In 2016, the atmosphere inside the studio felt electric — as if two different eras of music were about to meet in the same breath. Pentatonix, the genre-blending vocal powerhouse, invited country legend Dolly Parton to revisit her 1973 classic, Jolene. Their mission wasn’t simply to perform it — they wanted to rebuild it entirely from human voices alone.
In the original recording, acoustic guitar drove the rhythm with steady urgency. This time, that pulse was recreated through layered harmonies and Kevin Olusola’s sharp, heartbeat-like beatboxing. The familiar melody remained, but it now floated inside a rich architecture of vocal textures. Dolly’s unmistakable vibrato rose above the arrangement, supported by harmonies that wrapped around her voice like a living instrument. The result felt intimate, haunting, and strikingly modern.
The reinterpretation resonated far beyond the studio walls.
At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, the collaboration earned Best Country Duo/Group Performance, marking a remarkable milestone in Parton’s career. With that nomination, she became the first artist to receive Grammy nominations for the same song across four different decades — a testament to both the song’s endurance and her timeless appeal. Online, the performance quickly drew millions of views, introducing “Jolene” to a new generation raised on digital soundscapes.
For Dolly, the experience was deeply meaningful.
She later described the session as something almost spiritual — hearing her story of vulnerability reshaped into a layered, almost cinematic sound. Rather than overpowering the song’s emotion, Pentatonix amplified its tension, turning a simple plea into something ethereal and immersive.
The 2016 version of “Jolene” stands as proof that great songs don’t age — they evolve. By blending classic country storytelling with contemporary vocal innovation, Pentatonix and Dolly Parton created a bridge between past and present, showing that a powerful melody can thrive in any era when carried by the human voice alone.
