'Cowboy Carter' includes a 'Jolene' cover, but Beyoncé brings added ferocity to the lryics
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has given fans (and Dolly Parton) exactly what they've been waiting for — a cover of the country music legend's hit 1973 single "Jolene." But she's put her own twist on it.
On her new album "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé first includes Parton on an interlude titled "Dolly P." in which Parton refers to her as "Miss Honey Bey" and bridges the gap from Jolene to "Becky with the good hair" from Beyoncé's 2016 hit "Sorry." In Parton's version of "Jolene," she pleads with a rival not to steal her man. However, Yoncé puts her own spin on the song, warning off her adversary with freestyle energy.
In the original version, Parton begs:
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Beyoncé tweaks the tune, singing:
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I'm warnin’ you, don't come for my man (Jolene)
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Don't take the chance because you think you can
She goes on to kick the fierceness up a notch throughout the song.
Fans have been hoping Beyoncé might collaborate with Parton in some capacity. Prior to the release of the album, Parton hinted to Knox News, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Bey might sample or cover the classic.
"Well, I think she has! 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 said earlier this month during a one-on-one interview about the season opening of her Dollywood theme park.
"I love her!" Parton said of Beyoncé. "She's a beautiful girl and a great singer."
Beyoncé isn't the first to cover "Jolene." Over the years, many artists have covered the song including hip hop star Lil Nas X, Parton's goddaughter Miley Cyrus (who also appears on "Cowboy Carter") and Wendy Moten.
Beyoncé first announced her eighth studio album during a surprise Super Bowl commercial on Feb. 11. Simultaneously, she released her first two singles, "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em." The two songs quickly took the internet by storm as many fans saw the music as a reclamation of country music's Black roots. On YouTube, Beyoncé reached over 2 million views on each song in just two days. Within weeks, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart when "Texas Hold 'Em" hit No. 1.
The new album is "Act II" of a three-part series. The superstar released her first act, the "Renaissance" album, on July 29, 2022, through her company Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. "Act III" has yet to be announced.
Prior to its release, the singer opened up about "Cowboy Carter" on Instagram. Beyoncé wrote while she was "honored" to become the first Black woman to Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, she still hopes for the day "the mention of an artist's race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant."
She revealed the new album took five years to make, adding it was "born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn't." The singer was likely referencing her 2016 performance of her song "Daddy Lessons" with The Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards, which received mixed reactions on social media.
"But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive," she wrote. "The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."
She signed off with, "This ain’t a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album."
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
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