Dolly Parton Reveals She Didn’t Expect Beyoncé To Change The Lyrics To “Jolene”
on Jun 02, 2024
When Beyoncé released her version of Dolly Parton’s classic “Jolene,” it caused quite a commotion among fans.
While many people loved it, some had differing opinions. However, the original singer herself, Dolly Parton, had nothing but praise for Beyoncé’s rendition.
Beyoncé debuted her latest album, Cowboy Carter, in March, sparking a major buzz among her fans.
Despite the songs on the project sounding markedly different from her usual work, and many labeling it as country, Beyoncé came back and said that it was “not a country album.”
The project featured collaborations with numerous esteemed country artists, including the iconic Dolly Parton and the legendary Willie Nelson.
Shortly after the release of Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé fans learned that a track titled “Jolene” would be featured on the album. However, it became clear that the final rendition was not exactly a Dolly Parton cover.
Even so, Dolly took to her social media pages to share her thoughts about Beyoncé’s version.
“Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”
View this post on Instagram
RELATED: Dolly Parton Seems To Call Out Critics Of Beyoncé’s Rendition Of “Jolene”
In addition to changing the lyrics to Dolly’s 1973 hit, Beyoncé introduced a unique bridge and a distinct melody in her rendition.
It also features the line, “I’m warning you, don’t come for my man,” instead of Dolly’s original, “I’m beggin’ you, please don’t take my man.”
It turns out that Dolly did reveal that she knew Beyoncé was including the song on her album, she didn’t know that Beyoncé planned to alter the lyrics.
In an interview with E! News, Dolly Parton shared her reaction to Beyoncé’s updated lyrics to “Jolene.”
“Well, I think it was very bold of her,” Dolly told the outlet. “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.”
Dolly added that as a songwriter, “you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them.”
Even though she didn’t know about the lyric changes, at least Dolly herself liked it!
What are your thoughts on Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene?” Take a listen to it below!
