Originally published at: Lil Nas X covers "Jolene," gets nod from Dolly herself | Boing Boing
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Sometimes people are unfairly put up on a pedestal and lionized. Somehow Dolly keeps living up to her reputation!
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HOT.
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Bet that guy has a lot of toaster ovens.
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She’s right up there with Fred Rogers as far as I’m concerned.
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as soon as i heard it, i thought, “how could Dolly NOT love this?”
so glad to see she loves it, too. we need more people like Dolly.
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They aren’t really on a pedestal at all, they just stand tall. It’s like they are on a pedestal because they pull others up.
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It was a good performance but i was expecting Lil Nas to put more anguish into the singing. It was pretty reserved, and to be fair i did like it but i was expecting a little more oomph. That said i’m really psyched that Dolly loved it
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I have long said that there has only been one perfect human being in the world, Fred Rogers, but Dolly is in the running for second. Glad to see I’m not the only one who feels that way.
I thought the same thing and wondered if maybe he held back a little to show the song and Dolly a special level of respect. Maybe. It’s a nice take and I enjoy his voice, although I felt the artistic choice to speed through the main lyrics didn’t work quite as well for me as the chorus.
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I know right.
A few years ago there was an article calling out her Medieval Times type dinner theater for basically marketing the Lost Cause. Parton apparently read the article, that one article, and changed it. Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede became Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and the show content was updated and changed.
Without massive outcry, without excuses or justifications, without trying to avoid it. They just fixed it.
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I love the simple way that him singing her words imbues the song with this racial and sexual orientation element that is going to rile up country’s conservative base. I’d buy an album from him of nothing but covers of classic country. Do Uneasy Rider next, please LNX!
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Totally agree with you on the first point.
Speaking as a singer, I would say to your second point that Dolly Parton’s voice is perfect in a way no one else can match, and so trying to sing her notes as she did them is bound to be disappointing. It’s easier to sing quickly (up to a point) than hold those notes over time.
Basically, he was showing the love, while working within the framework that his voice isn’t quite up to her caliber.
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On the queer side of country there’s also Orville Peck
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I thought Nas’s understated approach gave the song dignity & a certain sarcastic flair – like, “Of course I can’t & wouldn’t bother to compete with your classic feminine beauty cuz guess what? We got something else going on. Get out of my face with your auburn hair.”
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Can you find that article?
Looking at him next to Dolly, he really is Lil’
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And her update from after the changes were made. IIRC the changes started within six months.
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Yep.
My take on it is pretty much stated by one of the commenters:
“Dolly gave us a narrative of burning desperation. Scrambling to salvage the relationship. LNX gives us the empty ache of a despair already beyond salvation, already knowing that the damage is done and there’s no going back.”
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For more on Dolly Parton, I strongly recommend WNYC’s podcast “Dolly Parton’s America”. Produced and hosted by Jad Abumrad (of Radiolab), it’s a surprisingly excellent glimpse into the universal truth of her music and brand, along with all the contradictions that come with them.
Notably, it covers the De-Dixifying of her Stampede.
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