Dolly Parton is holding an acoustic guitar and wearing a white outfit while singing on stage

Spotify Corrects Mistaken Irish Lyrics for Dolly Parton’s Welsh Jolene Version

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Digital audio streaming service Spotify mistakenly uploaded the Welsh version of Dolly Parton’s posthumous track Jolene as Irish lyrics. The song, a collaboration featuring Welsh singer Bronwen Lewis and Parton’s niece Jada Star, was released on October 9 following Parton’s death in August. Spotify corrected the error after being approached for comment.

The translation mix-up affected the Welsh version of Jolene, a project born out of social media after Bronwen Lewis translated the country music classic from her home in Neath. The adaptation caught the attention of Parton’s niece, Jada Star, who reached out to suggest a collaborative recording. Parton subsequently joined the project, recording her vocal parts from her Nashville studio while Lewis and Star laid down their contributions in the UK.

Collaboration and Release Following Parton’s Death

The single made its debut on October 9 as the second posthumous release from the legendary country artist. Parton passed away on August 25, just weeks before the collaborative track reached streaming platforms. During the production process, the artists blended English and Welsh verses. However, subscribers tuning into the digital audio streaming service were met with incorrect metadata displaying the lyrics as Irish.

Dolly Parton sings Jolene in Welsh in recording released after her death (Wales) 2/Oct/2026

The error persisted until Spotify removed the Irish lyrics after the BBC approached it for comment. Representatives for the streaming platform did not respond to questions regarding when the single and lyrics were originally uploaded, when the mistake was first flagged, or when replacement Welsh text will appear on the platform.

A Legacy Rooted in 1973 Origins and Welsh Heritage

The unexpected streaming glitch touches a song with decades of global history. The original recording of Jolene arrived in 1973, inspired by Parton’s early marriage fears involving a red-headed bank clerk who had flirted with her husband, Carl Dean. The single quickly climbed the charts, landing a Grammy nomination in 1974, securing her second number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and marking her first entry onto the main Hot 100 chart at number 60. Over the years, the track has accumulated more than one billion streams on Spotify and countless covers by major artists.

In 2008, the singer revealed her Welsh ancestry to a crowd at the Cardiff International Arena. Following her death, archival staff at Conwy council re-examined family records. While her mother Avie Lee Owens was initially thought to trace back to Conwy, new findings suggest her ancestors actually hailed from Machynlleth in Powys.

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