Current:Home > Contact'Cowboy Carter' collaborator Dolly Parton reacts to Beyoncé's 'Jolene' cover: 'Wow' -Visionary Growth Labs
'Cowboy Carter' collaborator Dolly Parton reacts to Beyoncé's 'Jolene' cover: 'Wow'
View
Date:2025-04-13 12:08:56
Dolly Parton heard Beyoncé's remake of her 1973 classic "Jolene," and she approves.
"Wow, I just heard Jolene," the country music legend posted on Instagram Friday. "Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P."
Beyoncé changed many of the lyrics on the track that bridges the gap from "Jolene" to "Becky with the good hair" from Beyoncé's 2016 hit "Sorry." In Parton's version of "Jolene," she pleads with a rival not to steal her man. However, Yoncé puts her own spin on the song, warning her adversary and affirming the strength of her relationship.
Parton appears twice on Beyoncé's new album, "Cowboy Carter," which released Friday. In interlude "Dolly P." she refers to the singer as "Miss Honey Bey."
Parton also appears on "Tyrant," kicking off the track with "time to strike up a match and light up this juke joint."
Prior to the release of the album, Parton hinted to Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Bey might sample or cover the classic.
"Well, I think she has! I think she's recorded 'Jolene,' and I think it's probably gonna be on her country album, which I'm very excited about that," Parton said earlier this month during a one-on-one interview about the season opening of her Dollywood theme park.
Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' is here:Start with these 5 songs
How Beyoncé's 'Jolene' lyrics compare to Dolly Parton's
In the original version, Parton begins by begging: "Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / I'm begging of you please don't take my man / Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / Please don't take him just because you can."
Beyoncé tweaks the tune, singing: "Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / I'm warnin’ you, don't come for my man (Jolene) / Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / Don't take the chance because you think you can."
Parton continues to plead throughout the rest of the song with lyrics such as: "Your beauty is beyond compare / With flaming locks of auburn hair / With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green / Your smile is like a breath of spring / Your voice is soft like summer rain / And I cannot compete with you, Jolene."
Parton's second verse goes: "He talks about you in his sleep / And there's nothin' I can do to keep / From cryin' 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."
Finally, Parton sings Verse 3: "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."
In her remake, Beyoncé sings about her long relationship with husband Jay-Z and their three children together:
"You’re beautiful, beyond compare / Takes more than beauty and seductive stares / To come between a family and a happy man / Jolene, I'm a woman too / Thе games you play are nothing new / So you don't want no hеat with me, Jolene / We've been deep in love for twenty years / I raised that man, I raised his kids / I know my man better than he knows himself (Yeah, what?) / I can easily understand / Why you're attracted to my man / But you don't want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (You heard me)."
Our critic's comprehensive review:'Cowboy Carter' is a little bit country — and a whole lot more
She goes on to kick the fierceness up a notch throughout the song, including in the second chorus: "Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / I'm warnin' you, woman, find you your own man / Jolene, I know I’m a queen, Jolene / I’m still a Creole banjee bitch from Louisianne (Don't try me)."
In the bridge, Beyoncé is joined by a choir as she sings about her confidence in her relationship: "Me and my man crossed those valleys / Highs and lows and everything between / Good deeds roll in like tumblin' weeds / I sleep good, happy / 'Cause you can’t dig up our planted seeds / I know my man's gon' stand by me, breathin' in my gentle breeze (Ah)."
veryGood! (2348)
Related
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Beyoncé breaks the internet again: All 5 Destiny's Child members reunite in epic photo
- Selena Gomez's Boyfriend Benny Blanco Shares Glimpse Into Their Romance
- A message from the plants: US is getting a lot warmer, new analysis says
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Elon Musk's X worth 71.5% less than it was when he bought the platform in 2022, Fidelity says
- Military dad surprises second-grade son at school after 10 months apart
- Multiple children killed in Tuesday night fire after Connecticut house 'engulfed in flames'
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Kenny Pickett blasts reports that he 'refused' to dress as Mason Rudolph's backup
Ranking
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Elon Musk's X worth 71.5% less than it was when he bought the platform in 2022, Fidelity says
- Osprey ‘black box’ from fatal Japan crash that killed 8 recovered with data intact, Air Force says
- Speaker Johnson leads House GOP on a trip to a Texas border city as Ukraine aid hangs in the balance
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- China’s BYD is rivaling Tesla in size. Can it also match its global reach?
- As NBA trade rumors start to swirl, here's who could get moved before 2024 deadline
- In AP poll’s earliest days, some Black schools weren’t on the radar and many teams missed out
Recommendation
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
Ford is recalling more than 112,000 F-150 trucks that could roll away while parked
Judge recommends ending suit on prosecuting ex-felons who vote in North Carolina, cites new law
Ugandan police say gay rights activist in critical condition after knife attack
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Elon Musk's X worth 71.5% less than it was when he bought the platform in 2022, Fidelity says
First U.S. execution by nitrogen gas would cause painful and humiliating death, U.N. experts warn
Have you already broken your New Year's resolution?