I feel like Dolly Parton is at the point in her career where she doesn’t have to defend herself anymore.
Yet, here we are…
Dolly recently sat down for a feature with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the release of her first full-blown Rock & Roll album Rockstar, and she talked about the collaboration with Kid Rock on a cover of Elliott Smith’s “Either/Or.”
Quickly to recap, fans were upset earlier this year that Dolly, who has generally avoided political statements, collaborated with Kid Rock, who has been outspoken on many political issues including his support for Donald Trump and, of course, his anger at Bud Light for partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The tracklist was announced around the same time as that controversy, which Kid Rock was very much at the center of, and with it being 2023, it sent people (mostly on X/Twitter, of course), into a firestorm being mad that Dolly would work with him.
Dolly says she always tries to look for “innocence and purity” in herself and everyone else, adding that she’s not here to “condemn or criticize,” but rather just “accept and love,” and this partnership is no exception.
I’m sure she has her own thoughts and opinions on all of that (that we’ll likely never know), but I respect her ability to handle the whole fiasco (for lack of a better, less dramatic word) with such grace and class more than I can really put into words.
Once again, I reiterate, Dolly for President…
“I did a song with Kid Rock on this album.
Of course I did that before the controversy that he had, but somebody was talking to me the other day, ‘How could you do this with Kid?’
I said, ‘Hey, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock. Just because I love Kid Rock don’t mean I don’t love you.’ I don’t condemn or criticize. I just accept and love.”
She continued, telling The Hollywood Reporter that she’d “probably” still have done the collab even after the controversy, saying it kind of fits in with the message of the song they’re singing in a way, too:
“Like I said, I had done that before, but I’d have probably still done it, because he is a gifted guy, and that song was about a bad boy; it was about a boy that was cheating and mistreating her.
But like I say, I love everybody. I don’t criticize, nor I don’t condone nor condemn. I just accept them. But anyhow, just because I love you don’t mean I don’t love Kid Rock in that God way.”
It’s the take and approach that Dolly’s had since she started her career, and clearly, I don’t think that’s going to be changing anytime soon, nor should it.
The woman is a national treasure, and I think it’s pretty damn incredible the all-star cast she’s assembled for this project, from working with Elton John and Steve Perry, to Sting and John Fogarty… it’s going to be something special.
Dolly has already put out quite a few really cool singles and collaborations with some of the biggest names in music, from “Magic Man (Carl Version) ft. Ann Wilson,” “Bygones ft. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5,” and a mashup Queen’s multi-Platinum mega hits “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You.”
She even got The Beatles back together (enough said, really), and is set to headline the Dallas Cowboys halftime show on Thanksgiving.
“We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You”
“Let It Be (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr)”
The full album will be out on streaming platforms everywhere on November 17th, and you can see the full tracklist below.
Rockstar tracklist:
1. Rock Star (special guest Richie Sambora)
2. World on Fire
3. Every Breath You Take (feat. Sting)
4. Open Arms (feat. Steve Perry)
5. Magic Man (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
6. Long As I Can See The Light (feat. John Fogerty)
7. Either Or (feat. Kid Rock)
8. I Want You Back (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
9. What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
10. Purple Rain
11. Baby, I Love Your Way (feat. Peter Frampton)
12. I Hate Myself For Loving You (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
13. Night Moves (feat. Chris Stapleton)
14. Wrecking Ball (feat. Miley Cyrus)
15. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
16. Keep On Loving You (feat. Kevin Cronin)
17. Heart Of Glass (feat. Debbie Harry)
18. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me (feat. Elton John)
19. Tried To Rock And Roll Me (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
20. Stairway To Heaven (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
21. We Are The Champions
22. Bygones (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
23. My Blue Tears (feat. Simon Le Bon)
24. What’s Up? (feat. Linda Perry)
25. You’re No Good (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
26. Heartbreaker (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
27. Bittersweet (feat. Michael McDonald)
28. I Dreamed About Elvis (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
29. Let It Be (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
30. Free Bird (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)
