Dolly Parton responds to Beyonce's cover of Jolene, approves of the changes in lyrics 

Beyonce dropped her latest album, Cowboy Carter, on March 29, 2024. Her album also includes her version of Dolly Parton's 1973 classic track, Jolene. While Beyonce has stuck to the original melody, she put her spin on the lyrics, almost changing the entire song.

On March 29, while reacting to Beyonce's version of Jolene, Dolly Parton approved of the new lyrics in a new Instagram post.

"Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyonce is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P."

The lyrical changes can be immediately recognized when Queen Bey sings,

"I'm warning you, don't come for my man."

The original lines by Dolly Parton go,

"I'm beggin' of you, please don't take my man."

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How is Beyonce's Jolene different from Dolly Parton's?

Beyonce's version of Dolly Parton's 1973 hit classic Jolene is an entire remake of the original song. While Parton's song conveys requests and pleadings for the "other woman" to leave her man, Beyonce's version expresses more fierceness.

Beyonce also uses a melody that hasn't been used in Parton's songs. When she sings, "I sleep good happy, 'cause you can't dig up our planted seeds," the song's minor key shifts gears into an optimistic major.

In the second verse, Parton's original lyrics go,

"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."

In comparison, Beyonce refers to her marriage with Jay-Z,

"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/ The games you play are nothing new/ So you don't want no heat with me, Jolene/We've been deep in love for twenty years."

Beyonce's rendition of the song is even more special since Dolly Parton predicted that she would cover it two years ago. When Trevor Noah was hosting The Daily Show, he addressed a rumor about Parton wanting Beyonce to sing her version of Jolene. Noah questioned why she wanted Beyonce's version despite 400 versions of the original song.

Parton shared how she wanted a powerhouse version of Jolene from Beyonce. She mentioned that it would be similar to how Whitney made a beloved rendition of I Will Always Love You, originally sung by Parton.

"I don't know if she's even got the message, but wouldn't that be killer? I think she's fantastic and beautful, 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."

While talking to Fox News in early March 2024, Parton revealed that Beyonce had recorded a rendition of the song and that it would be on her country album.