Dolly Parton Reacts to Beyoncé’s Fierce New Take on ‘Jolene’

Dolly Parton’s 1973 hit “Jolene” has been a country music classic for decades. But in 2024, Beyoncé gave the song a bold update—and Dolly had a lot to say about it.

On her album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé reworks “Jolene” with a much more confident tone. Instead of Parton’s soft plea, “I’m beggin’ of you, please don’t take my man,” Beyoncé flips the script, warning, “I’m warning you, don’t come for my man.”

In an interview with PEOPLE, while promoting her new single-serve frozen meals with Conagra brands, Parton praised Beyoncé’s version and her artistry.

“I’m a huge fan of hers — I mean, who's not? Everybody loves her,” Parton said. “I think she's a magnificent artist, beautiful and the dancing in addition to the singing.”

She also spoke highly of Cowboy Carter, calling it a “really, really good album.” Parton even appears on the record twice: once as a fictional radio DJ in the track “Dolly P,” and again on the song “Tyrant.”

But it was Beyoncé’s powerful take on “Jolene” that really stood out to her.

“I was just honored that she, of course, did a completely different take on ‘Jolene’ than my version of it,” Parton told PEOPLE. “Hers was more like, ‘Well, you're not getting him, you're not taking him, you're going to go through me to get him.’ Mine was more like, ‘Please don't take him!’ So I loved her interpretation.”

She continued, “As a writer, you like to hear how different people interpret your songs, and how they put their own spin and do their own take on it. But I was very proud of it, and I hope her tour does great, and I'm sure it will. People seem to be loving it.”

Beyoncé is currently on tour in support of Cowboy Carter, with the final show scheduled for July 26 in Paradise, Nevada.