Dolly Parton is expanding her business by writing novels and adding more movies to her catalog, but she has one more item on her country music wishlist. The country music icon told Trevor Noah during her recent appearance on The Daily Show that she would love for Beyoncé to cover her hit “Jolene.”
“I think she’s fantastic and beautiful, and I love her music,” Parton told Noah on the show as she promoted her new thriller novel alongside co-author James Patterson. “I would just love to hear ‘Jolene’ done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney (Houston) did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’ just someone that can take my little songs and make them like powerhouses. That would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does do ‘Jolene.’”
The “Lemonade” singer wouldn’t be the first person to touch the legendary song which went certified double platinum in January. Most recently, Lil Nas X shocked the singer when he performed his own rendition of the 1973 hit during his BBC Radio 1 performance in Sept. 2021.
“I was so excited when someone told me that Lil Nas X had done my song #Jolene. I had to find it and listen to it immediately… and it’s really good,” Parton tweeted about the performance last year, per USA Today.
Her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire and The White Stripes have also offered their own versions of the song.
If Beyoncé decides to take Parton up on the request, it would mark a major return to country music following her song “Daddy Lessons” and the controversy surrounding it. She performed the song at the 2016 Country Music Awards, bringing out country music group The Chicks, and country music fans were up in arms. According to the Los Angeles Times, many said the Texas native didn’t “belong” in the genre.
