Beyonce’s Cover Of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’: Review

Beyonce's cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" on her new album, Cowboy Carter, is out today (3/29). It's what everyone is listening to and talking about. Beyonce made "Jolene" her own and changed many of the lyrics to the legendary song that Dolly first released in 1973.

I have been a country music journalist for many years, but before that -- since I was twelve -- I have been a Dolly Parton fan. Dolly is one of the reasons I moved to Nashville in the first place. The song "Jolene" has been my ringtone since 1995, and it still is today. So, needless to say, I love and am very connected and emotional when it comes to Parton's song and anthem, as I am sure many people are.

When I first listened to Beyonce's version and watched the lyric video, which features a Dolly Parton coffee mug with lipstick stains on it this morning (3/29), I didn't know how to feel, to be honest. The song and Beyonce are really great, but the lyric change felt weird to me. Then someone explained to me that the song comes from Beyonce's take on the subject matter of telling a woman to basically stay away from her man; her 2016 album Lemonade addresses her famous husband's infidelity. (Indeed, Jay-Z's 4:44 is a response to Lemonade). So we know that Beyonce relates the the narrator in "Jolene." Once I learned this, Beyonce's take made more sense to me. I listened to it again, and I got it. Yeah, it's Beyonce's "Jolene," and I am sure Parton loves it. So do I.

The country icon even did an intro to the song on Beyonce's project dubbed "Dolly P," where she says, "Hey Miss Honey Bee, it's Dolly P. You know that hussie with the good hair you sing about? It reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flaming locks of auburn hair, bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but hurts just the same." Dolly is referring to a line in Beyonce's "Sorry," from the Lemonade album, where she warns, "He only want me when I'm not there/He better call Becky with the good hair."

Dolly actually got something she wished for when Beyonce recorded the song and put it on her Cowboy Carter country album. A few years ago, Parton told Comedy Central's Trevor Noah, "I don't know if she's even got the message, but wouldn't that be killer? I think she's fantastic and beautiful, and I love her music."

She added, "I would just love to hear 'Jolene" done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney (Houston) did me 'I Will Always Love You' to someone who could take my little songs and make 'em powerhouses. That would be a marvelous day in my life."

I've been listening to Dolly's music all my life, and living in Nashville and being in country music for so long, you kind of get enveloped by the genre, and I didn't know much about Beyonce or her music. Then, a few years ago, after interviewing Miranda Lambert, she discussed how "obsessed" she was with Beyonce and her music. I listened and loved every Beyonce track that I heard.

I was also backstage at the 2016 CMA Awards when Beyonce performed on the show with the Dixie Chicks; even though Beyonce has gone on record saying that she didn't feel welcome, we (the press) were all thrilled she was there and wrote about her appearance proudly the next day.

Simply put, Beyonce is a music icon, and her Cowboy Carter album is excellent. Dolly welcomed her with open arms to country music. Garth Brooks did the same when I asked him about her a few weeks ago in an interview, telling me, "Everybody's welcome in country music, and that's what I love about it." Beyonce is also welcomed by Willie Nelson, who appears twice on the album (in between songs), as well as Linda Martell. Post Malone - a hip-hop artist who has been welcomed by many country fans to the genre, is on the album as well, as is Miley Cyrus.

Welcome to country music, Beyonce; we sure hope you stay a while.

The third week of January is always one of my favorites in my work as I get to write about and celebrate Dolly Parton's birthday (1/19). Her birthday has become "Dolly Parton week" in Nashville and anywhere her millions of fans are located.

I love diving back into one of the reasons I fell in love with country music in the first place, not long after seeing the movie 9 to 5 in the movie theater and wanting to know more and more about the wonderful Parton.

When I was a teenager, the way to get good seats to see your favorite music stars in concert was sleeping outside at night in line at the box office to be first in line when the box office opened. I did just that in January in the cold of Salt Lake City, Utah, waiting to get tickets to see Dolly in concert with Kenny Rogers. The feat paid off as I sat in the first row of the show, singing every word.

In the many interviews I have done with Parton since I moved to Nashville, I never confessed to her my devotion and sacrifice to see her the very first time. However, it was those early days and my teenage years of devotion that made me appreciate her work so much.

As we celebrate her birthday this week (1/19), I dove into her many music videos and because of when my love for this icon began in the 1980s and 1990s, a couple videos from my list of her best videos are from that time period. Before we look at the five videos, I wanted to highlight two of her most recent music videos from her 2023 Rockstar album.

"We are The Champions/ We Will Rock You" (2023) - This video came out and focused on her covers of two Queen classics.

Another video I must mention from Rockstar is the one she did with Linda Perry, covering Perry's 4 Non Blondes song "What's Up?" Perry appears with Parton in the video, playing guitar and singing along in the chorus. It's also fun to see Parton wearing jeans, which she rarely does.

This music video shows footage and moments of Dolly and Kenny Rogers when they toured together for a few years in the early 1980s. It is to be cherished; although they recorded together many times, the music icons only toured together in the 1980s.

This music video is also a gem. It is the only music video to feature Parton with fellow country music Queens and icons Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn, who have both since passed. The beginning of the music video shows a fun clip of music and guitar icon Chet Atkins trying to get backstage to see the country queens. The security guard says, "I don't care if you are Chet Atkins, you can't get in," and Chet replies, "I am Chet Atkins." It was Atkins who first signed Dolly to a RCA recording contract in the 1960s.

This fun video starts with Dolly auditioning men to play her leading man in the video, and it's pretty funny. At one point, a car salesman auditions just to meet her, and she quips, "I think you're real cute." The video starts after he says, "Dolly, is that you?" This is just pure fun.

This is one of Dolly's songs that I always thought should have been a big hit. It was one of the rare songs not written by Parton. The music video, shot in black and white, shows Parton singing as well as scenes of people overcoming obstacles in their lives.

Broadway actress and movie star Kristin Chenoweth plays in this video that is circus-themed and shows Parton dressed as a circus conductor advising women to "get to living." In true Dolly style, the song shows a positive attitude toward life, something she has always possessed.