Dolly Parton has joined forces with Kelly Clarkson for a “haunting” new version of ‘9 To 5’, it’s been revealed.
As Variety reports, the pair recorded a collaborative take on Parton’s classic 1980 single for an upcoming documentary called Still Working 9 To 5.
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The film, which is co-directed/produced by Gary Lane, is due to premiere at this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Per an official description, Still Working 9 To 5 “examines the 40-year evolution of gender inequality and discrimination in the workplace” since 1980”.
It added: “[It] explores why workplace inequality 40 years later was never a laughing matter.”
“We could do a documentary just on the making of the duet,” Lane told Variety of Parton and Clarkson’s team-up.
Speaking of how the new version of ‘9 To 5’ differs from the much-loved original, co-director/producer Camille Hardman explained: “The first iteration, Dolly’s original version was very upbeat. There was a lot of hope I would say in the song.
“And this version is just a little bit melancholic,” she said, acknowledging the film’s themes of inequality.
Lane went on to tell the outlet that Parton had dubbed the new collaboration ‘9 To 5: The Slow Version’, saying that it’s “definitely slowed down and more haunting”. He added: “Kelly — you can’t believe how she changes it, too. It’s really mind blowing.”
Meanwhile, Dolly Parton recently shared the details of her new album ‘Run, Rose, Run’, which serves as a companion to her upcoming debut novel of the same name.
Previewed by the song ‘Big Dreams And Faded Jeans’, the 12-track record is due to arrive on March 4 via Butterfly Records in partnership with Ingrooves/UMG.
