Dolly Parton adds pandemic hero to list of accomplishments
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Dolly Parton is being celebrated in song — a rewritten version of her own Jolene — for her contribution to an experimental coronavirus vaccine.
Ryan Cordell, associate English professor at Northeastern University in Boston, posted a video on Twitter of himself performing a tweaked version of Parton’s signature song, renamed Vaccine, that has drawn tens of thousands of views.
The lyrics, “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine / I’m begging of you, please go in my arm / Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine / Please just keep me safe from COVID harm,” were written by linguist and author Gretchen McCulloch, who posted them online and invited people to record them.
“I love that song. I love Dolly Parton. And I don’t know — I was inspired,” Cordell told The Boston Globe on Tuesday. “So I went and grabbed my guitar.”
I couldn’t resist trying it immediately, though I had to sing a bit more quietly than I typically would—for this tune in particular—because my family’s all asleep right now. But you can see it scans, good enough for country at least! pic.twitter.com/joQL29e7Uk
Parton’s $1-million US gift to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center for COVID-19 research went, in part, toward the development of Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine, announced this week.
The singer’s name appeared among other sponsors in a preliminary report on the vaccine.
Cordell grew up with Parton’s music, thanks to his parents and grandparents.
“So I was just thrilled to see this news that she had contributed to COVID vaccine research — I thought that was amazing,” he said.
Cordell called the positive reaction to his video from doctors, nurses and other medical professionals particularly gratifying.
“That’s really amazing because those folks are under so much pressure and stress, and especially right now as hospitals are getting overwhelmed,” he said.
“So if they watched the video, and it made them happy for a minute, that’s all I need.”
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