I love Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. I would argue it’s her best album since Lemonade, and I consider Lemonade to be her magnum opus. All that being said, there are a couple of skips on Cowboy Carter, for me at least. Let’s say it this way: while the whole album is brilliant, I’m not “in love” with a couple of the songs. And that’s fine! I’m not trying to make a big thing about it, and my whole personality is not newly devoted to nitpicking Beyonce’s choices. It’s like people don’t realize they can just not be crazy about every single song and keep it to themselves. Speaking of, Lily Allen had to chime in about how much she hates Beyonce’s version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Lily Allen isn’t the biggest supporter of Beyoncé’s version of “Jolene.” On the Wednesday, April 3, episode of the Miss Me? podcast that Allen, 38, cohosts with her friend Miquita Oliver, the pair shared their thoughts on the 32-time Grammy winner, 42, covering a Dolly Parton classic.
“I don’t think the ‘Jolene’ one’s good,” Oliver, 39, said as they discussed Cowboy Carter — Beyoncé’s eighth studio album.
“It’s very weird that you cover the most successful songs in that genre,” Allen replied.
“But I also feel like ‘Jolene”s such an excellent song. Like, I’ve listened to the story of how Dolly Parton wrote it in about 20 minutes, like, over and over, because I just think it’s so genius. And I don’t know, it just felt a little bit like a kind of standard hip-hop beat under a ‘Jolene’ cover,” Oliver said. She added, “It’s like, ‘Let’s do something with this song. If we’re going to take it apart and put it back together. I feel like Beyoncé could have done a bit more with that.”
Allen agreed, adding, “Yeah, I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re like trying to tackle a new genre and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover.”
“I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?” the “Hard Out Here” singer said.
Despite what Allen and Oliver think, the Houston native recently made history as the first-ever Black female artist to top the Hot Country Songs chart with her single “Texas Hold ‘Em” in February. The same track also debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart.
Following the achievement, she received praise from Parton, 78, herself. “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” the original “Jolene” hitmaker wrote in a statement via Instagram on Feb. 22. “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single.”
Does Lily Allen not understand that Dolly publicly and repeatedly asked Beyonce to cover “Jolene,” and that Beyonce did so with Dolly’s permission? While I believe Beyonce reworked the lyrics on her own, I also believe that she sought Dolly’s permission to do so and Beyonce didn’t credit herself (Dolly was given sole authorship of “Jolene” on Cowboy Carter). Now, I would have preferred a straight cover as well, because I think so highly of Dolly’s original song. But Beyonce did the thing and she made it her own, and Dolly signed off on everything. So what is Lily complaining about?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, ‘Cowboy Carter’ cover.
-
- Lily Allen bei der Verleihung der Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2023 im One Marylebone. London, 17.10.2023 *** Lily Allen at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2023 at One Marylebone London, 17 10 2023. Foto:xS.xVasx/xFuturexImagex glamour_3182,Image: 814658439, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Steve Vas / Avalon
-
- Lily Allen attends the “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” World Premiere at the Phoenix Theatre London December 14, 2023,Image: 830103087, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: celebrityphotos uk / Avalon
I don’t think Lily Allen is “complaining,” I think she’s offering a critical view and there’s nothing wrong with that?
Besides I sincerely doubt that Beyonce gives two hoots in Hades about Lily Allen’s opinion about anything, so….
She’s criticizing the take B used. That’s fair.
I think she didn’t like it and expressed it in a convoluted way. Fair enough, I don’t think it’s complaining and she’s entitled to her opinion.
Right.
Completely fair to state her opinion, but Lily Allen’s take on anything is relevant to….who exactly? Does anyone not named Lily Allen care?
There was more complaining about Beyonce in the full conversation. People just didn’t pick them as quote. In the full conversation, she is trying to infer that Beyonce is aiming for Grammy and covering Jolene is a calculated move for that. Also, she is currently working on a country album. That is why she is shady throughout the interview.
I LOVE IT!!!! B kept it in the vein of Dolly’s versioning with B’s own voice. You go girl! Dolly and her sister Stella, are cool people. Much ❤️ to them all.
I agree — I was worried I was about to read something borderline problematic, but it was just a person knowledgeable about music giving a technical explanation for why a piece didn’t work for them.
