Dolly Parton’s star-studded 2023 rock album, the aptly titled Rockstar, features a duet version of the classic REO Speedwagon ballad “Keep on Loving You” that pairs the country legend with the band’s frontman and main songwriter, Kevin Cronin. In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Cronin said he was “honored” Parton chose to collaborate with him, especially when considering some of the other famous artists who contributed to the album.
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“I mean, she had anybody she wanted!” Cronin declared. “Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting, the list goes on and on, the big artists that are on this record. So I’m just honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as those people.”
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Cronin’s Disagreement with Parton
The Rockstar version of “Keep on Loving You” begins with Parton singing the first verse, then taking the first line of the second verse before Cronin comes in with a harmony vocal. Cronin admits that he had a disagreement with Parton about this, because he thought it made sense for him to sing the whole second verse.
“One of the places where we [had to come to an agreement], I could tell that it was really important to Dolly to sing that first line,” he explained. “She goes, ‘And though I know all about those women,’ to me, that was the perfect line, ‘And though I know all about those men,’ it’s like, now I’m pointing the finger back at you a little bit.”
[RELATED: Dolly Parton, Kevin Cronin to Record “Dark Duet” of REO Speedwagon’s “Keep on Loving You”]
By Parton singing the line, Cronin noted, she “turned [the song] into a dark duet,” where she’s acknowledging his infidelities instead of the other way around.
“Dolly really … didn’t tell me why and I didn’t ask her why, but it was really important for her to sing that line,” he added. “So the second verse became a little bit of a duet. But I’m happy with the way the record turned out.”
“Keep On Loving You” was one of REO Speedwagon’s biggest hits. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1981 and has been certified Platinum for sales of more than 1 million copies in the U.S.
Parton Once Covered Another REO Song
Interestingly, “Keep On Loving You” isn’t the only REO Speedwagon song Parton has covered. In 1989, she released a bluegrass version of the band’s 1978 gem “Time for Me to Fly.”
Cronin said he loved Parton’s reworked take on his song.
“It had this awesome mandolin solo, plus fiddle and banjo solos. All of this great Americana stuff,” he noted. “I thought it was great.”
Cronin also said he considered it “an honor for someone who is as good of a songwriter as Dolly … to choose one of your songs to cover.”
“That’s one of the biggest compliments I could ever expect to receive,” he added. “It felt really good and it was a great experience, just the fact that she did it.”
REO Speedwagon’s 2024 Tour Plans
REO Speedwagon will be hitting the road again in 2024. They currently have a series of eight U.S. headlining shows confirmed for the spring, plus two three-date Las Vegas residency engagements at The Venetian Theatre in May and October.
Check out the band’s full list of dates at REOSpeedwagon.com.
Tickets for the shows can be purchased at various outlets, including StubHub.
