POP SONG REVIEW: "Jolene" by Beyonce

Beyonce... country star? Also, does anyone know a second Dolly Parton song?
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[@thehopeofeden597]

“Does anyone know a second Dolly Parton song?” Dolly Parton did not tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen and pour herself a cup of ambition for ‘9 to 5’ to be erased like this.

[@peccantis]

Frfr

[@louisduarte8763]

What a way to make a living.

[@michaelroberts3898]

I will always love you covered by Whitney crack is wack Houston

[@CallMeMaddiePie.]

They just used her mind and they never gave her credit.

[@vinceeager8553]

Her Coat Of Many Colors that her Mama made for her is weeping in the closet after being forgotten so liberally

[@longlivebeans]

I still can’t believe two actual living breathing women fought over Jay Z.

[@benjirivoh]

Honestly! Beyoncé is that bad bitch who’s with a creature of a man

[@bluester7177]

Dud this really happened, or did he just slept with other women?

[@namemcnamerton4249]

Ole Bucky Beaver the Tooth. Just after Kevin Dunn.

[@koreangirlgroup.]

Who wouldn’t fight over a high status ATM?

[@CrazyGamer1541]

you know… people have different tastes

[@sapphail2410]

Nothing says 'I'm super secure in my marriage' like smacking down imaginary temptresses a decade after being cheated on.

[@oaf-77]

Like winning an argument in your head an hour after you left

[@Khsjsj]

Notice how sickeningly vulgar she has become after he cheated. Singing about her husband coming on her dress, plugging her menses with the holy bible, singing about being licked “in the middle” singing about how creamy her intimate parts are (I can’t even write this because I’m disgusted and no I’m no prude). Just nasty

[@hew2356]

That was my thought-it's so needlessly defensive.

[@bperez8656]

The album was written 5 years ago when it happened You have no idea what you’re talking about

[@fathergascoigne6104]

@@bperez8656still doesn’t make it not weird

[@caitlinrix294]

🎵 Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Queen B-ee-eee, I'm telling you, I don't want your man Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Queen B-ee-eee, First of all, he's older than my dad 🎵

[@InsaneFoxx]

just wonderful

[@snausagesmcqueef1604]

Big lips are fine, but his are wack You do not need to write a track To keep the girls away from him, Queen B I heard he did some shady stuff, He's friends with Diddy- that's enough, I wouldn't get involved with him, Queen B Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Are you so sure you even want your man? Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Queen B, Divorce is legal, just sayin' you can...

[@ArthurCrane92]

Beyonce bursting into the room ten years later like "AND ANOTHER THING...!"

[@bellaluna9228]

Thank you I laughed out loud

[@victormunroe2418]

"THE BEATLES! Y'KNOW THE BEATLES?"

[@Brandi-zp8kj]

LMAO. We have all been there. Women have a hard time forgetting.

[@crazyluigi6664]

She's got that Salmonella Fitzgerald! If you know, you know you're a real one!

[@justinameans4324]

Beyonce, it's 4:00am and this is McDonald's.

[@shivanijoshi9252]

I just remember the genius annotation that said "she thinks women actually want her man 🙁) and die laughing every single time 😭

[@Vohalika]

"I raised this man" yeah cool you can keep him, having to raise a grown-ass man who was in his 20ies is not something to brag about. Honestly, probably the most effective line in getting Jolene to back off.

[@oldbordergeek]

@@Vohalika he met bey at 16/17ish i heard- weird too marry her later

[@hardlyworking_]

​@@oldbordergeekwhat? they were talking about the characters in the song lol, not Beyonce and Jay Z,

[@SR-zv5ue]

I mean he’s rich a lot of women would go after him for that. He also seems to be funny and talented in writing his raps.

[@perfectallycromulent]

@@SR-zv5ue he's also 6'2" and a lot of women like a man in that height range (i.e., over 6 feet but not too much)

[@lizabethhampton4537]

"I raised that man" I hate that so fucking much

[@itsbrimeeks]

The line makes me cringe every time I hear it.

[@Visplight]

especially because she was 16 and he was 28 when they met - like, how is a teenager raising a grown-ass man?

[@christopherbennett5858]

The only way this line makes sense is if this a continuation of “Upgrade U”. As in raised him up from the streets to be one of the elite.

[@crystalcastillo7575]

@@Visplighthe’s a man child hence why he went for someone younger . She’s a parentifed child with a. Savior complex . She wrote songs about turning the “bad guy” into a good guy and in her mind I guess she believes she did just that . Even though she was clearly a victim. Who was chosen by him at 16 when he was approaching /in his 30’s

[@YelenaSkunky]

This line is weird. Who is she, Jolene's mother-in-law?

[@JessCDoesHistory]

There is no force on this earth that could make me ever be proud in saying I 'raised' my fully grown adult husband.

[@angrybidoof847]

Jolene didn't even steal her man in the song. There's no implications in the song Jolene is interested in her husband. Dolly is insecure, comparing her self to this beautiful woman, that she's scared that her husband could leave her so easily It's a desperate plea from some one in a low place The songs doesn't even frame Jolen in a bad light

[@LimeyLassen]

You can also read the song in a queer way if you like Like half the lyrics are about how hot Jolene is

[@landheaux6547]

Also the guy “talks about you in his sleep”. Must be specific for him to be referring to Jolene. He should be given a talking to.

[@bareakon]

@@LimeyLassen You could even imagine Jolene as just a regular looking woman, and Dolly is really looking at her with the love-goggles.

[@youmadornahhh]

Yes, good thing this is a different version of the song…

[@maddygullotta2551]

Right!? And whats funny is beyonces version when I listen to it just keeps making me think; "But she did. Your threats are mute." Which in a way is sadder and hence why i cringe.

[@TomCantDance]

I think the problem I have with Beyonce's version is that it doesn't seem honest in the way that the original does. You feel so sorry for this poor woman whose whole world might be eaten up by a woman who doesn't know her or her man. With Beyonce, it comes across like a defensive facebook post put up by someone whose man is definitely cheating and they're both deciding to ignore it.

[@TheEtherny]

Dolly is being honest with her emotions while Beyonce is trying to hide them under the guise of toughness. I hear Dolly wanted Beyonce to make it seem more powerful than her version and it sounded right on paper but they couldnt execute it well

[@gwammeh]

I've been thinking about Beyonce's version for days trying to put my finger on why it didn't work and I think you got it in one. It's giving off abused chihuahua vibes instead of actual confidence.

[@victoriab7628]

I felt the same way about Texas Hold 'Em. It had all the country music platitudes and stereotypes but made no effort to explore the truths and realities behind them. It came off as a third hand retelling of someone else's experiences.