And in a much less knowledgeable way, I agree with it — I don’t particularly like the changes Beyonce made to ‘Jolene’. Other songs on the album are great, however.
I won’t say Oliver is racist…but I don’t hear a “hip-hop beat” on this Jolene cover. It’s pretty true to the source as far as covers go.
I don’t like it because as we already know, Jay did cheat on Beyonce with his Jolene. So even if the side chick (whoever that may be) didn’t “win the war”, she won this battle. And that’s why I like the original Jolene where Dolly is pleading with Jolene because a battle has already been won and she’s in the midst of a war.
But I get what Beyonce is trying to do with the song, I appreciate the effort and Beyonce couldn’t very well cover this song and plead with the other woman…like that also wouldn’t track for me.
To your last sentence: she Beyoncified it. I don’t love the cover myself–mostly because the raw vulnerability and palpable emotion isn’t there–but Beyonce made that song hers and that should count for something.
Beyonce cover of Jolene is linked to the song Daughter and Tyrant, which Dolly is also on . Lessons to the lyrics a war was/is still going on just a different one.
Here is a great analysis of it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/comments/1buhqmi/lyrical_analysis_of_tyrant/?rdt=56315
Raven.. 100% correct. AMEN. I Love both the 0riginal and Beyoncé’s version.. Awesomesauce. I have not stop playing the entire album from front to back since 8:00AM on March 29th, 2024. It took me about 4 days to like 26 songs on the album. The only one that still lurking is Flamenco ( ugh)…. but everyday I have a new different favourite. right not that`s ii hands to heaven.
A woman is not responsible for policing a man—I don’t like the message of “Jolene” then or now—musically, both are great but I prefer a different message than the marriage police ‘pick me’ dance.
Miquita Oliver is black, by the way.
Came here to say same. I don’t think Americans are aware of that.
And so what is Miquita trying to say here if there isn’t a distinguishable “hip hop beat” on this track, but because Beyonce is on it, now there’s a hip hopness to it? All skin folk ain’t kin folk.
She might have just heard it the way she heard it?
Miquita Oliver is a black woman, FYI
Everyone has an opinion but the only on that counts is Dollys since it was her song originally and from everything I’ve read she loves it and Beyonce. Do people do this to every artist?
Yes, but bc B is so huge, everything said is quoted. So many podcast throwaway comments re movies acting etc by various celebs, some get picked up as ‘stories.’
Dolly herself said years ago that she would love for Beyoncé to cover Jolene. And so Beyoncé did. But okay, sure, it’s weird🙄
Beyoncé’s like, who?
LOLOLOLOL
@matthew, do you mean … you don’t know her?
I mean sure, she’s entitled to her opinion but this isn’t really constructive criticism, it’s just bitchy. Maybe on camera her comments come across differently but here she just sounds passive-aggressive and not very gracious. Kind of a weird flex at a female peer who has all but dominated the music industry the past 20 plus years but I guess “you do you” Lily.
Lily is known to make bitter remarks and is not a very positive person in general. She is nowhere near the peer of Beyonce. I think some of this is because Lily herself wants to make a country album and Beyonce beat her to the punch so she is probably a little upset about that.
Yeah it’s the patronizing aspect of her comments for me. Beyonce doesn’t need you to tell her how to do a cover, Lily. Also, it’s ok to not express every single opinion that’s floating around your head, especially knowing it’s gonna be in print. This album is beloved by many—Just say something supportive and kind and move on…it’s not hard.
I agree, I find Lily to be a spiteful, jealous little Madam that resents anyone getting ahead. Christ she even stated that having her children impacted her career negatively. She’s just another washed up nepo baby. Plus she’s utterly unrecognizable, it’s almost like she AI’d her ideal look and achieved it via extreme weight loss and surgery
I love love love Cowboy Carter. If you follow the journey that is Beyonce’s music, Beyonce’s version is logical conclusion from the self titled Beyonce album’s Drunk in Love, to Lemonade’s “Sorry”, and now “Jolene”. It honestly makes sense if you believe she’s a story teller.
If you listen to the whole album (which I recommend), I think it makes perfect sense. I read more of this interview and Lily admits she hasn’t listened to the whole thing.
