Dolly Parton Gives Her Powerful Take on Beyoncé's Country Album
Dolly Parton's praise of Beyoncé's "Jolene" cover is beautiful beyond compare.
And while this admiration is something fans can easily understand, the "9 To 5" singer recently shared why she appreciates Queen Bey's new take on the classic for Cowboy Carter.
"Well, I think it was very bold of her," Dolly told E! News' Keltie Knight and Justin Sylvester during an exclusive interview at Dollywood's new Dolly Parton Experience in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. "When they said she was gonna do 'Jolene,' I expected it to be my regular one, but it wasn't. But I love what she did to it. And as a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them."
And she tips her hat to Beyoncé's new lyrics.
"She wasn't gonna go beg some other woman like I did," the 78-year-old continued. "'Don't steal my man.' ‘S--t, get out here, b---h. You ain't stealin' mine." (For more with Dolly, watch E! News on Monday, June 3 at 11 p.m.)
But if you're still wondering what Dolly thinks of Cowboy Carter overall, she'll have to have this talk with you so she can make her kudos clear.
"I was very proud of her album," the 10-time Grammy winner added. "I thought she did a great job in country music, and I thought it was great. And I was just happy she did 'Jolene.' I, of course, would have loved to have heard how she would have done it in its original way. But of course, you know, it's Beyoncé. Yeah, her life is different than mine."
For Cowboy Carter, Dolly—who also showed some love on social media after the album's release—recorded a message that plays right before "Jolene" titled "Dolly P," and she's featured on the song "Tyrant."
And if you're begging her, please don't take out any details on her behind-the-scenes communication with Beyoncé, allow the "Here You Come Again" artist to share some insight.
"We communicated when the album came out, when I was doing some of the little things to put on the album," Dolly said. "And we were sending each other flowers and little love notes and all that. So, yeah, it's all good."
So good, in fact, that she said she'd be up for performing "Jolene" with Beyoncé at the 2025 Grammys if Cowboy Carter gets nominated.
"Why of course I would—if I'm available, if I'm not caught up in something I cannot get out of, yeah, that'd be wonderful," Dolly noted. "I mean, who wouldn't wanna sing 'Jolene' with Beyoncé?"
For now, keep reading to get a breakdown of some standout songs from Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter.
Within the first single on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé lays it all out for her critics, seemingly referencing the backlash she faced after she performed at the CMA Awards in 2016.
“They used to say I spoke, ‘Too country’ / And the rejection came, said I wasn't, 'Country 'nough,'” she sings, “Said I wouldn't saddle up, but / If that ain't country, tell me, what is? / Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don't, don't know how hard I had to fight for this.”
At the time, fans noted that the CMA Awards appeared to take down footage of her surprise performance alongside The Chicks. However, in a statement to E! News, the organization shared they took down a promotional clip instead.
Not only did the Grammy winner take Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene” and make it her own: “Jolene, I'm a woman too / Thе games you play are nothing new / So you don't want no hеat with me, Jolene,” but she also recruited the country star for an interlude that tipped its hat at another well-known character: Becky with the good hair.
“Hey miss Honey B, it's Dolly P,” Dolly says, “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? / Reminded me of someone I knew back when / Except she has flamin' locks of auburn hair / Bless her heart / Just a hair of a different color but it hurts just the same.”
Though Beyoncé made it clear that her take is more of a stern warning: “But you don't want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (You heard me).”
On this track, the 32-time Grammy winner made note of one snub that stood out noticeably during the 2024 Grammys: Her not winning Album of the Year for Renaissance.
In fact, when her husband Jay-Z took the stage that night, he couldn’t help but call it out then and there—a moment that she doesn’t hesitate to highlight.
“A-O-T-Y, I ain't win (Let's go) / I ain't stuntin' 'bout them,” she sings, “Take that s--t on the chin/ Come back and fuck up the pen (Yeah).”
One of her more melodic singles, “Protector” opens up with none other her daughter Rumi asking about a lullaby.
The singer—who is also mom to Rumi’s twin brother Sir and their oldest sibling Blue Ivy—reflects on her role as a mom. “Born to be a protector, mm-hmm / Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own.”
“I will be your projector, mm, mm-hmm / An apricot picked right off a given tree,” she notes. “I gave watеr to the soil / And now it feeds me, yeah, yеah (Yeah) / And there you are, shaded underneath it all / I feel proud of who I am /Because you need me.”
Rounding out her 27-song album is “Amen,” which leads fans right back to the opening declaration of starting anew and making an experience all her own.
“Say a prayer for what has been /We'll be the ones to purify our Fathers' sins,” she sings, “American Requiem / Them old ideas (Yeah) are buried here (Yeah).”
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