What have Dolly Parton and Beyoncé each said publicly about the new rendition of 'Jolene'?
Executive summary
Dolly Parton has publicly celebrated Beyoncé’s reimagining of “Jolene,” calling the lyric changes “very bold,” posting enthusiastic reactions on social media and offering a recorded intro on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter project, while also saying she was surprised Beyoncé rewrote lyrics rather than performing the original [1] [2] [3]. Direct public statements from Beyoncé about why she altered “Jolene” are not present in the provided reporting; coverage instead documents the lyrical and tonal shifts Beyoncé made on Cowboy Carter and how critics and outlets have interpreted them [4] [5].
1. Dolly Parton: surprised, proud, and publicly approving
Dolly Parton told E! News she was surprised to learn Beyoncé had not simply covered the original lyrics of “Jolene” but instead created her own, and called the move “very bold,” while also expressing pride in Beyoncé’s full country effort [6] [1]. Parton’s social-media and interview trail shows a consistent mix of amazement and encouragement — she posted “Wow, I just heard Jolene” on Instagram and praised Beyoncé for “giving that girl some trouble,” signaling approval of the tougher lyrical stance [2] [7]. Parton has repeatedly framed her reaction as that of a songwriter who respects other artists’ interpretations — telling outlets she would love to hear a powerhouse take on her songs and noting that as a writer “you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them” [2] [3]. She also put her voice on Cowboy Carter as an interlude introduction to Beyoncé’s track, lending an explicit stamp of cooperation and goodwill to the project [4] [3].
2. Beyoncé: the public record shows the music and lyrics, not a stated rationale
Reporting compiled here documents how Beyoncé’s version flips the original plea of Parton’s 1973 classic into a warning — opening lines such as “I’m warnin’ you, don’t come for my man” recast the narrator as confrontational rather than pleading — and many outlets describe those lyrical choices as a deliberate reimagining that ties into Beyoncé’s own narrative threads [4] [5]. However, the sources supplied do not include a direct public quotation from Beyoncé explaining her artistic intent for those specific lyric changes, so any claim about her motive would go beyond what these pieces report; instead, journalists and critics have interpreted the update in light of Beyoncé’s existing work and persona [5] [4].
3. How the two public portraits interact: endorsement, reinterpretation, and cultural conversation
Taken together, the public record in these reports shows Parton embracing Beyoncé’s reinterpretation rather than objecting to it — she called the rendition bold, posted celebratory remarks, and contributed an interlude to the album, gestures that read as explicit endorsement of both the song’s new tone and the larger project [1] [2] [7]. Media coverage has used Parton’s reactions to frame Beyoncé’s changes as artistically significant, with outlets noting the shift from vulnerability to warning and connecting Beyoncé’s “Jolene” to themes from her previous catalog [5] [4]. Critics and cultural commentators have debated whether the rewrite modernizes the song or alters its emotional core, and outlets like Today and Slate provide interpretive takes linking Beyoncé’s version to her broader narrative voice while also reporting Parton’s enthusiastic approval [8] [5].
4. Limits of the record and competing perspectives
The sources here are clear about what Parton said in interviews and on social platforms and about how journalists perceive Beyoncé’s lyrical updates [6] [2] [5], but they do not capture an on-the-record explanation from Beyoncé about her decisions on the track; that absence leaves room for multiple reasonable readings — from a feminist reframing to an autobiographical echo — each promoted in different outlets [4] [5]. Additionally, some coverage highlights the commercial and symbolic stakes of a pop star of Beyoncé’s stature entering country music and reworking an iconic song, an angle that carries implicit agendas about genre boundaries and cultural ownership that shape how both Parton’s endorsement and Beyoncé’s rendition are reported [4] [5].