Beyoncé teases Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' cover in 'Cowboy Carter' track list (original) (raw)
Beyoncé is rolling out her latest album with guns blazing.
Two days out from the arrival of her Renaissance follow-up, Queen Bey has unveiled the tracklist to the upcoming album, Cowboy Carter. In a graphic shared on Instagram, the singer revealed titles for several of the songs that make up this second part of her three-act musical project.
Within the tracklist, she name-checked country legends, which included Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. While the graphic doesn’t confirm if the singers will be featured on the album or merely referenced, the post does confirm something fans have long suspected: Beyoncé will cover Parton’s beloved ballad, “Jolene.” Parton previously hinted that she "heard" and "thinks" and "hopes" the singer would cover the classic for her country album.
Beyonce.
Johnny Nunez/Getty
Another notable name in country history gets the spotlight too: “The Linda Martell Show” is a reference to the pioneering artist who was one of the first commercially successful Black artists in country, and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry.
Besides her already-released singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” some of the new tracks include "Protector," "Bodyguard," "My Rose," and "Flamenco." Others lean heavily into the albums’s Act II status with intentional double i’s, including, “Ameriican Requiem,” “Blackbiird,” “Spaghettii,” “Alliigator Tears,” “Riiverdance,” “Levii’s Jeans.”
Reps for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to _Entertainment Weekly_’s request for comment.
Though the album doesn't arrive in full until March 29, Beyoncé has already made history with Cowboy Carter. In February, the Grammy winner hit No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” making her the first Black woman to top that chart since its inception in 1958.
Country records aside, the singer previously let fans know that, despite experimenting with the genre, she considers this to be a Beyoncé album through and through.
“This album has been over five years in the making,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
She added, “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content: