Yesterday (September 20), Tina Knowles addressed the upload in The Neighborhood Talk‘s comment section (viewable here), writing: “This is fake. Not from me!”
The message in question read: “Oh Ms. Dolly, we love you, but Bey did spend her WHOLE life workin’ hard, since she was 9! She got country roots too. She’s mastered her craft and broken records in EVERY genre. So sayin’ she didn’t ‘spend her life’ in country music dismisses all that work she put in.”
Although Tina claims she didn’t post a response to Dolly Parton’s defense of the CMA Awards, Beyoncé’s father and former manager Matthew Knowles has spoken out. During a conversation with TMZ, Matthew called out the CMA Awards voting committee. “[The voters are] showing it still comes down to white and Black,” he said. “There’s more white people in America, and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements, it’s still sometimes a white and Black thing.”
Beyoncé, herself, still hasn’t addressed the CMA Awards nomination list.
Dolly Parton is arguably the Queen of country music. So, when Beyoncé decided to creatively venture into the genre, she was sure to tilt her brim to her classic “Jolene.” Despite the homages to country greats, rising stars, and critical acclaim, Cowboy Carter was notably missing from the CMA Awards nomination list.
While the BeyHive are fuming over the “snub,” Dolly Parton feels differently. During an interview with Variety, Dolly Parton said she doesn’t believe Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album was intentionally ignored.
“Well, you never know,” she said. “There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that. But I didn’t even realize that until somebody asked me that question.”
Dolly went on to praise the project, saying: “But it was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose. I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.”
Dolly isn’t Beyoncé’s only Cowboy Carter collaborator to subtly address the matter. Although Shaboozey secured his own collaboration, he went on to thank Beyoncé for pushing the genre forward.
“That goes without saying,” he wrote. “Thank you, Beyoncé for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!”
Beyoncé hasn’t issued a response to the nominations list.
It’s been over 50 years since Dolly Parton released “Jolene” and the classic hit continues to make waves. Over the years, many artists have covered the iconic track across different genres. While a lot of these covers sound great, most listeners agree that the original song still reigns supreme. Nevertheless, there have been some truly outstanding renditions delivered over time.
Most recently, Beyonce’s take on the song from her Cowboy Carter album has generated overwhelming media buzz, and rightly so. Many believe it will go down in history as one of the best covers of “Jolene” and we couldn’t agree more. While the original will forever standout, many covers have begun to stand the test of time as well. Here are five of the best covers of the evergreen song.
Three years after Dolly Parton released “Jolene,” Olivia Newton-John recorded and dropped a cover of the song. As a matter of fact, it was released as the second single from her seventh studio album, Come On Over (1976). It is one of the most recognized versions of the song, and for good reason. Miss Newton-John did the track justice, delivering an unforgettable rendition with her beautiful soprano voice.
In 2021, Lil Nas X paid homage to Dolly Parton when he performed a cover of “Jolene” on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, earning praise from the country legend herself. Some may be surprised to see the “Old Town Road” crooner’s name on this list. However, he does give an excellent performance of the song. While his version is laid-back, that takes nothing away from it. The soft, almost haunting instrumentation, in addition to how defeated he sounds singing about Jolene, works perfectly.
3. Kelly Clarkson
Being that she was the very first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson was already a trailblazing icon. However, over the years, she has grown in prominence and renown. Besides being known for her original smash hits, Clarkson now also has a reputation for completely eating up covers. The iconic “Kelly-oke” session from The Kelly Clarkson Show has seen the singer elevate many songs by other artists. It’s no surprise that Clarkson has had a go at performing “Jolene” as Dolly Parton is one of her idols. While Parton’s version remains undefeated, Kelly Clarkson’s rendition gives it a run for its money for sure. It is sung excellently, as expected.
2. Beyoncé
After Beyoncé officially announced Act II back in February, fans did not know what to expect from the album. However, there were quite a few predictions of a Dolly Parton appearance, and some people even successfully predicted a “Jolene” cover. Cowboy Carter dropped, and fans evidently can’t get enough of the album with her cover of “Jolene” becoming one of the most popular tracks on the album right now. Beyoncé’s unique take on the track is interesting, featuring new lyrics that are sure to keep Jolene far away from her man. With lyrics like “I’m warning you, don’t come for my man,” and “I’m still a Creole banjee bitch from Louisiana,” Beyoncé isn’t interested in having a conversation.
