It’s been covered by acts like Miley Cyrus, Olivia Newton-John and The White Stripes – but Dolly Parton wants to hear Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene.”
Speaking to The Big Issue, Parton said the 1973 single from her album of the same name has been recorded more than any other song she has written.
“It has been recorded worldwide over 400 times in lots of different languages, by lots of different bands,” she said. “The White Stripes did a wonderful job of it, and many other people. But nobody’s ever had a really big hit record on it.
“I’ve always hoped somebody might do someday, someone like Beyoncé.”
Parton knows all about how one of her hits can become a hit for another artist. “I Will Always Love You” – on the Jolene album – was No. 1 on the Country chart in 1974 and again in 1982 when it was used in the soundtrack to The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Whitney Houston’s version, which she recorded with Canada’s David Foster for 1992’s The Bodyguard, spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the pop chart and remains the best-selling single by a female artist.
“I knew it was a good song but I had no idea that it could ever become what it did, after Whitney recorded it and it went into such a big hit movie,” recalled Parton. “I’ll always be grateful to [co-producer] Kevin Costner and obviously I’ll always be grateful to and always love Whitney Houston.”