Dolly Parton’s Top 10 Covers, According to YouTube
Dolly Parton has one of the most covered songbooks in American popular music. Since she began writing professionally in the 1960s, her songs have crossed from country radio into pop, rock, R&B, bluegrass, and folk. The ten covers below, ranked by YouTube view count, span nearly five decades of interpretation, from a 1970 Nancy Sinatra recording to a 2019 daytime television performance by Kelly Clarkson.
10. Me’Shell Ndegeocello, “Two Doors Down”
Rounds out the 2003 Just Because I’m A Woman tribute. Turns a bright pop number into something moodier.
9. Nancy Sinatra, “Down from Dover”
Sinatra cut it in 1970 for Nancy & Lee Again era material. One of the earliest and most surprising Dolly covers by a mainstream pop artist.
8. Kasey Chambers, “Little Sparrow”
From the 2003 tribute. Chambers’ voice suits the Appalachian lilt of the original.
7. Emmylou Harris, “To Daddy”
Harris originally cut it on her 1978 album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town, well before the tribute era. Long-tail streams add up.
6. Sinead O’Connor, “Dagger Through the Heart”
Same 2003 tribute album. One of the most emotionally direct covers Dolly’s catalog has produced.
5. Norah Jones, “The Grass Is Blue”
Also from Just Because I’m A Woman. Jones has called it one of the most beautiful songs she’d ever heard.
4. Shania Twain, “Coat of Many Colors”
From the 2003 tribute album Just Because I’m A Woman. Background vocals by Alison Krauss and Union Station.
3. Kelly Clarkson, “9 to 5”
The Kelly Clarkson Show season-one opener, 2019. Highest-viewed 9 to 5 cover on the platform.
2. Miley Cyrus, “Jolene” (The Backyard Sessions)
2012 acoustic take. Hundreds of millions across her top upload.
1. Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You”
1B+ views on the official video. Untouchable.
What holds across the list is the durability of Parton’s writing. Songs built for pedal steel and country radio in the 1970s translate to acoustic backyards, tribute albums, and network television without losing their shape. Whitney Houston’s 1992 rendition sits at the top and likely always will. The rest of the list is where the catalog’s range shows most clearly. Nearly fifty years of interpretations, and no sign of the songbook running dry.
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