Hear Dolly Parton Cover 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up?” With Linda Perry
Dolly Parton is about as famously blonde as a human being can be, but she’s not going to let a little thing like that stop her from singing the one 4 Non Blondes song that everyone knows. Right now, Parton is getting ready to release ROCKSTAR, the truly ridiculous and guest-heavy rock album that she decided to make when she was chosen for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. We’ve already heard Parton’s versions of songs from the Beatles, Queen, and Heart, and now she’s also taking on the undying 1993 Buzz Bin nugget “What’s Up?”
Dolly Parton’s version of “What’s Up?,” which appears on ROCKSTAR, features Linda Perry, the former 4 Non Blondes leader who became a hugely successful pop songwriter after that band’s demise. Parton does not start the song by singing about 25 years of her life and still trying to get up that big, big hill. Instead, she goes with “all these years,” a nice way of acknowledging that she’s slightly older than 25. In the song’s video, Parton and Perry lip-sync while surrounded by little kids.
Those of us who were teenagers in the ’90s might have primarily snarky feelings about “What’s Up?,” but Dolly Parton evidently does not agree with us. She puts a whole lot of force and feeling into the song, and I have to say, it does sound better coming from her. Check it out below.
ROCKSTAR is out 11/17 on Butterfly Records.