[@bperez8656]

It seems very honest, very Beyoncé, very black culture and very empowering It made me cry I wholeheartedly disagree with you!

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@bperez8656She making Black culture seem weaker than we really are

[@jimbrody4945]

This cover was a missed opportunity. She could have sung about Jolene as if she were a specter - a terrible memory that she and her husband avoid talking about but who still haunts their relationship. But that might have contradicted the “We’re fine now and very much still in love” PR campaign. *shrugs*

[@aquilaion8270]

That would of been such a good take on it

[@NJGuy1973]

And just like that, random KZbinr shows more creativity than Beyonce'.

[@kaplingnag7267]

She could also have sung as being jolene herself

[@citizencalmar]

I stand by my "Cringe" vote. You already covered the reasons why I hate it, but just briefly, "Jolene" is fundamentally a song about insecurity, and Beyonce is just too much of an egomaniac to present herself as being in a position of weakness. Instead she has to puff up her chest and trash talk the other woman like she's getting ready to deliver a beatdown. She took a song about a woman pleading in anguish and turned it into "Bitch, I'm Beyonce." I find that tedious, and I just don't think anything about it worked.

[@Missjunebugfreak]

Yeah i get that Beyonce has this persona of being a "bad bitch" empowering woman but I feel this cover just makes her looks really insecure in how she's trying way too hard to come across as threatening towards "Jolene". It's just not a good look.

[@LC-sc3en]

What is with all the comments about Beyoncé being unable to present herself as weak or vulnerable? Did you even listen to or Watch Lemonade?

[@sommerblume9671]

​@@LC-sc3enikr todd even said she showed some weakness there lol..

[@bperez8656]

The song is full of insecurity You clearly didn’t listen to the album The following song daughter she fantasized about death and then imbeds a haunting Italian opera where she mourns and longs for her lover.

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@bperez8656We aren't talking about the album

[@mikeydflyingtoaster]

The line "Jolene, I'm a queen." gave me vicarious embarrassment.It's never a good look for anyone who finds themself saying that

[@thisbarbieisahugefckingmess]

Yeah, and it's funny that Todd mentioned Game of Thrones, because that line reminds me of a quote from Tywin Lannister: "Any man that must say 'I am the king' is no true king."

[@wittysass3812]

This is what happens when people treat you like you’re the second coming of Christ. Bey can do no wrong 😅

[@OGseoulite]

It’s done well for Beyoncé these last 10 years so what do you mean???

[@RozWBrazel]

@@wittysass3812 I absolutely love that you were immediately validated by the next reply

[@Visplight]

Yeah, you're a "queen" like one of Henry VIII's wives.

[@benjohnson9224]

The cover doesn't work because it misses the whole point of the song. "Jolene" is not about an affair but about a woman afraid of a possible affair. As you said, the real Jolene probably has no idea what Dolly is talking about. The power in the song is the insecurity Dolly feels about her relationship, which is a universal feeling. Changing it to actually be about an affair robs it of its universal appeal.

[@brayburell6814]

Actually small problem The lyric "He talks about you in his sleep" implies at the very least her husband is interested.

[@benjohnson9224]

I mean, have you ever had a random sex dream before about someone you would never actually pursue. A sex dream does not equal wanting to cheat on your wife.

[@benjohnson9224]

It would fuel insecurity though, which is the point of the song.

[@Kk-fj5tn]

I don’t agree. Dolly has mentioned that Jolene beat her up when she approached her to confront her about cheating on her man…

[@shayla106]

@@Kk-fj5tnThat’s because Dolly started to try and fight that woman because of her insecurities. The woman just defended herself . She then went home and whooped her husband butt because he’s the one trying to have an affair.

[@mlovecraftr]

There is also a Tumblr post that went: "Sweetie, today in the supermarket I met with Jolene" "Uh uh" "She says you left her a very intense voice message"

[@Visplight]

Yeah, I also like the versions where it becomes clear halfway through the song that the singer is just in denial about her big ol' lesbian crush on Jolene, and the husband is just sorta vaguely aware that Jolene even exists.

[@undercookedtoast1479]

@@Visplightor the one where jolene wants the singer and not her husband at all

[@shadyjoanneboots]

When she sang "I raised that man" in my head I always think "Can't raise a man, he's already grown what you gon do!!"

[@JanJan000]

Right! Who wants to be in a relationship with someone they have to raise?? It's not a flex, it's sad.

[@biblioholic7139]

Could also be interpreted as she did all the behind the scenes support work that shoved him up the ladder of success.

[@sovietcanuckistanian]

Jay Z is also 12 years older than her.

[@theitfactorjameswheezer2852]

@@biblioholic7139but he was already famous before her.

[@kasairan8492]

if anything he raised her lmao. didnt they meet when she was a teenager

[@patricktervo2013]

“Does anyone know a second Dolly Parton song” People don’t know I Will Always Love You or 9 to 5??

[@jacksullivan2658]

forgetting 9 to 5??? madness

[@davidallen234]

When people think of I Will Always Love You, it’s always Whitney Houston. Probably because she’s an older artist. Edit: I’m referring to Dolly as the older artist, obviously because she was before Whitney’s time… Whitney came after Dolly…

[@Jayyemi]

And Islands in the Stream?! I really don't like that song but I still hear it everywhere

[@Natibe_]

coat of many colors!!!!

[@mydogslikeboiledeggs7094]

​@@JayyemiIt was on "One Hit Wonderland" before. Ghetto Superstar episode.

[@Jekyllstein_Gray]

"Twitter (formerly Twitter)" is gold.

[@zacharysieg2305]

I for one will keep deadnaming Twitter until Elon stops deadnaming his kids

[@marckyle5895]

I pronounce it Shitter now

[@germanvisitor2]

It's an X-Twitter. It has ceased to be.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I pronounce it Nazi Cesspool.

[@kingkaza]

​@@marckyle5895That's the porn side

[@briangronberg6507]

“I hear the Warden coming. Coming on the block. Said I can go home now, get there out of the stocks. I didn’t shoot a man in Reno. I hear he’s still alive. When I go back home to mama, I just know she’ll cry.”

[@one-onessadhalf3393]

Them’s some nice lyrics

[@nutpeg6915]

The Jayshank redemption

[@VGirl]

I think Jay Z is still cheating. Read between the lines and Beyonce isn't saying that her man won't cheat. He's saying he will never leave her. That's a big difference.

[@fireballninja01]

Beyonce should have made a song from the perspective of Jolene

[@janebostwick6901]

Yes!

[@Diana-ci1rq]

That is SUCH a better idea

[@toannguyen1998]

It is already been made but by an artist named Cam. The song is Diane and it is excellent

[@FernandoHernandez-vo3oo]

That song is Tyrant. And it is on the same album.

