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Here's What Dolly Parton Thought of Beyoncé's "Jolene" Cover & Lyric Changes
Spoiler alert: She loved them!
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene! The idea of Beyoncé covering Dolly Parton's iconic song "Jolene" was exciting enough, but the singer did more than put her own spin on the song. On her album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé sings her own version of the track with different lyrics and an introduction that directly references the original—and another famous Bey anthem. It's a little complicated, but it's all explained below.
RELATED: Read the Fax Message Dolly Parton Sent to Miley Cyrus That Made Her Cry
About the original "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
Released in 1973, Parton's song was a number-one hit, and its reputation only grew in the following decades. Eventually, Rolling Stone ranked it the greatest country song of all time.
The song was inspired by a woman who worked at Parton's bank who Parton felt intimidated by due to her looks. In the lyrics, she specifies that the titular Jolene has "beauty beyond compare" with auburn hair and sparkling green eyes. The singer begs Jolene not to "take" her man, admitting that she "cannot compete" with her and that her husband talks about her in his sleep.
It's not anger but desperation: "You could have your choice of men, But I could never love again," Parton croons. The singer's man's love for Jolene is a foregone conclusion, and so the singer begs her, woman to woman, to choose to turn him down to save their relationship.
The insecurity may have been real, but the threat was fictional; Parton has been happily married to Carl Thomas Dean since 1966.
“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR of the "real" Jolene, whose name was not Jolene. “And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money.’ So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”
Dolly Parton recorded the introduction to Beyoncé's "Jolene" cover
Dozens of artists have covered "Jolene" over the years, but only Beyoncé's version has an introduction from Parton herself. In a 22-second track that precedes "JOLENE" (all caps) on the Cowboy Carter track list (titled "DOLLY P"), Parton says, "Hey, Miss Honey B. It's Dolly P. You know that hussy with the good hair you sang 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. Hurts just the same."
The "hussy with the good hair" is a reference to Beyoncé's song "Sorry" from her 2016 album Lemonade, in which she sang about rejecting the apology of a man who cheated on her. At the end of the song, she tells the man to "call Becky with the good hair."
How Beyoncé changed "Jolene's" lyrics
In her version of the song, Beyoncé isn't begging Jolene to stay away but warning her to back off: "Don't take the chance because you think you can," she sings. Beyoncé and "her man" have been together for 20 years and raised a happy family together, and she's confident that one pretty woman's flirtations won't break them up.
Unlike Parton, Beyoncé doesn't stay awake at night listening to her man say Jolene's name in his sleep. Instead, "I sleep good happy 'cause you can't dig up our planted seeds."
RELATED: Why Beyoncé Sent a Handwritten Note and Flowers to 7-Year Old Prodigy Zoë Erianna
What does Dolly Parton think about Beyoncé's "Jolene" cover?
“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,” Parton said after the song came out, per TODAY. “I think it was very bold of her."
Beyoncé's "JOLENE" is nominated for the Cover Song of 2024 at the People's Choice Country Awards.
Beyoncé is also nominated for the People’s Artist of 2024, The Female Artist of 2024, The Social Country Star of 2024, The Song of 2024 ("TEXAS HOLD 'EM"), The Female Song of 2024 ("16 CARRIAGES," "TEXAS HOLD 'EM"), The Collaboration Song of 2024 ("BLACKBIIRD"), The Cover Song of 2024 ("BLACKBIIRD"), The Crossover Song of 2024 (“II MOST WANTED” with former The Voice Coach Miley Cyrus), The Storyteller Song of 2024 ("16 CARRIAGES"), and The Album of 2024 for Cowboy Carter.
The awards will air live on NBC and be available to stream live on Peacock on Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 8/7c.
