Despite many music fans weighing in on Beyoncé’s cover of the classic 1973 Dolly Parton single “Jolene,” one country star is opting to stay out of it.
Reba McEntire had a short and definitive response when asked by a TMZ interviewer, “Do you prefer one [version] over the other?”
“Nope […] bye!” McEntire replied.
The interviewer asked during the same conversation what the “Queen of Country” thinks about Beyoncé experimenting with the genre on her latest album release, Act II: Cowboy Carter.
“Oh, lots of great things,” McEntire said. “I think she is wonderful and am glad to have her in country.”
Reviews of the song have been mixed so far, with critics questioning Beyoncé’s decision to drastically change the lyrics and overall tone of the song. While Parton’s “Jolene” presents an insecure and vulnerable narrator afraid of losing her man, Beyoncé’s version is full of threats and posturing.
Parton seemed to appreciate the new spin, however, sharing her support via Instagram on the day of the new song’s release. “Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!” the country music legend wrote.
Beyoncé previously said her decision to dabble in the country genre was inspired in part by negative experiences she previously had with that audience. The Grammy Award winner said she faced backlash after performing alongside The Chicks at the 2016 CMA’s.
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She also claimed the new release wasn’t really country. “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she wrote on Instagram when announcing the new album.
“Jolene” wasn’t the only cover featured on the new album. Former Beatles band member Paul McCartney had words of praise for Beyoncé’s version of the song, “Blackbird.”
“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird.’ I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place,” McCartney said in an Instagram post. “I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!”
“I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,” he continued. “I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”
