Country singer turned ‘Rockstar’ also trades verses with Heart’s Ann Wilson on “Magic Man” cover
In 1980, Dolly Parton was ruling the pop and country charts with “9 to 5” while Judas Priest were “Breaking the Law” and the members of Mötley Crüe weren’t even wearing leather. At that point in time, none of those artists likely ever thought they’d cross paths. Now, Parton has teamed with Priest screamer Rob Halford and Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist John 5 on a new song, “Bygones,” one of two new tracks Parton released from her upcoming Rockstar album, out Nov. 17.
Over crunchy guitars, Parton asks for forgiveness and Halford sings about how hurt he feels. Then it picks up, and the two vocalists belt an anthemic chorus: “I’m sorry, so sorry/How long must you punish me?/Why can’t we just move on, let bygones be bygones?” The song builds and builds and reaches an ending that’s predictable (at least for metalheads, since it starts with a guitar solo.)
“‘Bygones’ is an original song of mine featuring Rob Halford from Judas Priest with Nikki Sixx and John 5,” Parton said in a statement. “It is one of my very favorites on the whole album. The song fits with so many couples and coupling my voice with Rob, one of my all-time favorites, made it even more special.”
The other original song is a cover of Heart’s “Magic Man” (subtitled the “Carl Version”) that finds Parton trading verses with Heart’s Ann Wilson. The country icon’s brittle voice and expressiveness adds new depth and drama to the titular cult leader’s level of enchantment. Howard Leese, who played in Heart from 1975 to 1998 and now plays guitar in Bad Company and with Paul Rodgers’ solo band, recorded the solo for the track.
“I’ve always wanted a reason to sing ‘Magic Man’ by Heart and it was one of my first choices for the album,” Parton said. “I was so happy that Ann Wilson agreed to sing it with me. Nobody can out-sing Ann, but I gave it my darndest, and we added a few lines that were not in the original. We wanted to have a few things that made it seem like ours. Thank you, Nancy, for letting me fill in for you on this. Hope I’ve made you both proud. I think it’s magic.”
Previously, Parton released the album’s “World on Fire.” She debuted it in May at the ACM Awards.