, Jolene.
But he would hear it and he would know immediately.
And they would hear it and they would both know that she knew.
And, maybe, they would think about what this was doing to her and he would know how much she really did love him that much and that she would always be the one who loved him most. More than anyone else ever could.
And they would finally understand why she's always pretended that she was clueless and why she had always walked on eggshells when they were all in the same room and why she still worked out too much and tried to make herself the perfect specimen of female beauty and why she would always do whatever it took to make him happy. And keep them together.
She knew that they would stay together, but she wanted him to back off. To allow them to stay together without him. She wanted him all to herself, even if she knew that wasn't really what he wanted. What they wanted.
You could have your choice of men,
But I could never love again.
He's the only one for me, Jolene.
I had to have this talk with you.
My happiness depends on you,
And whatever you decide to do, Jolene.
"We're going to be in Orlando at the same time as you next week, babe. Let's go out to dinner the night we fly in?"
"Oh, Justin! It'll be really great to see you, I feel like it's been so long!"
"It's only been a few weeks, babe."
"Well, you know what I mean... It's just... I miss you a lot."
"I miss you, too. How's the recording going?"
"All right. I'll bring some roughs for you to listen to when you come in. I'm doing another cover on this one, we're just starting to finish it now..."
"I can't wait to hear it, baby."
"I love you, Justin."
"I love you, too. Well, I should go... JC is at the door and we're gonna get some food and hang out in his room for a bit. Have a good night, Brit."
"Oh... yeah. Yeah. You too... Say hi to C for me, okay?"
"Will do, Pinky. Love you."
It was always like that.
She knew that he loved her and that it was real.
Just. That. He loved *him* more. Maybe.
And she would never be JC no matter how much she tried. She would never be what he was to him. She would always be herself.
And, sometimes, that was enough. But she heard his name and remembered that she could never replace what he was to Justin. No matter the combined history. No matter that she had him first. No matter what.
Unless he backed off. Unless he decided to let her keep him. Unless.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeene.
I'm begging of you, please don't take my man.
Jolene. Jolene. Jolene. Jo-leeeeene.
Please don't take him even though you can.
Jolene. Jo-leeeeeeeeene.
end.
| Author:Pilar
Fandom: NSlash/BritneyFic Disclaimer: Certainly don't own 'em. They're real people and all that shit and real people cannot be owned, despite what others might think. Also, this is an absolute work of FICTION. I make zero claim to its trueness. Really, what goes on in their lives is not even slightly my business. Fiction, that's what this is. And Jolene belongs to Dolly. She rules. |