Beyoncé Pays Tribute to Her Cowboy Carter Emcee, Dolly Parton

Beyoncé honored Dolly Parton in a rare public statement last night, following Parton’s death. “Dolly, you were the barometer,” she wrote on her website alongside a portrait of the singer, actress, and songwriter. “The North Star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself. I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”

Bey has never been shy about drawing from music history, paying tribute to icons both onstage, like the Tina Turner tribute at the Kennedy Center, and in songs, like her Turner-esque one, “Ya Ya.” But on Cowboy Carter, Parton helped blend traditional country music with Beyoncé’s modern, hip-hop influence. On “Tyrant,” Parton tells Bey to “Strike a match and light up this juke joint,” bringing a little twang to what is perhaps the record’s least “country” song. Beyoncé’s cover of “Jolene” also features an intro track called “Dolly P,” which ties together Beyoncé’s Lemonade and “Jolene.” “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? Reminded me of someone I knew back when,” Parton says. For her version of “Jolene,” Beyoncé switches the narrative and tells the central siren that “you don’t want no heat with me, Jolene.”

Parton was excited and taken aback by the new version of her song. “I thought she did a great job in country music, and I thought it was great,” she told E! News at the time. “And I was just happy she did ‘Jolene.’ I, of course, would have loved to have heard how she would have done it in its original way. But of course, you know, it’s Beyoncé. Yeah, her life is different than mine.”