Fans of Miley Cyrus know she adores Dolly Parton, and her cover of “Jolene” is certainly the best of the best. Over the years, Cyrus has performed the song many times, sometimes even with Parton. However, for this piece, we will be highlighting the cover from Cyrus’ “Backyard Sessions” in 2011. The “Flowers” singer has always been a star, and its performances like this that cemented her as such. There’s a reason her cover of “Jolene” has over 450 million YouTube views currently… It’s just that good. Barefoot and free, Cyrus was evidently in her element.
Last week, Beyonce unleashed her new album COWBOY CARTER. The project saw her shifting her style in a country music direction and receiving massive acclaim from critics for doing so. But critics weren’t the only ones to come out in support of the project. Many of Bey’s fellow musicians and celebrities have taken the opportunity to praise the record. Michelle Obama posted an entire Twitter thread showing love for the record. Earlier this week Bey received a special innovator award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards.
But not everyone is as big of a fan of COWBOY CARTER. During a recent episode of her podcast pop singer Lily Allen had some less than stellar things to say about the album and one song in particular. She criticized the rollout of the record as being over-planned and even cited Jay-Z’s viral Grammys speech as a reason. In particular, she took issue with Bey’s cover of “JOLENE” by Dolly Parton. “I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re like trying to tackle a new genre and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover. I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?” Allen said on her show. Check out the full podcast episode where they discuss the album below.
Beyonce has already dropped her first addition to the COWBOY CARTER era. Earlier this week she began teasing something on her website, which turned out to be a new remix. Overnight she dropped the “TEXAS HOLD EM” (Pony Up) Remix. The new version is likely to boost the song’s already strong surge up the charts in the next few weeks even higher. The track is expected to climb as high as number two on the Hot 100 next week.
What do you think of Lily Allen’s comments about COWBOY CARTER and “JOLENE?” DO you think she makes a good point about covering one of the most famous country songs of all time? Let us know in the comment section below.
The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.
Beyoncé dreams of a world where everyone and everything can exist as they choose to. Where gatekeepers are without agenda beside guarding the integrity of the structure they earned the position and respect to protect. “Texas Hold ‘Em” lives in this utopia where patrons at your local dive bar dance in jolly unison and throw back shots of liquor.
When Beyoncé sings about laying your cards and throwing your keys up, it’s without a care in the world for what exists outside. Renaissance resides here too as its 16 songs are a safe space for Black, brown, and queer bodies who are not only in love with dance and ballroom but created a home for themselves there. In this utopia, there’s nothing to prove, there’s nothing to overcome, and there’s no one to fight. The sanctity of human autonomy is preserved and protected. You can be country today and dance under the disco ball tomorrow.
Cowboy Carter should’ve been born into this utopia. Instead, we have an album born out of disregard for Beyoncé’s country roots as well as her right to create as she pleases. When Beyoncé unveiled the cover for Cowboy Carter, she alluded to the criticism she faced after performing “Daddy Lessons” at the 50th CMA Awards. Beyoncé – born in Texas to parents with roots in Texas, Alabama, and Louisiana – had everything from her true intentions for the song to her country roots questioned. Ironic for the singer who was once considered “too country.”
As Beyoncé sings of dive bars, hoedowns, and tornadoes sweeping through the Lone Star State on “Texas Hold ’Em,” leads a “Riiverdance” with fingernails as her percussion, and cocks her weapon with promises to be “your shotgun ride ’til the day I die” on “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus, it’s clear that questions about her country background are less about “preserving” the genre, and more about excluding stories that tell the truth about country. To bill Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter as an album built to prove these critics wrong would be to shortchange it. Instead, it finds Beyoncé using the sound and environment she was born into to expand the possibilities of genre — and leave them behind.
