Beyoncé is mourning the death of Dolly Parton, calling her “the barometer” and “the north star” of country music in an emotional tribute shared on her website following news of Parton’s passing at 80.
“Dolly, you were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself,” Beyoncé wrote.
“I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humour, your entrepreneurship. I’m honoured that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
The tribute reflects a collaboration that became one of the more talked-about moments in recent country music: Beyoncé’s reworked cover of Parton’s signature song, Jolene, on her 2024 album Cowboy Carter, which went on to win the Grammy for Album of the Year the following year.
Rather than covering the original arrangement, Beyoncé transformed the song’s perspective, replacing Parton’s pleading tone with a more assertive warning.
“I can easily understand why you’re attracted to my man / But you don’t want this smoke, so shoot your shot for someone else.”
Parton later said she was caught off guard by the reinterpretation but ultimately embraced it, telling E! News at the time, “When they said she was gonna do Jolene, I expected it to be my regular one, but it wasn’t… But I love what she did to it. And as a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them.”
She was even more colourful describing the shift in tone, quipping that unlike her own version, Beyoncé “wasn’t gonna go beg some other woman” and instead essentially told Jolene not to bother trying.
Parton’s presence on Cowboy Carter extended beyond just Jolene, she also appeared on the album with a spoken interlude, Dolly P, introducing the track Tyrant.
At the time, Parton expressed enthusiasm about the possibility of performing Jolene together with Beyoncé on the Grammys stage, telling reporters, “Why of course I would… I mean, who wouldn’t wanna sing Jolene with Beyoncé?”
