Tag: Dolly Parton

Beyoncé and Dolly Parton: “Jolene”

Beyoncé delves into country music with her new album, “Cowboy Carter,” including a recording of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” with an introduction from Parton.

Beyoncé had caused a bit of a stir with her album Cowboy Carter and her foray into country music. I have always loved when artists in one genre tackle another type of music, as it usually leads to fascinating results. And many before Beyoncé who are known for other types of music have recorded great country songs, such as Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Van Morrison, Etta James, and Elvis Presley. So, I have been enjoying the new album, which as others have noted, has its source in more than one type of music.

Beyoncé has remained above the fray, letting her music speak for herself. And she also uses her talent to help highlight the history of country music and its connection to black artists, including Linda Martell.

Someone as talented as Beyoncé covering a classic Dolly Parton song illustrates a deep understanding of their own talent as well as of country music. In Beyoncé’s new video for “Jolene,” she turns the song into a story of two lovers on the run, sort of a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.

The video begins with Dolly Parton introducing Beyoncé singing Parton’s classic song of betrayal. Parton first released “Jolene” in 1973 ahead of her 1974 Jolene album. And here we are half a century later still talking about the song written by one of the Queens of country music with a fabulous new take by Queen Bey. Check it out, and also enjoy the harmonica played by Stevie Wonder.

Even just this version of “Jolene” has stirred some debate. Beyoncé changed some of the lyrics from Parton’s original version, which you can see in more detail in this article from People.

Some of the lyrics in Beyoncé’s version are more threatening to the other woman, whereas the singer in Parton’s version is more vulnerable, begging the other woman to give back the man. Spencer Kornhaber in The Atlantic, however, defends Beyoncé’s choice to make the song more about a Black woman fighting for her man.

Of course, it is the right of the artist to interpret a song, while also the right of fans to discuss the changes. That’s what makes music interesting. So it is okay to prefer one version or the other, but it is also okay to enjoy both versions. And after all these years of Jolene stealing the husband, it is time for a different take. As Dolly Parton wrote about Beyoncé’s version on Instagram:  “Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Gospel Medley With Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, Tom Jones, and Mac Davis

In the 1970s, singer-songwriter-actor Mac Davis showed off his talents on “The Mac Davis Show,” which once brought together Donna Summer, Dolly Parton, and Tom Jones.

I was sad to see that singer-songwriter Mac Davis recently passed away. In addition to writing memorable songs such as “In the Ghetto” and “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me,” Davis was one of those personalities who seemed everywhere in the 1970s. He even hosted his own variety show, The Mac Davis Show.

Davis often appeared on television and in movies, such as North Dallas Forty (1979) and The Sting II (1983). His bubbly personality combined with this multiple talents made him a part of American’s lives during the 1970s, along with similar multi-talented singer-songwriters like John Denver and Paul Williams.

Davis was born in Lubbock, Texas on January 21, 1942. His first popular successes came as a songwriter for artists like Elvis Presley (“A Little Less Conversation” and “In the Ghetto”) and Bobby Goldsboro (“Watching Scotty Grow“).

Many of us fell for his charms during the run of his own NBC variety show, The Mac Davis Show, from 1974-1976. The 1970s were also a time of wonderful variety shows hosted by such stars as Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, The Hudson Brothers, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Sonny and/or Cher.

These shows often had magic moments of a type we would not see on television again, although perhaps we get them sometimes with the Internet. One such unusual moment occurred on The Mac Davis Show. Davis joined the unlikely grouping of Dolly Parton, Donna Summer, and Tom Jones singing a medley of gospel songs such as “I’ll Fly Away.”

Although the four are all extremely talented, something about the performance does not quite click with their different styles and voices. But that makes it all the more awesome to watch. Check it out.

What is your favorite memory of Mac Davis? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Song of the Day: “Boulder to Birmingham”

    One of the most beautiful songs ever written about someone’s death is Emmylou Harris’s tribute to Gram Parsons, “Boulder to Birmingham.”

    Emmylou Harris

     While many grieved the death of the brilliant singer-songwriter Gram Parsons on September 19, 1973, nobody created as much beauty out of the tragedy as Emmylou Harris. Her song about Parson, “Boulder to Birmingham,” is one of the most beautiful country songs lamenting the loss of someone.

