Every so often an artist transcends their craft and becomes a cultural monolith much larger than their chosen medium would allow for—think Elvis Presley, Kanye West, and of course, the first lady of country music, Dolly Parton. Parton’s work, in particular, continues to inspire today’s crop of artists, from Miley Cyrus to Kasey Musgraves, though her catalog’s influence spans much further than just the country space; case in point—Destructo‘s new genre-blurring “Jolene” remix.
Bringing Parton’s inimitable charm to the dance floor, Destructo leaves his penchant for rap-inflected G-house beats at the door, coming through with a clean club framework on his new “Jolene” rework. Leaving the original cut’s beloved vocals largely intact, Destructo makes his deep-house modifications with a subtle hand, letting Parton’s voice effortlessly glide over a two-step house beat. Says the LiveStyle boss,
“’Jolene’ has been part of my musical DNA since day one. It is a true classic not only for country music but
American music. I’ve always felt its lyrics and melody could be the bones to build a real dance floor banger
around. Something to sing along to while getting your dance on.”
This isn’t the first time country and house music have proven to be a complementary pairing, as evidenced by past works from the late Avicii, Audien and Lady A, Diplo taking on Lil Nas X’s inescapable “Old Town Road,” Zedd and Maren Morris, and others. “Jolene” in particular has been a get-on-the-floor-and-dance type of number for nearly 50 years now, but with Destructo’s new, contemporary refitting, one of Dolly Parton’s most memorable hits just got a breath of new life. Listen below.