[@holliebrokaw3716]

Look up "you can have him jolene" by chapel hart. 10x better than beyonce's Jolene in every way

[@lukecollings356]

If Beyoncé wanted a bad bitch country song to cover, why didn't she choose from, like, the ENTIRE Loretta Lynn catalogue??

[@sottosopravoce]

SERIOUSLY

[@robertspears7439]

Thank you! If she brought that same energy to a cover of Fist City she would have smashed it.

[@mysteriiis]

Agreed. Fist City would have made a lot more sense for this.

[@Santiago-in1xf]

@@robertspears7439 Oh damn...that's for the tip. That song is badass.

[@lokilokason]

@@robertspears7439 Seriously, that song is ABOUT what she tried to make THIS song be about.

[@magpieMOB]

" I hear the Warden comin' He's sayin' I can leave" had me cackling aloud in my kitchen. Thank you

[@EvanCWaters]

I'm not sure if Todd's insinuation that "Becky with the good hair" was Idina Menzel is a joke or reality and honestly I can imagine it either way

[@kasairan8492]

It was allegedly rachel roy, some designer lady. indina is safe

[@marcussabom2696]

Plot twist, Beyonce releases a black metal album to close out her music exploration trilogy, with corpsepaint and everything.

[@thehappydragon9491]

Not a Beyonce fan, but as a metalhead, I'd totally check it out😅

[@mrlean5078]

And she covers chainsaw gutsfuck

[@jeanmichellelaurent]

Beyonce Dunkelheit cover when?

[@Santoryu90]

I’d be down for that

[@marcussabom2696]

@@jeanmichellelaurent I'm thinking she could do an interesting cover of "Curse you all men" by Emperor.

[@TheRobreed3]

My problem is, she isn't singing "Jolene" at this point. She's singing "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man."

[@hew2356]

Exactly!

[@bperez8656]

No she’s not She’s singing you’re woman enough to take my man And I’m woman enough to dare you not to even try

[@missilotze2985]

She should have gone with that instead, Loretta's words seem a lot more honest than Beyonce's.

[@bperez8656]

@@missilotze2985 cringe judgment. The song seemed authentic to a black woman and seemed empowering to me The song made me cry. Just because you can’t relate doesn’t make them disingenuous

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@bperez8656That isn't Jolene

[@guineatte]

I think I have seen an interview where Dolly Parton describes how she got the name. She met a little girl with her mother and the girl was called Jolene which was a name Dolly never heard before and she told her if she ever writes a song with a Jolene, the little girl will know it’s her name. And then she hummed the name on her way home and got the start of the melody from there.

[@robertridley-fj8zz]

Just wanted to say I really like your avatar.

[@guineatte]

@@robertridley-fj8zz Thank you. I will tell her.

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

I just find Beyonce's Jolene less interesting as a character study. The relationship dynamic in Dolly Parton's Jolene is something you don't see in culture all that much, somebody feeling insecure and threatened in a relationship and responding to what not with anger but with bargaining with the threat. That's _interesting_ . Getting angry at a woman for expressing interest in your man is just a lot more mundane. It's arguably more relatable as a response to that situation, but by the same token a lot less novel.

[@turkoizdog]

The weird thing is, Dolly never got cheated on. She and her husband have a very happy, healthy marriage; Jolene was a waitress he admitted to finding attractive, and she wrote the song as a sort of joke where she pretends to be threatened by her. So it feels odd for Dolly to speak as if she can relate, and compare Jolene to Becky.

[@hxrleydxrling9662]

and the name was taken from a little girl dolly met whose name was jolene

[@theTeleforce]

I don't mean to be pedantic, but the "Jolene" of the song was inspired by a bank teller, not a waitress. Although it _does_ seem a little weird when I flatly write it out like that...

[@dazzleneal]

I mean tbf not everything in pop music has to be reflective of real life

[@maxhuibregtse4319]

The assumption that pop music reflects your real life is relatively recent, honestly. + country music, as Todd has talked about before, has always been about personae + fictional story-songs, not confessional songwriting.

[@digamejh]

@@maxhuibregtse4319 "Johnny Cash never shot a man in Reno, Merle Haggard isn't an Okie from Muskogee, Garth never showed up in boots to a black-tie affair, and Carrie Underwood never smashed her boyfriend's car. " -Todd, "The Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 2021"

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

The only way this was EVER going to work is if, instead of _covering_ the song, Beyoncé had _answered_ it, _as Jolene_

[@maggiemurphy4092]

That is an interesting take! I saw a comment somewhere that said something like, "ok we really need to hear jolenes side of the story now".

[@MeMarcusTheCreator]

@@maggiemurphy4092 I did see something similar in the album where it seems as though she wants to turn into Jolene. Like in the song “Tyrant”.

[@ryomon321]

There is a song that kinda already does that. It's called "Diane" by a country sinfer named Cam. She's described it as a response song to Jolene, written from the other woman's perspective. Specifically, the man *did* cheat in this song, and Cam is trying to tell the truth of the matter to the wife. It's a fantastic song, and I recommend you check her out and the album Otherside, where this song comes from.

[@mikeydflyingtoaster]

Beyoncé's ego would never allow herself to be portrayed as anything remotely negative or villainous

[@user-er5mg6zj4v]

i don’t know very many “sorry, your partner cheated with me” songs aside from scotty doesn’t know, so that could be refreshing

[@gregorywiederecht]

I think Beyonce's biggest weakness as an artist has been her refusal to allow herself any vulnerability. And on one level, I get it. She's a black woman in a space largely controlled by powerful white men. So it makes sense for her to cultivate this kind of strength in her public/private personas. But for her music, it makes all of her more emotional/ballad-y songs fall flat. And it's not like there haven't been artists with tightly controlled public personas who were still able to express some vulnerability in their music! Whitney Houston had a very polished (for at least the first 10-15 years of her career) public persona, yet she allowed her songs endless reservoirs of feeling: inspiration, insecurity, longing, adoration, ” I'm a badass bitch (yes, that's an emotion)," wistful farewells...... I could go on. And like Todd said, that's what made Lemonade so compelling: some cracks showed in her impenetrable armor, and we got to see a little bit of the real her underneath. And I wish we could see more of that. She's reached a level of success and respect that she can afford to be a little messier, a little bit more honest, not so tightly composed. But I'm not sure she'll ever allow herself to be that open again. Or rather, I'm not sure she'll ever feel safe enough to be that open again. But who knows? I'm just a nobody on the internet, and she's Beyoncé.

