A lyric sheet on a streaming service told listeners that a Welsh-language Jolene was in Irish, a small clerical slip that briefly misplaced a song's own tongue. The single, recorded before Dolly Parton's death in August and released in October, weaves English and Welsh together, and it arrives as the second posthumous work from an artist whose long life reached far beyond her own valley. The error was corrected once the BBC asked about it, but the company has said nothing about how it happened or when the right words will return, so the mistake stands as a quiet reminder of how much of culture
Spotify Mislabels Dolly Parton's Welsh 'Jolene' Lyrics as Irish, Then Removes Them
Recorded partly in the language of her forebears, labelled as another
Mark
So what actually went wrong here?
Mimi
The lyrics for the Welsh Jolene appeared on Spotify labelled as Irish. The song is sung partly in English and partly in Welsh, so the label was simply incorrect.
Mark
And it was fixed?
Mimi
The Irish lyrics were removed after the BBC approached Spotify. Whether correct Welsh lyrics have replaced them isn't stated.
Luke
That's worth being careful about. Removal is confirmed. A replacement isn't. And Spotify never answered the BBC's questions about when the upload happened or when the error was spotted.
Mark
Why does a lyrics label matter much?
Mimi
Because of what the song is. It's Parton's second posthumous release, made with Bronwen Lewis and Parton's niece Jada Star, and tied to Parton's Welsh roots.
Luke
Though we should say the roots themselves are still being researched. Conwy council archive staff suggested Machynlleth, in Powys, rather than Conwy. That's a suggestion from research, not a final word.
Mark
How did the Welsh version begin?
Mimi
Lewis, from Neath, translated the song and posted it online. Star reached out, and Parton joined the recording.
Luke
And the 2008 Cardiff remark about Welsh ancestry is described as reported, so I'd treat it as that.
Mark
So what do we still not know?
Luke
Who made the mistake, when, and whether it's fully corrected. The reporting doesn't say.
O Pulso
- A Welsh version of Jolene appeared on Spotify with lyrics tagged as Irish, and listeners noticed the wrong label.
- The mismatch lands on a song already carrying the weight of Dolly Parton's death in August and a posthumous release in October.
- The BBC pressed Spotify for answers, and the offending Irish lyrics were pulled down once the question was asked.
- Spotify has not explained when the upload happened, when the error was spotted, or when accurate lyrics will be restored.
A lyric sheet on a streaming service told listeners that a Welsh-language Jolene was in Irish, a small clerical slip that briefly misplaced a song's own tongue. The single, recorded before Dolly Parton's death in August and released in October, weaves English and Welsh together, and it arrives as the second posthumous work from an artist whose long life reached far beyond her own valley. The error was corrected once the BBC asked about it, but the company has said nothing about how it happened or when the right words will return, so the mistake stands as a quiet reminder of how much of culture now passes through metadata that few people ever read.
Listeners who opened the new Welsh version of Dolly Parton's Jolene on Spotify found the lyrics labelled as Irish. They were wrong. The single mixes English and Welsh, and the tag was simply a mistake.
The song was recorded before Parton died on 25 August. It is a collaboration with the Welsh singer-songwriter Bronwen Lewis and Parton's niece, Jada Star, and it came out on 9 October. It is the second posthumous release from an artist with seven decades of work behind her, ten Grammys, and more than 3,000 songs.
The Welsh version began modestly. Lewis, from Neath, translated the 1973 classic and shared it on social media. Star then suggested recording it in Welsh with Lewis, and Parton joined in.
When the BBC approached Spotify, the Irish lyrics were taken down. Questions about when the upload happened and when the error was noticed went unanswered, so those details remain unknown.
The mistake is small, but it sits against Parton's documented link to Wales, which is still being traced. A song partly sung in the language of her forebears was presented on the world's biggest streaming platform as another language entirely.
When listeners opened the new Welsh version of Dolly Parton's Jolene on Spotify and followed the lyrics, the service told them the words were in Irish. They were not. The single mixes English and Welsh, and the labelling was simply wrong.
The song was recorded before Parton died on 25 August. It is a collaboration with the Welsh singer-songwriter Bronwen Lewis and with Parton's niece, Jada Star. It came out on 9 October and is the second posthumous release from an artist who built a career across seven decades, won 10 Grammy awards, sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs.
The BBC approached Spotify for comment, and the Irish lyrics were then taken down. The BBC had also asked when the single and its lyrics were uploaded, when the mistake was noticed and when it would be replaced. It did not receive a response, so those details remain unanswered.
The original Jolene dates to 1973. It is about Parton's fear that she might lose her husband, Carl Dean, to a red-headed bank clerk who had flirted with him early in their marriage. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 1974 and gave Parton her second number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was also her first appearance on the main Hot 100, where it reached number 60. It has since passed one billion streams on Spotify, and many well-known singers have covered it.
The Welsh version has a modest origin. Lewis, who is from Neath, translated the country classic and posted it on social media. Star then got in touch and suggested recording Jolene in Welsh with Lewis, and Parton joined in as well.
Parton's link to Wales is documented, if still being traced. During a concert at the Cardiff International Arena in 2008, she reportedly told the audience about her Welsh ancestry. Star has said that one side of the family, from Parton's mother, Avie Lee Owens, was first believed to have come from Conwy. After the singer's death, staff at Conwy council's archives researched the line and concluded that her ancestors came from Machynlleth, in Powys, not Conwy.
Against that background, the labelling error is a small but pointed one: a song recorded partly in the language of Parton's forebears was presented, on the world's biggest streaming platform, as another language. Spotify has not said when it made the mistake, when it noticed, or when correct lyrics will appear.
Citações Notáveis
Spotify did not respond to the BBC's questions about when the lyrics were uploaded, when the error was noticed and when it would be replaced.— BBC News reporting
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