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Dolly Parton believes Beyoncé might’ve covered her classic 70s anthem, “Jolene,” on her highly-anticipated country album that’s set to release this month. Parton said she’s “very excited” about the idea of Beyoncé covering her song, and it’s not the first time the beloved country music legend has voiced her opinion about a Beyoncé version of “Jolene.”
Parton recently spoke with Knox News — the East Tennessee-based Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network — about the Dollywood season opening, and responded to apparent speculation that Parton joined Beyoncé on a collaboration on the soon-to-debut Act II project, or that Beyoncé covered one of Parton’s songs. She told Knox News: “Well, I think she has [covered ‘Jolene’]! 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. …I love her! She's a beautiful girl and a great singer.”
Parton has previously said that she wants Beyoncé to cover the iconic 1974 hit. She and author James Patterson appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in 2022, when they co-authored Run, Rose, Run, and Parton released a companion album by the same title. Trevor Noah noted that “there are over 400 renditions of ‘Jolene,’ multiple different languages, people have done it, and you said you specifically want Beyoncé to do that. Are there any updates? …And why Beyoncé?”
“No! I don’t know if she’s even got the message. But wouldn’t that be killer?” Parton responded in that 2022 interview. “I think she’s fantastic and beautiful and I love her music. 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,’ to someone that can take my little songs and make ‘em like powerhouses. So, that would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does do ‘Jolene.’”
Beyoncé revealed on Super Bowl Sunday — right after Usher’s Halftime Show — that her Renaissance follow-up would be a country-themed album. She also released two singles from the album, the record-breaking “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and “16 Carriages.” Since then, other country artists, including Lainey Wilson, have voiced their support for Beyoncé's upcoming project in the genre. Other artists are expected to cross genre lines into country music, including Post Malone, who teased a collaboration with Luke Combs and took the stage during the 57th annual CMA Awards in November, and Lana Del Rey, who confirmed she's “going country” on her next record. Beyoncé’s highly-anticipated country album will arrive on March 29.