[@justaperson5092]

She has made vulnerable music, her Jolene cover wasn't. IDK if "Lemonade being compelling due to vulnerability" and "her weakness as an artist being not showing vulnerability" really work as a complete statement, said by the same person. She's a black women in a field who is constantly shoved aside and compared to people who have done far less. I'm not even a bee hive stan and find the fact that she's been making chart topping music since I was in elementary school and still does now crazy. People are comparing her to taylor swift who has been making music for less than half her life and you think she has the room to be messy and less tightly composed? It's a frankly insulting comparison lol. it doesn't feel like that's fully analyzing the background of like, most of her music and her identity. Why does Beyonce need to be another Whitney Houston? Why is how she chooses to show vulnerability held under a magnifying glass and held to a "well its not done in this way, so it doesn't count"?

[@itsbrimeeks]

I also feel like if she DID do Jolene as desperately as everyone is saying they want it, people would come out of the woodwork to say “well I don’t buy this from her because her persona is _____” so she really can’t win either way. I’m admittedly ambivalent about the cover, so it’s hard for me to really grasp why she needs to be vulnerable in the way other people insist that she be vulnerable. But 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@gregorywiederecht]

@@justaperson5092 @justaperson5092 to clarify, I meant *on the whole* she's never allowed herself to be vulnerable. Lemonade was more the exception rather than the rule. And the reason why I brought up Whitney Houston is because, despite having a very tightly controlled image, she still allowed herself a very wide range of emotions in her music. Beyoncé doesn't. A lot of her music emotionally boils down to "I'm awesome." Which is not a bad thing, but it is a little limited. That's why Lemonade grabbed people's attention. It wasn't *just* because Beyoncé was singing about her relationship drama, it was because Beyoncé was singing about her feelings about her relationship. It felt like Beyoncé was speaking her emotional truth in a way that she generally hadn't in her other songs. I don't know where Taylor Swift came into the conversation, but yes, I still think Beyoncé has the room to be more relaxed. They're not even remotely artistic peers. They're in different genres of music, they're different generations.... about the only thing they have in common is that they were once linked by controversy because some idiot ran his mouth at an awards show. They don't really have anything to do with each other.

[@gregorywiederecht]

@@itsbrimeeks You're right. It's very "damned if you do, damned if you don't." I wish I knew the answer to that dilemma. I can't speak for everyone, but the reason why I personally find her lack of vulnerability frustrating is because it limits her. There's a whole rainbow of emotions only available when you lower your defenses and reveal a little bit of the inner you. Because a lot of her music is based around her image as BEYONCÉ (all capitals), she tends to span the emotional range of "I'm awesome" to empowerment anthems. Which is wonderful, and needed, and frequently awe-inspiring. (Hell, Crazy in Love is one of my pump up anthems). But how many times can you say that Beyoncé actually moved you when she sang? There have been countless times that Beyoncé impressed me with her technical ability and her confidence as a performer. But I can't really name many times that she made me feel like I was having an emotional experience. And I wish I could.

[@s.t.9605]

She was vulnerable in 16 carriages but y'all didn't like it

[@roxy20231000]

At first I thought Beyoncé was going to have a girl power take on the song: I'm warning you don't take my man because you don't want a man who would leave his family for you. But no...

[@bperez8656]

That’s exactly what she did You’re just hating

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@bperez8656No it isn't

[@Erinkyan]

man that would have been so much better

[@starryeyes999]

​@@bperez8656 did u listen to the song

[@CallMeMaddiePie.]

"I hear the warden comin' / he's sayin' I can leave" made me do a spit take

[@haleymist09]

Todd always has this surprising joke lyrics 😆 😂

[@judgesaturn507]

Classic Todd moment

[@junebunchanumbers]

"I'm just visiting Springfield Prison / I get to sleep at home toniiiiiiight!"

[@briangronberg6507]

It was priceless

[@digamejh]

@@junebunchanumbers NGL, I kinda wish Todd had used that instead.

[@apc9681]

Her version of Jolene is the music equivalent of the meme ‘relax ain’t nobody taking it from you’

[@MK-gv1wd]

It reminds me of a woman accusing me of trying to steal her hubby. I couldn’t even remember his NAME. And I’m not even amazing or hot. I’m just very nice and polite. 😂 (And no one wanted her man. He was a weirdo.)

[@Nonesuch03]

@jermy874 "You're one of the most successful rappers of the 2000s and still not good enough"

[@lookhowshegobbledthat]

He's a multibillionaire. Women flock to him regardless if you think he's attractive or not.

[@duffman18]

​@@lookhowshegobbledthat if that's how it actually worked, then Elon Musk would have women flocking to him constantly, instead of being the world's most divorced man who's kids won't even speak to him let alone women. Just having money doesn't make you romantically successful.

[@ariwl1]

That was the most common reaction I saw online.

[@SeijinApollo]

Thank you for giving Community's version of Jolyne the respect it deserves by putting it as the closer/outro.

[@Cocoanutty0]

I just can’t get over the line “I raised that man, I raised his kids”. Like, girl, that’s not a partner. If your hubby is someone you have to raise, give him to Jolene and wish her luck with his immature butt.

[@undermoonstars]

Todd's review is the first time I'm hearing this song and that line just gave me major ick. Hard to believe this is the same woman who made Lemonade. What a downfall.

[@enemycrumbles]

Daddy Lessons being rejected by Nashville was the context that this album was missing for me.

[@pinkcupcake4717]

I return to Daddy Lessons a good bit, its so good.

[@sunfastrose]

@@pinkcupcake4717I love Daddy Lessons, heard it for the first time randomly and never knew about any controversy

[@pinkcupcake4717]

@@sunfastrose I started listening to Beyonce's recent backlog after Cowboy Carter, and Daddy Lessons is a standout. I have no context outside of "Jay Z was cheating" so it's just the music. It *feels* like a woman's country song, and of course Nashville rejected it, because of course they did.

[@kevinrudy]

the song is truly awful

[@payt00n]

​@@kevinrudyhow??

[@EpicBeard815]

Pop music has become indistinguishable from shonen anime, in that I need to memorize years of lore in order to "get" a half hour of material

[@seamusburke639]

Tell me about it. That's always a dangerous position for a pop star to be in; where your image becomes about itself as opposed to anything else. Michael Jackson basically disappeared up his own ass after the first accusations. All of his music became about his anger and paranoia, and it was really unpleasant to listen to.

[@EpicBeard815]

@@seamusburke639 And its certainly not limited to pop. In fact, its the main reason I've fell out of mainstream hip hop. Just too many beefs to keep track of for artists who just don't have the talent or personality to make me care.

