Queer Songtellers: LGBTQIA+ Stories Told Through Covers of Dolly Parton's Music

Abstract

Dolly Parton is one of America’s most cherished singer-songwriters who has stated multiple times that she would be a drag queen if she had been born a man. Even while making these statements, she has managed to hold a fanbase that ranges from conservative country-music lovers to drag queens who impersonate her. Many may assume that these themes of lived hardships she sings about only pertain to straight, cis-gendered people, however, the narratives in Parton’s songs also describe lived LGBTQIA+ experiences. By examining musical covers performed by artists like Lil Nas X, Orville Peck, and Trixie Mattel, specifically queer narratives of despair, hope, and joy are brought to the surface in the layers of Parton’s music. Additionally, the medium of musical covers is especially suited for elucidating these narratives. While the queerness of her music has gone unnoticed by those who are situated outside queer communities, a great deal of people have heard these narratives across her long career. This queer aspect of Parton’s music and its covers are only now being discussed in a formal setting and to deny this attribute ultimately deprives us of the rich and complex depth of Parton’s oeuvre. Ignoring the queerness of Parton’s music threatens to erase queer peoples’ existence in country-folk music and from society at large.