While chatting with E! News, Dolly Parton shared her thoughts on Beyoncé‘s rendition of the iconic 1973 hit, “Jolene.” Earlier this year, Beyoncé dropped off her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, which offers a blend of country and folk influences. Parton says that while she was surprised to hear that Queen Bey had changed some lyrics, she was still quite impressed. Parton says the singer made a “bold” choice with her cover. “Well, I think it was very bold of her,” Parton said.
She continued: “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.” Parton added, “[as a songwriter] you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them.” Parton also appears on the Reinassance singer’s new album, on the “Dolly P” track, as the introduction to Beyoncé’s cover.
“I love what she did to it,” Parton Says
On March 29, Beyoncé released her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter, offering a blend of country and folk influences. The project also examines the influence Black Country artists have on the genre. Prior to the album’s release, she dropped off two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” The album is the second installment in her Renaissance series, Act II. Despite the tracks quickly gaining popularity, the project found issues with landing on the country charts.
In fact, a local country music station in Oklahoma refused to play “Texas Hold ‘Em” after a listener made the request. That, in turn, prompted them to take the story to social media to share their frustration. “I requested Texas Hold ‘Em at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, I received an email from the radio station stating “We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station. @BeyLegion,” the person wrote. KYKC 100.1 FM is a country station owned by The Chickasaw Nation in Byng, Oklahoma.