[@MrP1nk92]

This is also the MCU’s problem lol. whats with culture recently and content needing “lore” to Understand it? Hmmmm

[@seamusburke639]

Heh my dad and older brother went to go see Wakanda Forever, and my dad asked if it was important to know who Namor is. I told him, "Dude, the back story has back story on that one."@@MrP1nk92

[@Jeevesie1988]

@@MrP1nk92 Because the people buying the media products to produce (the executives, producers, etc of the media companies), be it music, movies, tv, etc, want "retention" so they can squeeze money out of customers long term. Thus you do it by getting people "invested", creating fans that are so desperate to be part of the in-crowd that understands the thing in question for the approval of their fellow fans that they'll buy every new thing related to the thing they love. Except, because everyone is doing that, folks don't have the time, energy, money or interest to follow a zillion different lore heavy things, and thus just go "eh, nah, I'm out". tl:dr - what's with culture recently? Capitalism. It's always capitalism.

[@lukesguywalker]

The Spectre of Good Hair Rebecca is a fire album name

[@ridleykemp5789]

"I am not a good critic." Lol...I have been reading/listening to critics since the 70s and, my man, you are a $%#$^ great critic.

[@DokkaChapman]

I'm looking forward to hearing Queen B attempting Norwegian Black Metal in the final part of this project.

[@ThisUserNameWasNotTaken]

How about Thrash metal

[@m310grass]

Metal would be awesome

[@Posiman]

I'm looking forward for her somehow making it work.

[@grahamkristensen9301]

@@Posiman Considering there have been artists like Deftones, Sleep Token and Bad Omens who incorporate R&B elements into metal, it's probably not that out there.

[@dw.dunphy]

Queen Cookie Monster?

[@thrownstair]

This song is a self-insert fanfiction. She wrote her OC into Jolene.

[@bperez8656]

The song is full of insecurity You clearly didn’t listen to the album The following song daughter she fantasized about death and then imbeds a haunting Italian opera where she mourns and longs for her lover.

[@Thraim.]

Not only do I not know a second Dolly Parton song, until 2 years ago I didn't even know this was a country song. We *really don't know shit* about country music in Europe.

[@beewest5704]

Don't know why small towns in my African country is soooo into country especially at Christmas.

[@ratrat9241]

you might know 9 to 5 or I Will Always Love You

[@Thraim.]

@@ratrat9241 You're half right about those. I know 9 to 5 from being used in the soundtracks of some movies/series coming from the US, but I'm confident I never heard the full song. I Will Always Love You is a classic song that everyone knows, of course. I learned that it was originally a Dolly Parton song 5 minutes before I wrote this comment, though.

[@killingthemood2000]

The "weakest" track on the album being an altered cover of the genre's biggest song is a pretty good takeaway. It doesn't miss sonically and it flows in the album at least.

[@modelmajorpita]

Lil Nas X's cover of Jolene was so much more interesting because it was sad and desperate. It really captured the insecurity of the original song, while actually adding in something new since it's performed by a gay man worried about his bi lover. It also fits in with his other songs, like That's What I Want.

[@ironicdivinemandatestan4262]

Ironically, Montero is actually bi himself.

[@kidwaryodproduction]

Also Andy Rehfeldt covered of "Jolene" 😆

[@das_eulchen]

​@@ironicdivinemandatestan4262 really? Where did you read that? I thought he was gay

[@heywoodjablome5380]

Funnily enough, he's at least the third artist to do that. Sisters of Mercy and The White Stripes pulled the same trick 40 and 20 years ago, respectively

[@kidwaryodproduction]

@@heywoodjablome5380 Doktor Avalanche was the best thing ever in this Sisters of Mercy version.

[@jane_gorelove]

"you already know Jolene, everybody knows Jolene" I'm a Ukrainian metalhead who lives in Germany and half of all information in these videos is legitimately a look into a different world for me so thanks for the education lmao

[@csabaweisz8791]

I only know of Jolene because of the name of the protagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was a reference to this song. I'm glad though, since the original is really, really great. I mean, I got used to the opposite effect in Todd's OHW videos as an european, like Mike Oldfield is HUGE here (and to a lesser extent Falco), but I mean, country's the US' music genre, so I am fairly detached from the majority of it, even during the internet age

[@denisdrozdoff2926]

Наші люди всюде!

[@ImTopin]

Now you too know Jolene

[@jane_gorelove]

@@ImTopin the true Jolene were the friends we made along the way fr

[@denisdrozdoff2926]

Взагалі Доллі дуже класна. Такою могла би бути Ротару якби не совок.

[@shaunmia3817]

To me what totally recontextualizes Beyoncé’s Jolene is the following song on the album: Daughter. It’s as if she comes out swinging with Jolene and then has to take a step back and reckon with what she’s just done. To me it’s openly a sort of villain song along with Daughter and that’s what I find so interesting about it. P.S. I absolutely love this album; Daughter may be my favourite song on it and this is just my own personal interpretation and all that ♥️

[@TipTheScales27]

I love how the internet constantly dogs jay z and his looks and everyone says she’s safe 😂

[@coleydotmp4]

i think it kinda sucks in the reworking of this song that she's mad at the home wrecker more than jay z. that's why lemonade works so well - she's not tearing becky with the good hair down, becky isnt the crux of the problem, its her cheating man. it feels like a regression.

[@Visplight]

feels like she's given up on her man ever being faithful, given up on her ever having the strength to leave him, so now she's just playing whack-a-mole with his various conquests

[@NJGuy1973]

​@@Visplight"Beyonce' is playing whack-a-mole with Jay Z's various conquests." And with one sentence, you summed up her life.

[@Venufan]

I don’t think you paid attention to the song then. In the song she says that her and her man have been through ups and downs before. I take that to include his previous infidelity and Lemonade was a response to that. Now, if that same person tries it again after they have reconciled, it time to go on offense and make it clear that her even her attempts won’t be tolerated.

[@coleydotmp4]

@@Venufan hmm, in that instance then i still think the fault should be placed on the repeat cheating husband, no? It's just kinda sad to see. feels like a big symptom of centering men in your life and letting them get away with murder, time to turn on the girls who are "tempting" your man instead of holding him accountable. could be love blindness as well. that being said, they could never make me dislike Jolene as a track, and i dig cowboy carter in general. just a weird perspective shift in the lyrics changing.

[@bluester7177]

​@@VenufanI'm sorry but it isn't, it's still dudes fault for cheating, she should still be talking to him because he is the one at fault, no matter what.

[@Jaspertine]

And for the record, the second most obvious anime theme is, obviously, A Cruel Angel's Thesis.

[@Cowboy-Bi-bop]

And also the best.