    The Songwriters

     Harris had been close to Parsons, who helped  her career and featured her on his 1973 album GP.  Harris, known more for her incredible voice and talent for interpreting songs, mined her heartbreak over the loss of a friend and mentor to co-write a wonderful lament.

    Bill Danoff co-wrote “Boulder to Birmingham” with Parsons.  Danoff, as part of the Starlight Vocal Band, later wrote and recorded the hit song, “Afternoon Delight,” a catchy pop song miles distant from the heartfelt lament in “Bolder to Birmingham.” 

    Danoff also recorded “Boulder to Birmingham” with Starlight Vocal Band in a version much softer than you might expect if you only know the band’s “Afternoon Delight.” Danoff knew how to craft songs, as he earlier co-write John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as well as “I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado.”

    The Song “Boulder to Birmingham”
    I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham;
    I would hold my life in his saving grace;
    I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham,
    If I thought I could see, I could see your face.
     

    The most recognizable, and maybe the best, part of “Boulder to Birmingham” is the chorus (above).  But the line that breaks my heart every time is: “Well you really got me this time;/ And the hardest part is knowing I’ll survive.” There’s great wisdom about loss in that line.  In most cases of loss, we do survive somehow, but even knowing that does not make it easy.

    Below, Emmylou Harris sings “Boulder to Birmingham” in 1975.  In the background, you can see a young Rodney Crowell in singing backup (while “Boulder to Birmingham” followed a beautiful heartbreak song Crowell wrote, “‘Til I Gain Control Again”).  At the time of the show, Harris was around twenty-eight years old, having lost Parsons around two  years earlier.

    “Boulder to Birmingham” originally appeared on Harris’s album Pieces of the Sky (1975). Since then, it has been covered by The Hollies, Dolly Parton, The Wailin’ Jennys, and Joan Baez, among others.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Dolly Parton Covers Brandi Carlile’s ‘The Story’

    Dolly Parton The Story When Brandi Carlile released her song “The Story” on the album of the same name in 2007, the song immediately became a “pullover” song for me.  In other words, the song is so moving that if you first hear it in the car, you have to pull over to do nothing else but listen to it.

    The fact that the song was later used in a television show (Grey’s Anatomy) and TV commercial (General Motors) did nothing to reduce the power of the song.  Other artists, like Sara Ramirez and LeAnn Rimes, have covered the song, although the original still remains the definitive version.

    But now Carlile is revisiting her entire 2007 breakthrough album with other artists covering songs from The Story for a good cause.  The new album with an incredibly long name, Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child, features such artists as Kris Kristofferson, Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and Pearl Jam.   And all proceeds go War Child U.K., which works to help children in refugee camps displaced because of conflicts.

    But who do you get to cover the title song, which is so memorable because of Carlile’s aching vocals?  Well, you find a living legend with a great voice and a heart, which is what Carlile did.  Dolly Parton takes on “The Story” on the new album.  And while she may not make you forget Carlile’s version, Parton does what she does so well.  She gives a powerful and heart-breaking vocal that is an immediate classic.

    Listen to Dolly Parton’s version of “The Story.”

    Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child hit stores and the Internet on May 5, 2017.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Don Henley and Dolly Parton: “When I Stop Dreaming”

    Don Henley pays tribute to the music he grew up listening to on the radio in Texas with “When I Stop Dreaming,” joined by Dolly Parton.

    Don Henley country

    On Don Henley’s upcoming deluxe album Cass Country, he pays tribute to his years growing up in Cass County, Texas and listening to the radio with his father. On one of the tracks from the album, Dolly Parton joins him on “When I Stop Dreaming.”

    The song is a classic that was recorded by the Louvin Brothers. Check out the former member of the Eagles and the legendary Dolly Parton singing “When I Stop Dreaming.”

    Henley’s album Cass County, which features covers and Henley originals, will be released on September 25. Several of the songs feature guest artists like Mick Jagger, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard, and Martina McBride.

    Finally, below is the Louvin Brothers version of “When I Stop Dreaming.” Check it out.

    What do you think of Henley and Parton’s version of the Louvin Brothers song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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