Dolly Parton Responds to Chapel Hart’s ‘Jolene’ Sequel on ‘America’s Got Talent’
They say two minutes can change lives on America’s Got Talent. That’s exactly what happened to country music trio Chapel Hart. The band appeared on Tuesday, July 19’s episode, where they sang a catchy original song that served as a sequel to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Their performance then went viral, spreading so far that even Dolly Parton herself saw the clip. Here’s what the Queen of Country said about Chapel Hart, plus other country stars who responded.
Chapel Hart earned a Golden Buzzer on ‘America’s Got Talent’ for their sequel to Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’
Chapel Hart is made up of two sisters, Danica and Devynn Hart, and their cousin, Trea Swindle. The trio hails from Mississippi. After struggling to break out in Nashville for a few years, Chapel Hart decided to try their luck on America’s Got Talent, where they professed their love for country music. More specifically, the members of Chapel Hart are longtime fans of Dolly Parton and wanted to make a follow-up to “Jolene.”
Chapel Hart performed “You Can Have Him Jolene,” written from Parton’s perspective of no longer wanting to fight with Jolene over the same man. Some of the lyrics include:
“Well since the last song I’ve had time to think it over./ A lot of tears, a lot a beer, a lot of wine./ I spent so much time believing that midnight stopped ringing./ But he’d leave the room and answer every time … Oh Jolene, you can have him cause he don’t mean much to me./ Well I brought so much, two rivers turned the seas./ Oh Jolene, when you think that he’s in love surely leave./ Like he did me./ You can have him Jolene.”
After the performance, judge Simon Cowell told Chapel Hart that he needed to hear them that day. Meanwhile, Heidi Klum complimented the “joy” in the song. Cowell, Klum, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara, and Terry Crews pressed the Golden Buzzer, sending Chapel Hart straight to the live shows. Their performance now has more than 2.6 million views on YouTube.
Dolly Parton responded to Chapel Hart’s ‘Jolene’ song on Twitter
Parton caught wind of the performance on America’s Got Talent’s Twitter account. She shared the video of Chapel Hart, calling “You Can Have Him Jolene” a “fun new take” on her 1974 hit. Parton also added a joke.
“Carl’s birthday is today so I think I’ll hang on to him, and I’m not notifying Jolene that today is his birthday,” she tweeted, as seen above.
Chapel Hart responded back to Parton, feeling completely shocked that the Queen of Country heard their song.
“Can somebody call the mortician cause we just died a little bit,” they wrote.
Country stars Loretta Lynn and Darius Rucker also shared their thoughts
It seems Chapel Hart won’t have trouble breaking into Nashville anymore. In addition to Parton, two other country legends saw the band’s performance: Loretta Lynn and Darius Rucker. Taking to Facebook, Lynn encouraged Chapel Hart to make a sequel to one of her songs.
“I love it, ladies. Now I’m wondering what you might be able to do with one of my songs!” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Rucker responded to the video with a simple “Hell yes!” The country singer then shared a surprise: He liked Chapel Hart so much that he asked them to join his next album.
“Already put them on my next record,” Rucker added.
America’s Got Talent Season 17 airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Fans can see more of Chapel Hart as they head to the live shows.