On Cowboy Carter, Dolly introduces Jolene by doing a callback to Becky with the Good Hair on Lemonade. She refers to that “hussy with the good hair” and says it reminds her of a woman she used to know with auburn hair. That intro as well as the ENTIRE album makes it all make sense.
While it’s of course okay to have a different take, I really am irritated by people (and let’s be honest, it’s mostly white women) who don’t understand the work that went into this album, the history, and don’t listen to the whole thing front to back. The inclusion of Dolly, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell as “DJ’s” and what they say is important.
100% agreed!!
Lily Allen has every right to express her opinion of Beyonce’s version of the song, but describing it as “weird” that she’d choose to cover it is odd. Why shouldn’t Beyonce choose to cover well-known songs? Beyonce covers “Blackbird” on this album as well and Paul McCartney has said that he loves it.
So this is only a small piece of the conversation. USA Today recaps more. I don’t super care if Lily Allen likes the Jolene version or not. Everyone will have their opinion. But it was the larger conversation that annoyed me. Allen admits to not listening to the whole album, having only heard a few songs. And there’s a part about Beyoncé being calculated. Which whatever. I mean of course she calculates what’s she going to do but the word Allen chose has connotations which she’s aware of. There’s something about her. She’s so calculating🙄. And there’s a whole part of not really understanding why Beyoncé even feels a need to go into country and whether she’s competing with Swift by going into her original market. It was just overall a conversation from two people who came across as pretty ignorant about Beyoncé and what she herself has clearly stated is her purpose in this album. Opening up country and projecting Black Country artists and focusing on the deeper history of country music. It just felt like Allen and Oliver were missing some points either by ignorance or choice but I’d have to give it a fuller listen.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/04/04/lily-allen-criticizes-beyonce-covering-jolene-dolly-parton/73209811007/
Dolly gave her blessing to Beyonce’s version of the song so it doesn’t matter what Lily Allen thinks about it.
“ While I believe Beyonce reworked the lyrics on her own, I also believe that she sought Dolly’s permission to do so and Beyonce didn’t credit herself (Dolly was given sole authorship of “Jolene” on Cowboy Carter). ”
I believe Dolly rewrote Jolene herself. I believe Dolly re-wrote Jolene before she started campaigning for Beyoncé to do the song. Dolly did ann interview about Elvis wanting to cover I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, butthat didn’t happen, because the assumption from Colonel Parker was that Elvis would get the publishing credit and Dolly would not give that up even though Elvis was king.
I’ve heard that people in the music industry, side eye the fact that Beyoncé, gets writing credit on all the songs she sings. They don’t believe she actually earns it. That’s for her and her collaborators to work out. If Beyoncé had rewritten Jolene she would’ve gotten writing credit on it.
I just assumed that after decades of hearing a woman plead to another woman, not to take her man, Dolly figure that there’s could a different way to approach the problem. Dolly needed someone who could carry that new story. Why would she be approaching Beyoncé to beg, when Beyoncé made clear in LEMONADE that’s the only begging she does is with a baseball bat.
Of course I wasn’t there, so I can be as wrong as anybody else. But Dolly be pushing that new version off Jolene hard on social media. It is like she’s had a dream come true.
I will admit that Jolene was not my favorite cut when I first listened to Cowboy Carter. But someone isolated Beyoncé’s vocals on Cowboy Carter. All the songs sound amazing to me. Several sounds better with just vocals. Personally, Jolene sounds like a masterpiece without any musicians playing, with just Beyoncé’s voice.
Song writing credits don’t just include the lyrics, but also the melody itself. Someone can write the whole song themselves, if they work on it with someone else on how to sing the lyrics, that person also gets writing credit. That’s how Max Martin gets writing credits on the songs he produces. No one complains about him. Beyonce is in this business since she was a teenager, of course she is very involved in the creative process. Specifically for the Jolene song, the melody is the same as the original, just the lyrics are changed. So, I didn’t get surprised that Dolly got the sole credit since she is the original creator. I think if Beyonce changed some lyrics in a significant way, she would ask for credit.
