Dolly Parton adds pandemic hero to list of accomplishments

BOSTON (AP) — Dolly Parton is being celebrated in song with a rewritten version of her own “Jolene” for her contribution to an experimental coronavirus vaccine.

Northeastern University associate English professor Ryan Cordell posted a video on Twitter of himself performing a tweaked version of Parton’s signature song. It’s renamed “Vaccine” and has drawn tens of thousands of views. The lyrics were written by linguist and author Gretchen McCulloch.

I couldn’t resist trying it immediately, though I had to sing a bit more quietly than I typically would—for this tune in particular—because my family’s all asleep right now. But you can see it scans, good enough for country at least! pic.twitter.com/joQL29e7Uk

— Ryan Cordell aka Ryan Cordrell (@ryancordell) November 17, 2020

She posted them online and invited people to record them.

Parton’s $1 million gift to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University helped researchers develop Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine, announced this week.