[@snakebitcat]

Jolene Jolene Jolene Jolene Get in the ****ing robot now, Jolene

[@indigomizumi]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[@8bitdiedie]

To be fair, covering that song would actually give you legit weeb street cred

[@herefortheshrimp1469]

I can actually imagine her doing a great job with that 🤣

[@tomhutchin8104]

"I hear the Warden comin' He's sayin' I can leave" That Cash comparison really tickled me 😂

[@Bitterblue55]

Eldritch monster Jolene is my current favorite thing and I’m really excited you mentioned it

[@callalily0004]

I think the best cover of Jolene was done by Little Nas X because the context of a gay man asking for a woman to not take his man with her advantage of simply being a woman makes it hit in a similar vein to the original while still taking a new spin on it

[@idontneedaname318]

Lil nas x's cover was def fantastic and I wish Beyonce could've been that

[@hello_alpine1693]

I think personally the White Stripes cover is a bit better in that specific regard just cause of the sheer desperation of it

[@medtle1]

Todd probably wasn't aware that Lil Nas X made a cover of the song. He could have made a video comparing all versions of Jolene.

[@TigerWolfDemon]

I really wished she turned it on it's head where she's telling Jolene to take him. At least that would be way funnier than saying he's going to stand by her.

[@shikonaori]

On one hand I would love this far more but on the other hand this is also basically just the premise of "He Wasn't Man Enough" by Toni Braxton

[@loganfisher3431]

This already exists. "You Can Have Him, Jolene" by Chapel Hart. Three super badass black artists.

[@atroposz]

@@loganfisher3431 That song is a banger & I dont even like country. "Wellllll since that last song, I've had time to think it over..."

[@DestinyKiller]

​@loganfishthater3431 that song is amazing and the video is great fun!

[@AlekWheeler]

As a longtime fan of this channel, learning the ins and outs of the country music business was something i didnt expect to learn so much about. Very interesting and insightful. Great stuff Todd.

[@i.7525]

meanwhile, her cover of blackbird is a great example of a successful cover that brings something new! as a big beatles fan i'm glad people are finding out it was always about civil rights and black women specifically, which naturally means a black woman singing it hits different!

[@8bitdiedie]

The original is a song where you feel sorry for how genuinely desperate the singer is to make Jolene stay away from her husband. She doesn’t care to point fingers and insult people, she just wants the situation to go away. Beyonce’s version just turned that into an awkward example of “My husband is gonna cheat on me so I’ll blame and insult the home-wrecking woman as if she’s solely responsible for it”. Then again, what can you expect from the woman who took back Jay-Z after he cheated?

[@dn22pkkdd476]

The way you described it, is the exact reason why cover songs are interesting. Finding a different interpretation of a song, while using the broad strokes that are already in place. That's honestly a good thing. Two very different reactions to talking to the "mistress". One is begging to keep her man, the other is implying Joleen should btfo of her man. Now whether Beyoncé succeeds in that mission statement, and if the song itself is good is what's up for debate. But a cover giving new context to a song, isn't a strike against it.

[@badm0t0rf1ng3r]

This is it; I was struggling to fully explain it, but you hit it on the head.

[@Satellitereligion]

It’s a corny cover but it’s weird that people pick at Beyoncé for staying. Her and Jay Z met when she was a teen and he was the biggest rap star and in his 30s. She probably does her self no favours because of her confident bad bitch image but idk I feel like if it were anyone else, you’d see her as more of a victim.

[@Nihilimus]

Yeah, people who focus their anger on the person their partner cheated with are weird. You've got a shitty partner that's being unfaithful to you. Maybe focus your anger on that person? It comes from a very conservative place where the family is all important, your spouse belongs to you and somebody can "take away" your family by making them not to be with you anymore. The idea of being in a relationship with somebody like Beyonce seems exhauting. Same goes for Jay-Z. They seem to really fit each other.

[@scottbuck1572]

@@dn22pkkdd476 Unless that context makes the song, and the singer, seem like extremely petty and aggressive multi-millionaires that are blaming the other woman for her husbands wrong doing lmao

[@Rob-yj1gg]

It’s grating in that way you see toxic power couples on Facebook constantly talk about how strong their relationship is & how nothing will break them apart, but they also keep alluding to “the incident” that they say is resolved but, if it was resolved then why keep bringing it up?

[@stevepolychronopoulis]

I thought Jack White's cover was more interesting in how he didn't make any attempt to gender-swap it, he's a straight man who just did a really cool cover of the song in a new style. Beyonce changing the lyrics and the entire tone and meaning of the song was a misstep.

[@tobekai]

I feel like Jolene works for Black women from a cultural standpoint. We are not generally seen as fragile or sympathetic. Our defensive tactic is to make ourselves bigger and threaten because we are under threats as women and black people. We fight back because we dont expect people to defend us. Black female insecurity and fragility typical shows as a hardening. The Cersei comparison is actually good because she Cersei's violence and manipulations come from her insecurities. Beyonce threatens Jolene because she's insecure about Jolene taking her man.

[@ItzInvidious]

This dudes been on this platform longer than pewdiepie and he's still relevant. Nothing but respect for this man.

[@judgesaturn507]

There's almost nobody on KZbin who's been going as long as he has with this level of consistency.

[@johnindigo5477]

Any other 2000s youtubers?

[@GypsyxDarling]

"Does anyone know a second Dolly Parton song” Dolly Parton did not write one of the saddest, most beautiful love songs of all time to for it to be disrespected like this

[@mandalorian_guy]

She wrote it so Whitney could take it later for a movie soundtrack and perform a god tier beat drop.

[@MLittleBrony]

so basically, Beyonce's "Jolene" is her self-insert Mary Sue fanfic where she's actually just better and more perfecter than Jolene?

[@MotherNature43]

So happy to see another video of Todd

[@munstify]

Todd saying "...Mother....?" made me cackle. Beyonce is awkwardly trying to break in to Jolene, and Todd is awkwardly trying to break in to Gen Z slang

[@berkeleyisonline160]

that drag queen/ballroom slang

[@teddyhaines6613]

He might also be having flashbacks to the unspeakably horrible Meghan Trainor song that mercifully was not a hit last year.

[@annaphallactic]

It's not Gen Z slang, it came from drag culture

[@felixhenson9926]

Queer slang/ AAVE. This didn't come from gen z.

[@PersephoneDarling28]

Mother is Queer Slang dating from the 1800s

[@fernandomoreti5568]

"And I forgave a man in Reno Just to watch him smile"

[@mommyslilstinker]

LOL

[@matsinkal]

you win bro

[@HazmanFTW]

"They're ordering a cab outside my cell 25 minutes to go"

[@KaylaMarie_]

This is amazing 😂

[@Oriminin]

Wait I'm gonna need more about this Becky with the good hair theory, Mr. in the Shadows.

