jolene

Beyonce’s highly anticipated “Renaissance Act II: Cowboy Carter” dropped this morning, and what I wanted o hear was her take on Dolly Parton’s iconic “Jolene”, and Beyonce delivered and then some.

She went a rewrote the song from a much stronger woman’s perspective- basically going from the plea “Please don’t take my man” to “Just you try, fool”.

Personally, I think it’s a really cool take on the song. I know Country traditionalists will be freaking out and saying “that ain’t Country” and blowing a total fuse when they hear it. I can feel the heads exploding over here.  But, let’s be honest, Dolly’s version, although a classic, is basically a woman begging another woman not to take her man. That’s dumb. First of all, her man should know better. Second of all, why beg a woman to stay away? You’re giving Jolene all the power. Tell that redheaded hussy to go ahead and try.

This is probably why I’m not a songwriter.

Just in case you need a refresher, here’s the original version:

And really, who is dumb enough to mess with Dolly?

 

Which version do you prefer?

Dolly’s classic, or Beyonce’s hot take?