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Whitney Houston poured her heart out when she re-created Dolly Parton’s timeless classic “I Will Always Love You” in 1997. Last year, rapper Lil Nas X attempted to land the high pitch cadences of the country singer’s hit “Jolene.” Now, Parton says she would love to hear a rendition of her 1974 classic sung by none other than Queen B herself, Beyoncé.
This week, the 76-year-old revealed the particular tidbit during an interview on “The Daily Show.”
“I think she’s fantastic and beautiful, and I love her music,” Parton told the show’s host Trevor Noah.
“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,” she continued. “That would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does do ‘Jolene.'”
Noah asked the country music icon if Beyoncé was aware of her request, to which she replied:
“I don’t know if she’s even got the message, but wouldn’t that be killer?”
Now, Beyoncé would be an incredible candidate to take on one of Parton’s hits, and she has shown off her country music chops in the past. Remember in 2016 when she joined The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) on stage to perform “Daddy Lessons”?
Queen Bey joined Sugarland at the 2007 American Music Awards for a country-inspired rendition of her smash hit “Irreplaceable.”
“The fact that no one has pointed out that Dolly wants another big payday like she gets EVERY time ‘I Will Always Love You’ is PLAYED or SUNG blows my mind,” argued one Twitter goer. “Dolly wants to get paid.”
In August, Parton revealed that she received royalty checks from Whitney Houston’s powerhouse cover of “I Will Always Love You.” Still, instead of stashing the money, the singer used the funds to help Black families in her hometown of Nashville.
“I bought a property in what was the Black area of town and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there, “the “9 to 5″ crooner told Andy Cohen during an interview on “Watch What Happens Live!” “I just love the fact that I spent that money on a complex. And I think, ‘This is the house that Whitney built.'”
Black musicians have had roots planted in the country music genre for decades. According to Time Magazine, the banjo originated from West African lutes and was introduced to white audiences through “slave music” and minstrel shows.
One of the first country songs, “When the World Is On Fire,” was initially arranged by a Black minister. The Carter Family later adopted the tune for their 1928 classic “Little Darling, Pal of Mine.” A Black New Yorker named James A. Blind wrote and composed “Marry Me Back to Old Virginny,” which later became the state’s national anthem.
Beyoncé highly anticipated “Jolene” rendition would undoubtedly take the classic to a new level.
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