Will Beyoncé cover this beloved sapphic Dolly Parton song? The gays have theories

Beyoncé has already given the culture enough gifts to last us a lifetime. But is she done giving, and more importantly, is she done serving? Absolutely not, how dare you even consider it! After Queen Bey officially announced at this year’s Super Bowl that Act II of her three-part musical epic—beginning with last year’s Renaissance—will be a country album, fans could hardly contain their excitement.

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But wait, there’s more: not only will Beyoncé’s forthcoming country album explore the Black roots of the beloved American genre, it might have a few classic covers on the tracklist that are destined to become gay anthems.

For one thing, the borderline sapphic Dolly Parton bop “Jolene.”

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That’s right: Parton herself—who recently congratulated Beyoncé on her success with the chart-topping country single “Texas Hold ‘Em”—believes that a Beyoncé Jolene cover is imminent. And we’re inclined to believe it, too.

Did Dolly just let some valuable tea slip? If so, we’re 1000% here for it.

It’s not just exciting on the level of Dolly being Dolly and Beyoncé being Beyoncé: there’s a very gay reason why fans can’t wait to her Queen Bey’s take on this queer-coded classic.

Jolene—a story-song sung by a woman so dazzled by her romantic rival that she begs her not to steal away the man she could so easily claim—has long been seen as a complex ballad with sapphic themes.

For a narrator supposedly interested in keeping her man, she spends a lot of time talking about how beautiful her rival is—something that hasn’t escaped the notice of queer Dolly fans.

But there are other questions regarding the song—will this be a full-on cover by Beyoncé, or will she just sample it? Will she change the lyrics? Honestly, she can do whatever to this country classic—we are seated.

Let’s hope Beyoncé doesn’t let this leak change her mind about including “Jolene” on the album—the fans need this!