Dolly Parton can be heard sweetly harmonizing and singing on Bebe Rexha’s new song “Seasons.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The slow ballad, co-written by Rexha, Ido Zmishlany, and Sarah Solovay, explores the swift passing of time from youth to older age in the lyrics I lie awake inside a dream / And I run, run, run away from me / The seasons change right under my feet / I’m still the same, same, same, same old me.
By the second verse, Parton reflects on trying to connect to her younger self again, singing My mirror is a liar / Inside, I’m still a child / Who’s tryin’ to find her way back home / How come nobody warns us / About what’s coming for us / That you will live and die alone.
Set in black and white, the music video features Rexha and Parton dressed in all-black outfits before switching to white, singing at the microphone and embracing at one point as they sing through the nostalgic lyrics.
“Seasons” is the closing track on Rexha’s third album Bebe, which also features the previous singles “Satellite” featuring Snoop Dogg, and “I’m Good (Blue)” with David Guetta.
Working with Parton was a “dream come true,” said Rexha in a recent interview. “Dolly Parton is an icon,” said Rexha. “She is not only one of my favorite artists, but one of my favorite songwriters. I always looked up to Dolly Parton, like ‘Wow, not only is she a bad-ass bitch, she looks good, she can sing like crazy, but she’s writing all these incredible records. And she’s also a boss. She has Dollywood. She’s a producer. … She’s a boss.”
Rexha added, “The fact that I have a song with Dolly, I can’t grasp it. Every time I listen to it, her verse part, it’s really cool to get her perspective on the song and my perspective. [It’s] two different generations, but we’re still women, and we’re still learning, and we’re growing, and we’re changing. Having a song with Dolly … I could have no other feature on my album except her and I would be happy. It was a dream come true.”
Parton released her 48th album, Run, Rose, Run, in 2022 and is readying her first rock album Rock Star, featuring Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Nicks, and Steve Perry, among many other special guests.
On May 11, Parton is also set to co-host the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, with Garth Brooks, where she will premiere her lead “rock” single “World on Fire.”
Check out American Songwriter’s 2022 cover story with Dolly Parton HERE.
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
