A lot has been said about Beyoncé’s new Cowboy Carter album, and even more about her decision to put her own spin on the classic Dolly Parton single, “Jolene.”
It’s not the first time a modern artist has covered the song and it likely won’t be the last. The controversy, then, lies in how the Grammy Award-winning singer chose to change the meaning.
Fans call it a triumph, insisting it’s an example of Beyoncé refusing to play the victim to a would-be man stealer. Others claim the vulnerability was the point of the song. These critics can’t help but question: if Beyonce didn’t agree with the central message in “Jolene,” why didn’t she just write a new song?
This seems like a silly question in today’s era of remakes, reboots, and never-ending franchises. True originality is a rare commodity in the music industry, but for someone with as many accolades and…
