There have been covers of "Jolene" and then there are blessed covers of "Jolene."
Fans of The Voice were treated to the latter Tuesday night when Dolly Parton sang one of her most-revered songs with Arlington's Pentatonix and judge and goddaughter (in the South, we take that title seriously) Miley Cyrus.
(Anyone remember Parton and Cyrus cavorting on her TV series Hannah Montana? Oh, that's just me. Come on! This is a judge-free zone.)
Anyway ... even the White Stripes covered this gem first written in the early '70s.
Folks ran wild in the internet streets when Pentatonix released its duet, er, sextet (?) with Parton on the song.
Miley Cyrus' stripped-down version had caused similar unbridled joy when it was released.
And then it all came together for last night's stunning, stirring performance mashup.
Parton also performed "Circle of Love" with Jennifer Nettles during the show. The continuation of Parton's childhood story-turned-TV movies, Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, will air Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. on NBC. The movie will feature the song and the songstresses.
Tuesday night's Voice saw the remaining contestants whittled down to eight. Fort Worth native Austin Allsup and Courtney Harrell were eliminated. Houston's Sundance Head is the last Texan standing.
Thanks so much for everything. This rides far from over! Thanks @blakeshelton @NBCTheVoice for the opportunity! #TeamAA pic.twitter.com/uDs0r3w5TE
— Austin Allsup (@AustinAllsup) November 30, 2016
One can only hope the remaining contestants were paying attention to Aunt Dolly's star turn. This is how you write, perform and keep alive an indelible song.