[@CrispyDragons]

I laugh at anyone who thinks Cowboy Carter is a "cold and calculated" move and then turns around and praises Tortured Poets Department like it's some confessional poetry ripped straight out of a diary. Ha ha.

[@bonk796]

All I can think about is how Beyoncé’s energy on this track would be much better suited to a cover of a classic Loretta Lynn smack-a-bitch anthem like Fist City or You Ain’t Woman Enough.

[@NJGuy1973]

Too bad you couldn't have been in the meeting.

[@kenzood5290]

it’s amusing knowing that the whole ‘critics are tired of artists banking on their legacy to get away with stuff’ was written BEFORE tortured poets released.

[@jamescook5783]

Toutured poets?

[@mickeycobbler4451]

@@jamescook5783 Tortured Poets Department. It’s Taylor Swift’s new album

[@teddyhaines6613]

Todd's been bothered by Beyonce's persona specifically for pretty much the entire run of his show, for what it's worth.

[@JadeJoestar-uy6hg]

that album's rough, i feel Taylor's gotten way too huge for her to have a true trainwreckord, but something about the album reminds me so much of Oasis' Be Here Now and that's not a good thing

[@Matt_RareMonkey]

Taylor sacrificed all her billions of fans so she could gain me a synthwave fan

[@lozereli]

the only other interpretation that i've seen of jolene is that its not beyonce's perspective, but its her mother, tina's. her mother was also cheated on by her father, which beyonce had been somewhat open about. the main claim to support this is "im still a crazy banshee bitch from louisianne." beyonce isn't from louisiana, her MOTHER is. tina has also been open about being the pillar of their household in beyonce's childhood. thats at least how i choose to look at the song's angle, but you can't come to that conclusion if you don't know beyonce's deep family history (which the general public does not know)

[@roryhartong-redden6612]

This is an awesome pop song review! Informative, entertaining, and to the point.

[@KokaKolaMusic]

It just feels like Beyoncé is too into her own "Queen Bee" image, and it doesn't mesh at all with the tragedy of Jolene.

[@rs-op8bb]

I understand the artistic integrity, but I just don't buy it from her

[@peccantis]

Her version kinda makes sense as a nod to Lemonade, a different way of saying everything the original song said. If Dolly's version is an open and vulnerable plead to Jolene, Beyonce's version is dressed in boss-ass bitch's clothing and posturing hard. But if that version's POV truly felt secure about Jolene posing no threat, we wouldn't have the song. I'm just not sure Queen B meant it that way, so it flattens the potential of her version.

[@littlelordfuckleroy3822]

@@peccantis given that it comes before songs like Daughter and Alligator Tears, I’d argue that she definitely meant it that way

[@Rodrgo1997]

Feels like she's a deeply insecure person and could not afford herself the exercise of have any kind of vulnerability even in a cover of someone else's words, so she changed them and now she's just heaving threats to a fictional Jolene about something that happened ages ago, the whole idea of making an album in a genre because you didn't feel welcome once is pretty much the same. It's a weakness as an artist imo and honestly it'd be refreshing if we got an honest, "this bothers me" without a whole boss bitch filter. To me it's pretty apparent she didn't see how insecure this looks.

[@spookyariel1]

To me, it looks unintentionally desperate and not at all "Queen B".

[@thomasdegroat6039]

I'm sorry, I love Beyonce, but her version of Jolene is just so embarrassing. Like Beyonce, You can't make this song when your man has literally already cheated on you. And while Dolly Parton's version is a narrative that serves as a metaphor to express her insecurities with herself and her marriage, Beyonce's version is literally just her threatening another woman

[@ragnhild2674]

💯

[@gRinchY-op5vr]

I mean, doesn't help I'm not a fan of the 'threaten the other woman to stay away over having an honest discussion with the man who owes you his loyalty' thing. Dolly Parton was atleast just begging this woman to not break up her marriage and Jolene most likely had no idea what she was talking about, as it seems the husband was just a little flirty and had the occasional wet dream...this song makes me think 'Beyonce, nobody wants Jay Z...I'm not even sure why you still want Jay Z' 😂

[@joshthegoodson]

Meanwhile Dolly actually beat up Jolene irl

[@spritenoicy1676]

Right. She’s been knocked off mount Olympus, she can’t really climb back from that

[@tariqthomas9090]

Cowboy Carter is a great album but this is definitely one of the weaker songs for sure.

[@robbertouwendijk5448]

I will add that Beyonce's version might just be partially inspired by the cover soul singer Candi Staton recorded in the 1970s. That cover doesn't completely rewrite the lyrics of the original song the way this version does, but Staton does sing "I'm warning you / I'm telling you" in place of "I'm begging you" and she sure sounds defiant singing that line. And since she (broadly) comes from the same genre, it may be that her version particularly resonated with Beyonce. Edit - Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmKsool5rL-Kipo

[@loganfisher3431]

Todd, I love when you dicuss country. I would love to see you delve into the REALLY good stuff. Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, etc.

[@koneheadcokehead4981]

At this point i'm surprised Right Said Fred hasn't covered Jolene

[@mrjoe5292]

The singer is a bit of an anti-vax far right Putin nut these days so... one day, maybe?

[@darktower0603]

Cannibal Corpse covering Jolene 😂

[@unduloid]

"I'm too sexy for my hat."

[@haleymist09]

😂😅

[@pixelbomb97]

"I'm too sexy for Jolene, too sexy for Jolene, too sexy to be mean"

[@stefangalma6884]

At this point the whole Queen B persona got so over the top that it feels more and more like prom queen drama to me. Adding a shitty, cheating boyfriend into the mix makes it more accurate

[@edisonlima4647]

Yeah... it is starting to cross the bridge to self-parody.

[@LMvonLebkuchen]

12:19 YES. I loved that one. There's a few versions of the finished song lyrics because of how Tumblr isn't laid out like a message board thread so multiple people responded with "the next line" independently.

[@dybcreations]

Jolene is about a woman at her most vulnerable. Beyoncé doesn’t have that persona. Completely misses the point of the song to give vague threats to someone not even in the room

[@senorsnout4417]

Beyonce telling Jolene not to mess with her feels like Zuko screaming at the storm to hit him so he can redirect the lightning. At best, desperation and weakness masked by bravado and false confidence; at worst, challenging something so far beyond and bigger than you that it doesnt even perceive you, and could just as easily end you as notice you.

[@shinyy5184]

I was not expecting an ATLA reference in the comment section but you're so right 💀

[@chronikuru]

And in both cases you're looking at them like "damn that bitch don't even know the actual problems they got, they're just yelling at the shadows on the cave wall"

[@tobekai]

💯🎯

[@bperez8656]

DUH! The song is full of insecurity You clearly didn’t listen to the album The following song daughter she fantasized about death and then imbeds a haunting Italian opera where she mourns and longs for her lover.