Eight years after “Daddy Lessons,” Beyoncé returns to her “old friend” which she greets with chippy sarcasm on the opening track to Cowboy Carter. “Ameriican Requiem,” as much as it is a requiem, is a reckoning Beyoncé seeks. Between grand, orchestral vocal runs and twangy and croaking verses, Beyoncé speaks to her critics directly: “Can you hear me? / “Or do you fear me?” The exclusion of Black and brown people in certain spaces, especially ones they occupied in abundance for as long or longer than so-called gatekeepers, is an attempt to eliminate stories of strife and struggle caused by the same group who wants to whitewash those faults in hindsight.
However, these stories will constantly resurface in the art Black and brown people create, making it hard for these antagonists to brush them off with claims that things weren’t that bad or that they’re a lot better now, a contradiction that melts the brain if you think about it too hard. They fear the reminder, but the constant presence of these stories that track our progress and celebrate those from the past who opened the doors for today are too valuable to be erased.
Cowboy Carter resurrects stories of Beyoncé’s past as well as those from Black artists in the South. “16 Carriages” mourns the innocent life she once had as a child in the land of milk & honey with a future she naively hoped would be just as sweet and nourishing. Though her music dreams came true, the price at which they were granted produced an “undеrpaid and overwhelmed” child, a mother “goin’ so hard, now I miss my kids,” a battered relationship between her parents that ended in their separation after her father’s infidelity. The record, just like Cowboy Carter, thrives in the face of unfortunate circumstances.
“Ya Ya,” a blood-pumping, foot-stomping, and hand-clapping chant, salutes the legacy of the Chitlin Circuit, a string of venues in the South that was home to Black artists who wanted to perform their music as they were denied the opportunity to do so in white venues. Undeniable legends like James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Little Richard, the Jackson 5, and Tina Turner all performed throughout the Chitlin Circuit. The Chitlin Circuit and Cowboy Carter are both born from the attempted exhalation by their respective distractors and oppressors. Their greatness won’t be questioned, but they should’ve been able to exist with better circumstances at their foundation.
Cowboy Carter doesn’t exist in the world that country is “supposed” to be in. Instead, it blends genres that go against tradition and brings us the brash “Spaghettii,” the bass-knocking “Tyrant,” the pop-leaning “Levii Jeans,” and the funky “Desert Eagle.” Things are much different in Beyoncé’s country, just as they were in her ballroom. With the inclusion of talented burgeoning artists like Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, and Shaboozey, she uncovers a side of country that deserves more time in the spotlight. It proves that country, just like other genres, is simply what you make of your roots and experiences that sprout from it. Everyone should be able to tell their story how they please. Cowboy Carter protects and advocates for the undisturbed existence of art from Black and brown creatives, and through 27 songs, Beyoncé stands as a winner in a fight that should’ve never existed.
Cowboy Carter is out now via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records. Find out more information here.
Aside from today’s Easter holiday, many people all over the world have also been celebrating the release of BeyoncéCowboy Carter. The singer’s eighth album is also the second installation in a trilogy of albums she promised before the release of Renaissance. Cowboy Carter is a sprawling 27-track effort that captures Beyoncé in a full country swing, swapping 808s and uptempo dance production for the twang of a strumming banjo and a good ol’ time at the rodeo.
So far, Cowboy Carter has been met with positive reviews as it even went on to break a Spotify streaming record in the first 24 hours since its release. Throughout the album’s 27 songs, Beyoncé recruited help from names all over the industry. Some are frequent collaborators (The-Dream & Jay-Z) and others are new to working with Beyoncé (Shaboozey, Tanner Adell & Brittney Spencer). With all that being said, we dove into the album credits to see who helped Beyoncé make each of the songs on Cowboy Carter a reality. You can scroll down to check out the full list.
