10 Songs You Didn't Know Dolly Parton Covered

#10: “Wrecking Ball” (2023)

Originally Performed by Miley Cyrus

Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus already share a family connection, so hearing them tackle “Wrecking Ball” together feels almost inevitable. Miley’s 2013 original is a towering pop ballad about heartbreak, built around synths, programmed percussion and that famously dramatic vocal. Parton’s 2023 version keeps the emotional core but shifts the texture toward rock, live instrumentation and her unmistakable phrasing, while Miley returns for a featured vocal. That detail matters: Parton isn’t impersonating her goddaughter; she’s reinterpreting a song written for a very different pop era through her own musical vocabulary. The result sounds more seasoned and rootsy, while Cyrus’ presence neatly bridges two generations of listeners.

#9: “Heart of Glass” (2023)

Originally Performed by Blondie

Dolly Parton going from country to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” sounds like a huge detour, but that is precisely the fun. Blondie’s 1979 hit fused disco rhythms with new wave cool, turning Debbie Harry’s detached delivery into one of pop’s most recognizable singles. Parton’s 2023 recording keeps the song’s sleek pulse while placing her warmer, more elastic voice at the center. And there’s a delicious full-circle moment: Harry herself joins Parton on the track. Rather than trying to recreate Blondie’s original, Parton lets the song sit comfortably inside her rock-era experiment, proving that her voice can sell a disco classic without losing its country-rooted character. Even Dolly Parton gets to shimmer.

#8: “In the Ghetto” (1969)

Originally Performed by Elvis Presley

Long before Dolly became a rockstar in her own right at 77, she was already covering Elvis Presley. “In the Ghetto,” written by Mac Davis and first recorded by Elvis in 1969, tells the bleak story of poverty through the life of a child born into deprivation. Dolly recorded her version that same year for her fourth solo album “My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy.” Musically, she stays relatively close to Presley’s arrangement, including the recurring guitar figure, but her voice changes the emotional temperature. Her pronounced vibrato and plaintive delivery make the tragedy feel intensely personal. Parton’s recording even arrived while Presley’s version was still climbing the charts, making this an unusually timely cover.

#7: “What’s Up?” (2023)

Originally Performed by 4 Non Blondes

Few songs scream “1990s alternative rock” quite like “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes. Released in 1993, Linda Perry’s soaring anthem became a defining hit of the decade, powered by its instantly recognizable chorus and searching lyrics. Dolly Parton revisited it three decades later on “Rockstar,” but she had an ace in the booth: Perry herself. Dolly’s performance gives the song a more organic, roots-oriented feel, allowing her phrasing and country sensibility to soften some of the original’s alt-rock urgency without draining its emotional punch. Having Perry appear on the track also makes the cover feel less like a novelty and more like a musical handoff between two very different generations of women.

#6: “I Walk the Line” (1984)

Originally Performed by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” is so closely identified with its creator that covering it is practically musical trespassing. Dolly Parton nevertheless put her stamp on the song for her 1984 album “The Great Pretender.” Where Cash’s 1956 recording is spare, intimate and famously anchored by its distinctive bass pattern, Parton’s version takes a polished early-’80s approach, with a fuller, more contemporary arrangement and a brighter vocal presence. She doesn’t try to imitate Cash’s low-key authority; instead, her flexible phrasing turns the vow of fidelity into something more openly dramatic. The result is unmistakably Dolly: familiar enough to honor Cash, but stylized enough to remind you that country standards can survive any form of change.

#5: “Me and Bobby McGee” (2005)

Originally Performed by Roger Miller

Most people associate this song with Janis Joplin's electrifying 1971 posthumous recording of it. However, it was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by honky-tonk novelty singer Roger Miller. Dolly Parton approached it from a very different angle on her 2005 album “Those Were the Days,” and Kristofferson himself joined her. That detail gives the recording a special authenticity: Dolly was interpreting a song together with the man who created its characters and story, rather than simply revisiting older versions. Her performance leans into the song’s country and folk roots, emphasizing its storytelling, tenderness and sense of movement. The result feels less like a rock lament and more like a seasoned storyteller recounting a life that got away.

#4: “Shine” (2001)

Originally Performed by Collective Soul

Collective Soul released this song in 1993, and it became one of the defining anthems of the grunge-adjacent alternative rock era. Dolly Parton heard something else in it. On her 2001 album “Little Sparrow,” she transformed the song into a bluegrass performance, joined by Nickel Creek. Banjo, acoustic textures and tight harmonies radically change the atmosphere, while Parton’s bright, forceful vocal gives the lyrics a completely different country character. The gamble paid off spectacularly: her recording earned the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 2002 ceremony. It’s one of the clearest examples of Parton treating a cover as raw material rather than a template.

#3: “Imagine” (2005)

Originally Performed by John Lennon

Covering one of the most beloved songs ever written is a daunting proposition for anyone. Dolly approaches it not with reverence that tips into stiffness, but with genuine feeling. Her 2005 version appeared on “Those Were the Days,” an album devoted to songs from the 1960s and ’70s, and features David Foster. Instead of attempting Lennon’s spare piano intimacy, Parton surrounds the melody with country and bluegrass colors, including banjo, strings and acoustic textures. Her voice remains the focal point, moving between tenderness and quiet power as she delivers Lennon’s vision of peace. Parton said she chose the song because its message of hope still resonated. Coming from her, the performance feels like a heartfelt country hymn.

#2: “Help!” (1979)

Originally Performed by the Beatles

The Beatles recorded “Help!” in 1965 as the title track to their film of the same name. The song began as a commercial assignment and ended up being one of John Lennon's most candid emotional confessions. Dolly Parton dressed it up quite differently. Her version, which appears on 1979’s “Great Balls of Fire,” is explicitly bluegrass-inspired, replacing the Beatles’ driving pop-rock attack with acoustic country textures and a more homespun feel. That change is significant because Lennon later described the original as a genuine subconscious cry for help, despite its upbeat surface. Parton doesn’t reproduce that frantic energy; she filters the song through the musical language she knows best. The result is quirky and proof that a Beatles classic can survive a trip to Dolly’s Appalachia.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“After the Gold Rush” (1999), Originally Performed by Neil Young

Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Turn This Folk Ballad Into a Country Classic

“My Girl (My Love)” (1977), Originally Performed by The Temptations

Parton’s Take Replaces “Girl” With “Love” to Give the Romance a Fresh, Southern Twang

“Peace Train” (1996), Originally Performed by Cat Stevens

Featuring Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Parton Brings a Global Folk Harmony to This Tune

“Time for Me to Fly” (1989), Originally Performed by REO Speedwagon

Who Knew Anyone Could Turn This Rock Ballad Into a Banjo-Powered Barn Dance Anthem?

#1: “Stairway to Heaven” (2002)

Originally Performed by Led Zeppelin

No other song captures Dolly Parton’s ability to turn a rock monument into something unmistakably hers quite like this one. Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” begins as a delicate folk-rock ballad before building into one of rock’s most famous climaxes. Parton recorded her version for 2002’s “Halos & Horns,” stripping away much of Led Zeppelin’s grandeur in favor of bluegrass instrumentation and Appalachian textures. Banjo, mandolin and acoustic colors give the song a distinctly rootsy identity, while Parton’s voice brings warmth to Robert Plant’s famously dramatic melody. It’s an audacious choice, but the song’s folk foundations make the transformation surprisingly logical. Guess you could say Parton hauled “Stairway” down from the arena and brought it home to Tennessee.

Which of these Dolly Parton covers blew you away? Let us know in the comments below.