[@ForrestFox626]

​@@bperez8656What does that have to do with Jolene!?

[@kgldude]

Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues (I Can Leave Version)" was the theme song for the acclaimed Nicolas Cage movie "The Shawshank Exception".

[@louisduarte8763]

I suddenly remember The Simpsons doing a spin on that: Krusty the Clown sings, Johnny-Cash style, to the inmates of Springfield prison: "I slugged some jerk in Tahoe, got sentenced 1-3. My high-priced lawyer sprung me on a technicality! So, I'm just visiting Springfield Prison! I get to sleep at home toniiiiiiiiiight."

[@Schadenfreude47]

Space Ass remains Cage's best work. Schindler's Pissed was a major misstep, however.

[@kgldude]

@@Schadenfreude47 It was basically just a worse remake of his much better movie, Schindler's Fist.

[@rainmanslim4611]

I got that reference!

[@credenzamostro]

Can't believe he followed up that masterpiece with 90 minutes of real estate ads

[@Toothnut_Hamsterfolder]

Excellent analysis, sir. Well done!😊

[@halycon404]

There's also starting to be some backlash on the Boss B**** genre. Millennials are grown up. Beyonce's entire audience are full fledged adults. So trying to give that song that treatment is going to raise some eyebrows. Taylor can get away with it because her listeners skews over decade or more younger. Beyonce is still trying to be a Boss B**** to an audience that has outgrown Boss B****.

[@chatomaltes2492]

I can't believe you sneaked 3 seconds of the traditional cover of Touhou's Bad Apple of all things. Speechless.

[@megan-mr9vk]

ah yes, a fellow individual of great taste

[@mr.weirdness5970]

Where? I’m not a huge fan of Touhou but I have a passing interest.

[@Tehstroyer]

​@@mr.weirdness5970: It's the traditional Japanese group performance at 8:58

[@KeDe1606]

8:59 are you referring to this part? I‘m genuinely curious, because I only know Bad Apple from those „recreating Bad Apple in […]“ videos (we are talking about *that* Bad Apple, right?)

[@mr.weirdness5970]

@@TehstroyerAlrighty, thank you.

[@the_skotts1110]

"Breathin' in my gentle breeze" sounds like she saying she farted and he's and he's just standing in it lol

[@haleymist09]

😂

[@slaphead8835]

That’s exactly what I thought!😂

[@HeckYep]

Jay Z scrunching his nose but he ain't moving an inch

[@lfr8666]

Glad it wasn't just me! That is such a weird line to not be a reference or something.

[@polinagonch]

I'll blame it on the fact that it's 4am right now, but I am (quite literally) cry-laughing at this comment

[@InsaneFoxx]

I want to say Thank you Todd. The Eldridth Jolene songs are glorious, and I was oblivious to them till you let me know they existed.

[@fubarusdilligaficus3096]

That "I hear the warden comin'" remark dropped me. 😂 I'm going to hear that every time I hear Folsom from now on so thanks for that.

[@RichardCoskey]

Johnny Cash singing "I hear the warden coming, he said i can leave" got me good 😂

[@commonsparrow]

as long as Dolly is getting free money, that’s all that matters.

[@Santiago-in1xf]

And Dolly wanted a cover so why people mad?

[@IRGeamer]

As a childhood metal head that has never been able to get very far into country music, it couldn't happen to a nicer person. If only all the music I love was created by such blatantly decent and honourable people.

[@grahamreece519]

@@Santiago-in1xf People aren't mad she's covering Dolly, they're mad the cover isn't very good. Idk if mad is the right word though, more just disappointed.

[@squishy3248]

The fact that Beyonce’s awful version charted higher than Dolly’s original is a crime, thankfully it’s nosediving off the Hot 100🙏

[@ryanwatts7817]

I feel the best covet of the song is Lingua Ignota version. Its a beautifully haunting rendition full or distortion and Kristin's signature tortured vocals. You can hear the desperation in her voice. It has so much meaning when you learn all about Kristin's hardships.

[@paulcato3434]

Amazing use of that clip from North (movie). It even synced up with the beat. Brilliant!

[@oskarjonsson2972]

Todds example of traditional japanese music is a cover of a modern classic in its own right: "Bad Apple" from the Touhou series

[@psychotophatcat]

He was saying that if somebody wants to claim they understand traditional Japanese music, they should at least choose a song that's lesser known than the Pokémon theme song, which Bad Apple would fit, so there are layers to the joke lol

[@JoshuaFagan]

I'm sorry, but Todd playing footage of Idina Menzel while talking about "Becky with the good hair" is the funniest thing. I love his editing.

[@BufRubasel]

Why are you sorry for saying that

[@kutuzof]

Why? What's the joke there?

[@maxhuibregtse4319]

In I think the Break My Soul review, Todd asks a Ouija board if "the real identity of Becky with the good hair [is] Idina Menzel."

[@thill4854]

Honestly Beyoncé’s version of Jolene seems to suit the Beyoncé vibe. I don’t really see Beyoncé begging anyone to do anything. She made it her own which I appreciate. I could see it being interesting spin do make the song from the perspective but after Lemonade it wouldn’t make us much sense for her

[@Gestureye7x]

this is such a great ribbon to this song and album, piecing together ‘lemonade’ and bringing up drama 10 years past. cowboy carter didn’t do it for me, for the reasons you stated. good work & valuable criticism!

[@the_newt_nest]

My bet is that Jolene is a very fun song to sing and everyone loves to sing it.

[@DoveAlexa]

This is a good 'you guys gotta relax, it's just an X' take and I appreciate that.

[@RatatRatR]

But she didn't just sing it, she rewrote it. Or had her writers rewrite it for her.

[@lailedcat]

12:05 “I hear the warden coming. He’s saying I can leave” Todd’s hypothetical lyrics really crack me up. I so often think of “my woman, she’s a bitch whore” from the white town ep of OHW, and this one’s up there.

[@leephillips4402]

So kinda like Dead Kennedy's "I Thought the Law".

[@judgesaturn507]

TRIANGLE MAN HATES PARTICLE MAN THEY HAVE A FIGHT TRIANGLE MAN WINS

[@polinagonch]

God bless father christmas He's a single woman too

[@mybalcony4066]

​@@polinagonch😂

[@cownoseray]

I always liked "Are you ready for, ready for? Mixed metaphor, metaphor?"

[@isetmfriendsofire]

The rarity of regular Todd pop songs reviews has made me appreciate them more than I used to.

[@BardMichaelKelly]

Hey, thanks for the shout out. :)