Found on the internet Beyoncé’s Vocal isolated on Jolene.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h8rWrw4tWKn4gXX1042usCoksf48Y7TH
I think YT women in general have real issues with things that aren’t for them – I remember someone asking me about Kendrick Lamar once and I was like ok I’m not a huge fan but I understand what a talent he is and that the music isn’t for me. And that’s ok. We can all appreciate art differently. The problem with many YT women is that they think that everything (feminism, art, everything) should always be about them. It’s annoying
Apparently Lily is currently working on a country album and said that she isn’t trying to “conquer the country market”. Her saying that Beyonce chose to cover one of the most known country songs gives more context to that. To her, Beyonce isn’t just making a country album as a woman from Texas, but it is a calculated campaign for Grammy. She referred to Jay Z’s Grammy speech too. It is giving jealousy, bitterness, commenting on an album without listening to it and saying that my songs tell a story.
I can’t find a source about her working on a country album but maybe it’s because when you look for “Lily Allen country album” you just get results about Allen kicking that hornets nest.
@Lau, here is the source: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/lily-allen-shades-beyonc-calculated-175845267.html
I don’t understand why People omitted all these points in the article. They only focused on a small part of the convo without context.
Thank you ! Well she just sounds bitter when you put everything into context. Her shading Beyonce like that doesn’t make any sense other than Allen wanting to be talked about. Now she’ll only have to deal with the BeyHive.
I’m not keeping track with what Lily Allen is doing these days but I used to listen to her music back in the days. I don’t know if she is planning a country album or not but I do know that she did Not Fair 15 years ago that was a very country take on pop. I see more and more pop artists going into the country lane these days and I have to wonder if that is a push from labels to get new listeners or if it’s coming from the artists themselves. I think that there is a bit of divide between artists that are just artists and wants to focus on the creative part and artists that are acting more like entrepreneurs in addition to the creative (like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift I feel like Dua Lipa is in this category as well). I want to applaud artists taking control over their careers because labels are really shit at their jobs and take way to much money for what they do but at the same time I can see the effects on the rest of the industry where attention has become such a valuable commodity and the big entrepreneurial artists are really good at what they do while the artists who just want to be artists are left to the mercy of lazy labels. Once you have started get an understanding of how things work behind the scenes in the music industry I can understand why some might get very frustrated. I feel the same way about artists that are constantly using the entire hook from an older hit (like Ava Max) to get that instant recognition. It’s lazy but it works. I don’t think Beyoncé is lazy but she knows how things work so she is doing what she needs to do to get what she wants to get.
I think it’s a take and she’s entitled to it. I also really loved Beyonce’s version. I’m not a card carrying BeyHive member, but I thought this was an excellent album. I agree, her best since Lemonade, which was pretty much perfect. This one was kind of all over the place (lots of different folk-adjacent genres all thrown in as “the country album”), but all of it was SO GOOD that I can’t be mad about it!
I don’t see anything wrong with this: “It’s like, ‘Let’s do something with this song. If we’re going to take it apart and put it back together. I feel like Beyoncé could have done a bit more with that.” That’s fair enough. Beyoncé can handle a little criticism, no?
Hot take: I actually hate Jolene period. I know that’s a strong word but I just cannot stand the song at all. I still haven’t heard Bey’s version though – I plan to listen to the full album today!
I agree, I didn’t like this cover mainly because, from what I’ve heard in podcasts/reading: Jolene’s original lyrics coming from a “please don’t take my man” “be a good fellow female and think about it before you steal” stance is and was RARE when singing about infedelity within country music (they tend to sing a lot about “my man was stolen, I’m gonna go trash his property and then k*ll myself”)
Joelene was different in that the lyrics weren’t about pitting oneself against the “other woman”, it was about being vulnerable and yes, even a bit insecure.
But the Beyonce cover just makes Jolene yet another country song about possessing your partner and threats to others not to come near. Also the lyrics about how happy Beyonce’s man is so Jolene shouldn’t even try to steal him…IDK I just didn’t love it.
“Allen agreed, adding, “Yeah, I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re like trying to tackle a new genre and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover.”
“I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?” the “Hard Out Here” singer said.”
Personally, I don’t see a criticism of Jolene in what reported here. What I see is a criticism of Beyoncé. It is some random woman saying she knows better than Beyoncé what Beyoncé should have done with her time and talent.
