Fans have accused Beyoncé of "ruining" Dolly Parton's iconic country song. But if you look a bit closer, the "Cowboy Carter" cover reveals itself to be essential.
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The Lede
This isn't your grandmother's "Jolene." That much was clear when it was first rumored that Beyoncé would cover the iconic Dolly Parton song for her genre-defying album Cowboy Carter, which continues to break boundaries. Dolly P herself rallied for years to get Beyoncé to cover the track. But some are less than pleased with Bey's take on the scorned-woman anthem — enough for some to claim she’s "ruined" the song by changing the lyrics and lending it a more threatening tone.
Key Details
- A cover isn't meant to be a carbon copy of the original. A cover by a star as big as Beyoncé on an album as innovative and ambitious as "Cowboy Carter" means that it has to do more work than simply reciting what came before.
- And we don't need another pleading cover of Jolene. The existence of Beyoncé's version doesn't erase the fact that we still have Parton's.
- Beyoncé's register is lower, her image is tougher and her fiery take on "Jolene" is more in line with the image she's created for herself.