Charles H. Sloan:Dolly Parton wished for Beyoncé to cover "Jolene" years before "Cowboy Carter"

2025-05-02 09:52:30source:Arvin Robertscategory:reviews

Looks like Beyoncé got the message —and Dolly Parton got her wish.

In a 2022 interview with Trevor Noah on Charles H. SloanThe Daily Show, Parton was asked about her wish to have the "Renaissance" singer cover her iconic song "Jolene." 

"I don't know if she's even got the message, but wouldn't that be killer?" Parton says in the interview. "I would just love to hear 'Jolene' done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney [Houston] did my 'I Will Always Love You.' Just someone that can take my little songs and make them powerhouses."

Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter" arrived Friday, with Parton herself appearing on an interlude preceding the cover of "Jolene."

"Hey miss Honey Bey, it's Dolly P," the country music legend says in the track. "You know that hussy with the good hair you sang about? Reminded me of someone I knew back when." 

The interlude connects Parton's 1973 ballad with Beyoncé's reference to a "Becky with the good hair" on her 2016 album "Lemonade."

The country legend has been heaping praise on Queen Bey's latest music. When the "Cowboy Carter" single "Texas Hold 'Em" hit No. 1 in February, Parton wrote on social media that she was "very excited that she's done a country album."

"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 told the Knoxville News Sentinel earlier this month. 

But Beyoncé's version of "Jolene" isn't a line-for-line recreation —a change in the lyrics replaces "begging" and "crying" for a warning.

"I had to have this talk with you, 'cause I hate to have to act a fool. Your peace depends on how you move, Jolene," Beyoncé croons on the track.

Parton seemed to be pleased with the changes, taking to social media again Friday to say "Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!"

    In:
  • Dolly Parton
  • Beyoncé
  • Music
  • Entertainment
Rishikesh Rajagopalan

Rishi Rajagopalan is a social media associate producer and content writer for CBS News.

More:reviews

Recommend

Kentucky governor unveils paid leave plan for state workers with a new child or serious illness

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky plans to provide state employees with paid time off so they can bond

Cities Stand to Win Big With the Inflation Reduction Act. How Do They Turn This Opportunity Into Results?

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last fall was like turning on full-blast spigots of money

Red States Stand to Benefit From a ‘Layer Cake’ of Tax Breaks From Inflation Reduction Act

Imagine a 1-megawatt solar array on about eight acres of land in West Virginia. To make the math sim