It comes off as assuming the right to tell Black people what, where and how to do things.
I am with agreement with @Danbury up thread.
Lily needs to do her own work. If her ideas are superior, they will rise to the top.
The crazy thing is that this article conveniently misses the biggest story, which is Lily implying that she, a privileged white woman from the UK is an actual “storyteller,” is more of a country fan and is “well-suited” to record a country album compared to Beyonce, a black woman born in the American South. Read the quote below and tell me she’s not complaining or there isn’t any bias present:
“But I’m not like, trying to conquer the country market,” Allen responded. “I’m here because I’ve loved country music and always have loved country music—not saying Beyoncé doesn’t—but I tell stories in my songs and quite a lot of country music does the same thing. I think it’s well-suited to what it is that I do.”
She’s mad because Bey beat her to the punch on making a “country” album (even though B herself doesn’t even call it that) and whatever comeback she had prepared for her career is now dead in the water. She’s being a massive hater.
I’m not a huge beyonce fan by any means but 99% of the discourse I’ve seen on this album has come from white people and it’s very obvious to me that many can’t just let BIPOC live their lives or enjoy their successes without centering themselves in the convo.
I love that Dolly didn’t stop until she got her wish! However, I am confused about B’s version.
If I understood correctly, this hypothetical song scenario is about Jolene being her man’s mistress, so B tells Jolene that she knows about his cheating and is ok with it because B and her man are rock-solid and he’ll never actually leave B and their kids for Jolene. Then B kind of metaphorically b*tch slaps Jolene for thinking she could ever replace B, or be better than B, and for daring to be a mistress, but never reprimands her man.
It’s definitely a choice I wasn’t expecting for the cover, but I totally understand why B wasn’t going to break down and be a victim when it comes to signing about infidelity.
I mean, we all LOVE Dolly’s version, but it is vulnerable and reveals insecurity. It’s a song about desperation. And I guess B just wasn’t going to do that!
@Olivia, that’s not what I got from the lyrics. I think, the new version says to a woman “flirting” with Beyonce’s man that their marriage is now solid after infidelity issues (“Me and my man crossed those valleys, Highs and lows and everything between”) and that Beyonce sees what she is doing (“There’s a thousand girls in every room, That act as desperate as you do”) and it won’t work, so “You a bird, go on and sing your tune”. There is also threats on the song if she doesn’t back off. I mean, there are women who go after taken men specifically, this is a diss song for that. There is no active cheating from the man, that’s why she isn’t dissing him. She did that on Lemonade already.
I think, Dolly wrote that specifically for Beyonce. I can’t imagine Beyonce begging a woman not to take her man. So, the original lyrics wouldn’t work with her, the new lyrics fit better to her public personality as an artist.
I think Beyonce wrote her own lyrics, not Dolly.
Someone on the last thread said it was co-written. I could def see it being a collaborative process.
@tealily, Checked the credits again, the writing credit (lyrics & melody) is only on Dolly. Beyonce has a production credit. So, since Beyonce used the original melody, the lyrics is the other factor for the writing credit. Are you saying Beyonce co-/wrote the lyrics, but didn’t get the credit? I don’t think Beyonce or any artist would accept that. They would give the original a big share, but still add their name.
The new lyrics are all Beyonce. Not taking the songwriting credit is about recognizing that the new version of the song is also fully Jolene. It also means Dolly gets all the songwriting money from the new version, which will not be a small amount. It’s B giving her greatest thank you to Dolly, recognizing her by making sure she gets paid.
I like the new song, it’s really good but doesn’t supplant Dolly’s original. I’m glad it exists. As to the album, fantastic, but I have to confess I really hate talking and such in between songs. Not just here, but on anything. It’s fine to sit and listen occasionally, but it just ruins the flow of the music for me, if I have it on in the background of my life. Completely an irrational me thing, but it’s there.
@Concern Fae, Just read Dolly’s message saying she liked the new version, is that how we know Beyonce rewrote the new version and not Dolly, but gave her full credit anyway? Or, was there some other info I missed? I only check official credits for the songs. It is weird if it doesn’t reflect the reality.
