Kelly Clarkson's Piece By Piece tour should really be referred to as the tour of covers. Already performing and nailing popular hits like Rihanna's "Stay", Nick Jonas' "Jealous", Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" and Demi Lovato's "Cool for the Summer," the American Idol season one winner decided to tackle a rendition of Dolly Parton's country classic, "Jolene" at her Albuquerque show.
The track was a special request from audience member Robert Nunez who was fatefully standing at Clarkson's feet during the gig. The "Because of You" singer's version of the 1974 classic track kept the heart-wrenching theme of the original but with the added robust voice that Clarkson boasts. The singer returned to her country roots, belting out the tune with nothing more than the simple assistance of a piano.
"Jolene" has seen an overwhelming amount of covers by well-known artists and while some believe it to be inspired by a riff with Parton's husband Carl, it's actually about a ginger-haired bank teller. "She got this terrible crush on my husband," Parton explained to The Boot. "And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention. It was kinda like a running joke between us - when I was saying, 'Hell, you're spending a lot of time at the bank. I don't believe we've got that kind of money.' So it's really an innocent song all around but sounds like a dreadful one." The track title, however, was inspired by a conversation with an eight-year-old red-headed fan who's name was Jolene.
As Entertainment Weekly notes, Clarkson has taken a handful of cover requests from fans, tackling Wynonna Judd to N'Sync and also using her continuing tour to announce that she's expecting her second child. If you have tickets to a Clarkson gig, start preparing a list of covers to suggest--she just might hear you!
