Dolly Parton’s Re-creation of ‘9 To 5’ Is Receiving Some Serious Backlash
It’s no secret that Dolly Parton is considered by many to be a national treasure. From recording hit songs like “9 to 5” to inspiring meme culture, to being a successful entrepreneur, to using her wealth for good, the “Jolene” singer has garnered no shortage of positive publicity throughout the course of her career. However, the recent reimagining of her hit song “9 to 5” isn’t necessarily receiving rave reviews.
While Parton has plenty of hit songs in her catalog, “9 to 5” is undoubtedly one of her most iconic. The theme song of the eponymous movie that Parton starred in back in 1980, the song is a testament to how challenging traditional work culture could be. Recently, Squarespace collaborated with the Hannah Montana alum to reimagine her song for a Superbowl commercial.
Dolly Parton reimagines her iconic song ‘9 to 5’
In the new song, called “5 to 9” Parton’s lyrics encourage people to make their side hustles and after-hours work their full-time job with the help of Squarespace, a website building/hosting platform. “Make your 5 to 9 full time at squarespace.com,” the caption for the accompanying video reads on YouTube.
“Since its release in 1980, Dolly Parton’s iconic song “9 to 5” has become an anthem for every working person who feels like there’s something else they should be doing with their life,” a statement on Squarespace’s website reads. “Now, by flipping it to “5 to 9”, the song has a new life as a modern rallying cry for all the dreamers working to turn an after-hours passion or project into a career with Squarespace. Get inspired to turn your passion project into a thriving business with a little help from the legendary Dolly Parton.”
Some fans of the ‘Hannah Montana’ alum are outraged by ‘5 to 9’
While Parton may have simply been encouraging people to follow their dreams and passions with her new song, “5 to 9” isn’t receiving all rave reviews. In fact, many people on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are outraged with the concept of the commercial. Many believe it promotes unhealthy work-life balance and burnout culture. Furthermore, people argue that the concept of the commercial seems to promote that people have to work a staggering amount of hours in order to find success and joy in their careers.
“Just awful grim unintentional commentary on the horrible state of the US economy. Working 8 hours a day is no longer enough to survive; we must be at work 24 hours a day, selling ourselves to carve out a meager existence in this rich man’s world,” one person on YouTube wrote about Parton’s new song. “All of that work labor activists did in the early part of the 20th century, thrown out. This is the worst thing I’ve seen in a while.”
Does Parton’s new Superbowl commercial with Squarespace send the wrong message?
“Horrifyingly dystopian,” another person wrote of Parton’s new commercial. “The only thing worse than this commercial is that there are 1000 people in suits who signed off on it and not one of them stopped to think ‘holy fu*k this depressing and bad.'”
Even longtime fans of Parton seemed to think the new song was a miss. “I love Dolly Parton with my whole life,” a fan began. “Now, that aside, this is terrible. It’s so horrible to normalize and commoditize the need to have side hustles because your primary job isn’t providing enough for a person to live. This is terrible. I promise that I don’t want to do my ‘side hustle’ on the only day off that I have, I’d love to rest. But I also love being able to pay bills and survive. Do not romanticise the fact that people are unable to make a sustainable and liveable wage with their primary work.”
‘5 to 9’ likely won’t have the same success as the singer’s other songs
Of course, not everyone took offense to Parton’s new song. “It’s about finding what you love outside your daily grind and converting your life to fit your passion,” a YouTube user shared. “Leave the grind and live your dream.” Clearly, Parton’s new song is far more polarizing than her original hit. However, it doesn’t seem like “5 to 9” will have the longevity of its predecessor.