1. Ameriican Requiem
Guest Vocalists: Ink (Background Vocals) Producers: Beyoncé, Derek Dixie, Jon Batiste, Khirye Tyler, No I.D. & Tyler Johnson Co-Songwriters: Ink
2. Blackbiird
Guest Vocalists: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy & Reyna Roberts (Featured Artists) Producers: Beyoncé, Khirye Tyler & Paul McCartney Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, John Lennon & Paul McCartney
3. 16 Carriages
Guest Vocalists: N/A Producers: Beyoncé, Ink, Dave Hamelin, Raphael Saadiq & Stuart White Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Raphael Saadiq, Ink & Dave Hamelin Drums: Lemar Carter Guitar: Dave Hamelin, Ink & Justus West Organ: Dave Hamelin & Gavin Williams Piano: Dave Hamelin Steel Guitar: Justin Schipper & Robert Rnadolph Synthesizer: Dave Hamelin Trumpet: Ryan Svendsen
4. Protector
Guest Vocalists: Rumi Carter (Intro Vocals) Producers: Beyoncé & Jack Rochon Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Ryan Beatty, Camaron Ochs & Jack Rochon
Guest Vocalists: Willie Nelson (Featured Artist) Producers: Beyoncé & Dave Hamelin Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Dave Hamelin, Jeff Gitelman & Leah Nardos Takele
15. Just For Fun
Guest Vocalists: Willie Jones Producers: Beyoncé & Dave Hamelin Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Dave Hamelin, Jeff Gitelman, & Ryan Beatty
16. II Most Wanted
Guest Vocalists: Miley Cyrus (Featured Artist) Producers: Beyoncé, Jonathan Rado, Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus & Shawn Everett Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus & Ryan Tedder
17. Levii’s Jeans
Guest Vocalists: Post Malone (Featured Artist) Producers: Beyoncé & Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Austin Post (Post Malone), Nile Rodgers, S. Carter (Jay-Z) & Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant
Guest Vocalists: N/A Producers: Beyoncé, Dave Hamelin & Jack Rochon Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Ryan Beatty, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Hamelin, Mark Spears & Jack Rochon
25. Tyrant
Guest Vocalists: Dolly Parton Producers: Beyoncé, D.A. Got That Dope & Khirye Tyler Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Camaron Ochs, David Doman, Dominik Redenczki, Ezemdi Chikwendu & Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant
26. Sweet ★ Honey ★ Buckiin’
Guest Vocalists: Shaboozey (Featured Artist) Producers: Beyoncé & Pharrell Williams Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Collins Chibueze (Shaboozey), Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, S. Carter (Jay-Z), Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant & Pharrell Williams
27. Amen
Guest Vocalists: Danielle Balbuena (070 Shake) Producers: Beyoncé, 070 Shake, Dave Hamlin, Derek Dixie, Ian Fitchuck, Sean Solymar, Tyler Johnson Co-Songwriters: Beyoncé, Camaron Ochs, Danielle Balbuena (070 Shake), Darius Dixon, Dave Hamelin, Derek Dixie, Ian Fitchuk & Tyler Johnson
Cowboy Carter is out now via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records. Find out more information here.
Dolly Parton apparently knew two years ago that a collaboration with Beyoncé was in the card. Even more specifically, she appeared on The Daily Show to chat with Trevor Noah and dished about how she’d love to hear the icon’s spin of her song “Jolene.”
Noah had asked the question because he had heard it as a rumor. At the time, Parton seemed to think it was a long shot dream.
“I don’t know if she’s even got the message, but wouldn’t that be killer?” Parton shared, with the video reposted by The Daily Showhere. “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 did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’ just someone who 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.’”
So, Parton is having a fantastic day today — as Bey’s cover of “Jolene” is featured on her new Cowboy Carter record. “Wow, I just heard ‘Jolene,’” Parton also posted on Twitter following the album’s release. “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”
Beyoncé’s highly anticipated new album Cowboy Carter is out now, and one of the most talked-about tracks early on is Bey’s new rendition of the Dolly Parton classic “Jolene.” Notably, Beyoncé took some creative liberties with the song that represent a significant transformation.
How Are Beyoncé’s “Jolene” And Dolly Parton’s Original Version Different?
Here are the lyrics to the opening chorus in Parton’s version, followed by Beyoncé’s (all lyrics via Genius):
“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m beggin’ of you, please don’t take my man
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
Please don’t take him just because you can.”
“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.”
