Olivia Newton-John’s Estate Releases “Jolene” Duet With Dolly Parton, Olivia’s Final Recording Done Months Before Her Passing

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What a cool surprise.

Dolly Parton and the late Olivia Newton-John teamed up for a duet of Dolly’s iconic tune “Jolene,” which they recorded several months before Olivia passed away after a decades-long battle with breast cancer in August of 2022.

Dolly and Olivia actually became friends after Olivia won the CMA for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1974, and she included a solo over of “Jolene” on her seventh studio album Come On Over back in 1976.

Olivia’s longtime publicist, Michael Caprio, says it only feels right that Dolly be part of Olivia’s final recording, as she was there for Olivia just the same at the start of, and throughout, her career:

“This duet seems like the perfect bookend to their decades-long friendship.

Knowing that Dolly was there at the start of Olivia’s US Country music career and here she is, one half of a duet of Olivia’s final recording, is pretty special.”

The title track to Dolly’s 1974 13th studio album, she famously penned “Jolene” on the same day she wrote “I Will Always Love You,” and of course, it became a smash hit, peaking at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Country Songs chart as one of her first hit singles.

Dolly introduced their studio video of the duet by saying how excited she was to work with Olivia after all these years on a song they both loved so much:

“Well hey, this is Dolly, in case you didn’t recognize me. And I am so excited to be working with Olivia Newton-John, one of my favorites of all-time.

We’ve kinda always stayed close through the years, and I am just so proud to be part of this duet project that she’s doing.

We’re singing one of my all-time favorites that I’ve written called ‘Jolene,’ and she says it’s one of her favorites. So why not just do a duet on our favorite?”

Olivia added:

“I’m excited, I’ve always wanted to sing with Dolly.”

This duet is the lead single of her forthcoming posthumous 17-track duets album Just The Two of Us, which features other artists like Mariah Carey, John Travolta and more. The album will be out everywhere on May 5th.

I don’t see how they’re gonna top this one, though… it’s so damn good:

And Olivia’s solo cover is one of the best I’ve ever heard:

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