Take That, Jolene: Beyoncé Turns the Tables on the Infamous Man-Stealing Hussy (with Parton’s Help!) on ‘Cowboy Carter’
Dolly Parton must be having a marvelous day.
The singer said on an interview on The Daily Show that “it would be a marvelous day” if Beyoncé would record a powerful version of her oft-covered hit “Jolene,” which was released back in 1973, much like Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You,’ which turned a simple ballad into a belter.
And though it’s no surprise to Parton, who collaborated with Beyoncé on her version, Parton is probably still having a great day: Bey’s cover of “Jolene” is climbing up the charts. The original peaked at #60 when it was first released.
Parton said in a statement, “Wow, I just heard Jolene,” she shared in a statement. “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P.”
Because Beyoncé didn’t just cover the song, she tweaked the lyrics so that the wife of the man tempted it stray is no longer just asking Jolene to step back. She’s warning her and it’s one Jolene should take seriously.
The song starts with a recorded message from Parton, which references not only her song but Beyoncé’s own man-stealing “Becky with the Good Hair” from her Lemonade album.
“Hey miss Honey B, it’s Dolly P. You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flamin’ locks of auburn hair,” Parton says, referencing Beyoncé’s lyrics from “Sorry.” “Bless her heartJust a hair of a different color but it hurts just the same.”
The song has the same hooks as the original, and thenn Beyoncé takes an aggressive stance in the lyrics, singing,
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m warning you, don’t come for my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Don’t take the chance because you think you can
You’re beautiful beyond compare
Takes more than beauty and seductive stares
To come between a family and a happy man
Jolene, I’m a woman too
Thе games you play are nothing new
So you don’t want no hеat with me, Jolene
We’ve been deep in love for 20 years
I raised that man, I raised his kids
I know my man better than he knows himself (what)
I can easily understand why you’re attracted to my man
But you don’t want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (you heard me)
– “Jolene,” Beyoncé’s version.
Now while neither version of the song takes into account the fact that the man in question could just tell Jolene to back off, Beyoncé’s version does pack a lot more power behind the message.
“Jolene” is one of 27 songs on Bey’s new album, which dropped Friday, March 29th. “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and “16 Carriages” both released on Super Bowl Sunday, helped launch Beyoncé into the record books. The artist became the first Black female artist to reach No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on the Hot 100 Chart with a Country song.
In addition to Parton, country legends Willie Nelson and Linda Martell, as well as Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry, Mylie Cyrus, Post Malone, Jon Batiste, Rhiannon Giddens, Nile Rodgers, Robert Randolph, Gary Clark, Jr., Willie Jones, Brittney Spencer, Shaboozey, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy all contributed vocals to the album.