The differences here are subtle but represent a significant tonal shift: While Parton’s lyrics are a plea, Beyoncé’s are more of a warning, a demand. Beyoncé doubles down on the assertiveness in a different version of the chorus later in the song:
“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene
I’m warnin’ you, woman, find you your own man
Jolene, I know I’m a queen, Jolene
I’m still a Creole banjee b*tch from Louisianne (Don’t try me).”
The shift from meagerness to self-confidence is the primary shift throughout the song, like on the first verses of both versions. Here’s Parton’s, then Beyoncé’s:
“Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene.”
“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 (Yeah, 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).”
So, stated simply, the lyrical difference between the two renditions is that Parton’s is defensive while Beyoncé’s is more on the attack.
Listen to Beyoncé’s version above and Parton’s below.
On her newest album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé takes on a country classic. Following much buzz, Cowboy Carter features a new version of Dolly Parton’s iconic anthem, “Jolene.” But this time, the Queen Bey ain’t messing around.
Bey’s version of “Jolene” features some notable lyric chance, warning a trifling woman to stay away from her man.
“Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene / I’m warnin’ you, woman, find you your own man / Jolene, I know I’m a queen, Jolene / I’m still a Creole banjee b*tch from Louisiana,” she sings on the song’s chorus.
On Parton’s version, Parton tells the song’s subject “my happiness depends on you,” but Bey warns this woman that in her book, it’s the other way around.
“I had to have this talk with you / ‘Cause I hate to have to act the fool / Your peace depends on how you move, Jolene,” sings Bey.
On the Cowboy Carter tracklist, this new version of “Jolene” is preceded by an interlude called “Dolly P,” featuring Parton herself, leaving a comforting voicemail to Bey.
“Hey miss Honey B, it’s Dolly P,” says Parton. “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? Reminding me of someone I knew back when Except she has flamin’ locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color but it hurts just the same.”
You can listen to “Dolly P” and Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene” above.
Cowboy Carter is out now via Parkwood and Columbia Records. Find more information here.
Things are about to get real, as we’re just days away from the March 29 release date of Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter. In the lead-up, fans have been clamoring for details about the project, and today (March 27), Beyoncé revealed some big ones by unveiling the tracklist.
The tracklist, as presented on Beyoncé’s Instagram post sharing it, doesn’t confirm or deny the rumors of Travis Scott and Lady Gaga being featured on the album. However, there does appear to be a track called “Dolly P,” followed by a track titled “Jolene,” presumably a cover of Dolly Parton’s classic. Again, the post’s formatting doesn’t make it clear, but it looks like there’s either a song called “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson” or a song called “Smoke Hour” featuring Nelson, with the latter option seeming more likely.
(Update: The full tracklist with features was revealed ahead of the album’s North American release, when it became available in international markets like New Zealand and Australia, as Consequence notes. Featured on the album are Shaboozey, Miley Cyrus, and Post Malone. The publication also notes the album is presented in the style of a country radio show, and making appearances as DJs are Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell.)
Check out the Cowboy Carter tracklist below.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tracklist
01. “Ameriican Requiem”
02. “Blackbird” (The Beatles cover)
03. “16 Carriages”
04. “Protector”
05. “My Rose”
06. “Smoke Hour With Willie Nelson”
07. “Texas Hold ‘Em”
08. “Bodyguard”
09. “Dolly P”
10. “Jolene” (Dolly Parton cover)
11. “Daughter”
12. “Spaghettii” Feat. Shaboozey
13. “Alliigator Tears”
14. “Smoke Hour II”
15. “Just For Fun”
16. “II Most Wanted” Feat. Miley Cyrus
17. “Levii’s Jeans” Feat. Post Malone
18. “Flamenco”
19. “The Linda Martell Show”
20. “Ya Ya”
21. “Oh Louisiana”
22. “Desert Eagle”
23. “Riiverdance”
24. “II Hands II Heaven”
25. “Tytant”
26. “Sweet Honey Buckin’”
27. “Amen”
Cowboy Carter is out 3/29 via Parkwood/Columbia. Find more information here.
