Dolly Parton Says She’s “Proud” Of Beyoncé’s Rewritten Version Of Her Country Classic, “Jolene”

I mean, what did you expect her to say?

Dolly Parton knows how to work the media, and what to say and what not to say, better than just about anyone… and apparently, she’s a big fan of Beyoncé, who she collaborated with on Bey’s Cowboy Carter album last year which also included a completely reimagined rendition of Dolly’s country classic “Jolene.”

The new version is rewritten from top to bottom, aside from the “Jolene” part in the chorus, and has an entirely different production, too. The sentiment of Beyoncé’s “Jolene” is much harsher than Dolly’s where she threatens the woman and tells her to back off, rather than begging her like Dolly did.

In interview with People recently, Dolly talked about being a fan of Beyoncé catalog, calling her a “magnificent artist” who can do it all. She added that she was “proud” of what Beyoncé did and how she made the song her own, and I guess that’s all that matters when it comes to interpolating a song like that…

“I was just honored that she, of course, did a completely different take on ‘Jolene’ than my version of it. Hers was more like, ‘Well, you’re not getting him, you’re not taking him, you’re going to go through me to get him.’

Mine was more like, ‘Please don’t take him!’ So I loved her interpretation. As a writer, you like to hear how different people interpret your songs, and how they put their own spin and do their own take on it. But I was very proud of it, and I hope her tour does great, and I’m sure it will. People seem to be loving it.”

Of course, “Jolene” was written solely by Dolly and released as the title track to her album of the same name in 1973, when it eventually peaked at #60 on the Hot 100 chart. It of course became a #1 hit on the U.S. Country Songs chart, and has remained a country standard ever since.

Dolly, who received full writing credit and is listed as the sole writer of the song (even though there were likely many involved in this 2024 version of “Jolene”), actually introduces the new “Jolene” on Cowboy Carter, calling in to leave a message for Bey, saying:

“Hey Mrs. Honeybee, it’s Dolly P. You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? 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 it hurts just the same.”

That “hussy with the good hair” is a character Beyoncé fans know as “Becky,” who is featured on her 2016 Grammy-nominated Lemonade album, which focused on infidelity in her marriage with her husband Jay-Z:

Then, it goes straight into “JOLENE,” which is completely rewritten and much more modern than the version Queen Dolly put out in the ’70s. Beyoncé takes a much harder stance when it comes to her “Jolene,” though:

“There’s a thousand girls in every room
That act as desperate as you do
You a bird, go on and sing your tune, Jolene (What?)
I had to have this talk with you
‘Cause I hate to have to act the fool
Your peace depends on how you move, Jolene”

I can’t say I loved this version, because I don’t personally feel like “Jolene” ever needed to be rewritten, but if it has the Dolly stamp of approval, I guess I can’t really argue with that.

“JOLENE”

The post Dolly Parton Says She’s “Proud” Of Beyoncé’s Rewritten Version Of Her Country Classic, “Jolene” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.