Lily is jealous
It’s so apparent.
B’s cover isn’t exactly my cup of tea but it’s good and Dolly has spoken on wanting her to do it before they worked together. Lily can have her opinions but to me she sounds like she’s got a bitter case of sour grapes because she’s putting out a country album too. The girl from London making a country album seems much more calculated than the girl from Houston if I’m being honest…
I think I’ve listened to II Most Wanted a million times by now.
I love this album so much.
That’s my favorite song from this album. The vocals are sublime. It surprised me because I’ve never been impressed by Miley Cyrus.
Their voices harmonize SO well together!
She ruined Jolene by making it a completely different song. I applaud her songwriting but can’t stand that she took an amazing classic song and made it mediocre.
That said, while I’m not a fan of this album, I do appreciate what B is doing to open doors for other black country artists. She’s driving a long-overdue cultural shift; true bravery going full-force into a genre that didn’t originally accept her. She’s brave, and I admire that – just please stop remaking and ruining classic songs!
I absolutely do not care what this British white woman (I am one too) thinks of Dolly and Beyoncé ‘s collaboration.
I also note that Salma Hayek posted a typical-of-her passive-aggressive “shout out” to Beyoncé’ s album. Salma’s been waiting 20 years for it!! Because of course SHE was the pioneer ‘crossover- into – country star (see my photo in a western movie with my cowboy hat!)
It’s so Karen. Neither of these two women understand the history of Black music or care that Beyoncé was actually born and raised in country music land and so has a claim to it.
Many people are salty about Black people in country music, refusing to acknowledge that many of the early country music artists were Black people. I’m never surprised about this. Many white folks are invested in putting Black people in a tight, restrictive box and making sure we remain where they’ve put us. As though our culture is whatever white supremacy defines or “allows” us to be.
As for Lily Allen, I saw a post on Twitter that sums it up by Rae The Writer, and I quote, “ Lily Allen’s distain for Beyonce is what I expect from a frowsy, Vitamin D-deficient white woman from England.” It seems to me as a Black woman, that it’s so often white women who resent our accomplishments, hate to see us display any wealth or prosperity, and firmly believe we should “stay in our own lane”.
I got my popcorn ready for when the Beyhive inevitably descends on Lily Allen. 3…2…1….
🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿
Thanks for the prompt. Hadn’t listened to Charley Pride in ages ❤️ (Kiss an Angel Good Morning). Actually have been listening to a lot of audiobooks, so I’ve missed Beyoncé latest album, and have never knowingly listened to Lily Allen. She sounds like an unpleasant person and NOT a feminist. I’m old, so don’t have time for women calling other women “calculating.” 🤮
But also, this album is awesome for those of us who generally do not like country music but enjoy some elements of the genre here and there. People complaining that the album isn’t “real country” or whatever–COOL, that’s why I like it. It’s also kinda ironic because I have heard (not by choice, BBQ place I love always plays country) PLENTY of white boys attempting to rap on country songs and sounding comically bad–like unbelievably terrible.
Strange that they’re not being eviscerated for doing the worst rap impression since Vanilla Ice. They’re not black women so no one says shit.
That interview felt to me like, “WHO does Bey think she is – who is she to tackle a classic? She should know her limit and/or place”. I could be reading the interview from a place of angst and grumpiness (too much Trump fatigue), but you know who gets to decide when to step up to the plate and how hard to swing the bat? Beyonce. That’s the sum total of who gets to decide. You might hate Jo’s recent record, but she made a choice and swung that bat hard. Artists do that. If it works or doesn’t work (in either case), that’s up to them. You don’t have to like the result, but respect the risk and effort and don’t tell grown, professional women what they are and aren’t capable of. I’m gonna go eat some chocolate and think about happy thoughts now.
It’s a bit rich that Lily Allen’s accusing Beyonce of “doing Dolly” when she co-opted a working class accent and persona to be more relatable.
I think this is a fair take. The weakest tracks, musically, are Jolene and Blackbird. The covers are too close to the originals.
Who cares what Lily Allen thinks? She’s entitled to her opinion, but given that she’s in the business (albeit less successful), she just comes across as jealous and bitter. Not a good look.
sad. things must not be going well for Lily