Dolly Parton is making her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a little more accurate with the release of Rockstar. The new album will feature a few originals, but one of the big draws is hearing the country music legend take on some rock classics.
One of the inclusions is a cover of the ’90s hit “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes. For Parton, she had two main reasons for including the song on the album.
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“First of all, I love Linda Perry. Second of all, I love this song written by Linda,” Parton said in a statement. “I love being a part of this video to try to make people think about what’s going on in this world today. Shout out to the little children that helped with the video! If our children don’t make it, then what will? Again, I ask, ‘What’s Up?’ Enjoy.”
The video for the song features Perry and was filmed at Eakin Elementary in Nashville. Children appear as an audience, with Perry and Parton performing. It makes sense that Parton would want to make sure the focus on the album and this song was something meaningful. She’s shown herself to be a true advocate for education, healthcare, and children both in Tennessee and around the globe. It struck Perry as special, too.
“Her version of ‘What’s Up?’ is so good,” Perry says. “Her spin on it made me feel like it was her song. No surprise there.” As The Wrap notes, the cover and album find their genesis in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She initially declined the nomination for induction due to her roots in country music and a lack of rock music in her resume. She eventually was talked into accepting, appeared at the ceremony, and then got the idea for Rockstar.
The album will also feature Parton teaming with Paul McCartney and Ring Starr on “Let It Be,” her single “World on Fire” that she debuted at the Academy of Country Music Awards back in May 2023, and covers of “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” by Queen and “Magic Man” by Heart.
“I’m sure a lot of you knew that back when they said they were gonna put me in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I didn’t really feel like I had done enough to deserve that. And I didn’t understand at the time that it’s about a little more than that,” Parton said at the Hall of Fame induction. “And I thought, well, if I’m gonna be in (it), I’m gonna have to do a rock album, because my husband of 56 years is a huge rock fan…And then when this all came up… I thought, well, since I am gonna be in the (hall), I’m gonna write a song for tonight, which I’m gonna sing in a minute, kind of telling my story about how I felt about it.”
An edited version of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction can be viewed on Max and HBO from back in November. Rockstar will be released on Nov. 17, 2023.
