Kelly Clarkson just nailed a live rendition of “9 to 5” with the one and only Dolly Parton— and fans are obsessed! The Kelly Clarkson Show host, 40, and country music icon, 76, performed a duet of the latter’s 1980 hit on the former’s talk show last week— combining their famous talents, showing off their harmonizing skills, and discussing Parton writing “I Will Always Love You” and hearing Whitney Houston’s version for the very first time.
READ MORE: Kelly Clarkson Lit Up The Stage In A Low-Cut Black Dress—She Looks Incredible!
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Kelly Clarkson And Dolly Parton Nail Live “9 to 5” Rendition On The Kelly Clarkson Show
On the December 1st episode of Clarkson’s talk show, the “Since U Been Gone” hitmaker kicked off her fan-favorite ‘Kellyoke‘ segment and began singing “9 to 5” by herself on stage as viewers cheered. After belting the first verse, Clarkson excitedly shouted, “give it up for Dolly Parton!” as fans applauded her entrance.
The American Idol winner rocked a maroon, short-sleeved maxi dress with a subtle v-neck and waist cinching details. She topped off her look with a shiny pendant necklace and black boots while the “Jolene” legend walked on stage in a salmon-colored peplum dress with embroidered detailing. Parton completed her outfit with silver, sky-high heels as the two let out impressive note after impressive note during their joint performance.
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Fan Reactions
Naturally, fans couldn’t get enough of this instantly iconic team-up, as one commented under a post of the performance from The Kelly Clarkson Show, “This is the best thing in my feed today!!” Another user added, “That was so fun to watch! Two legends!” as someone else replied, “My new favorite version of this song!” (Us too!) One other fan commented, “KELLY AND DOLLY IS A DREAM COME TRUE IN EVERY WAY,” (and we really couldn’t have said it any better).
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Dolly Parton Discusses Hearing Houston’s Version Of “I Will Always Love You”
Long before Houston wowed us all with her version of “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard soundtrack in 1992, Parton originally penned the heartfelt ballad herself in 1974. The “Here You Come Again” crooner opened up about hearing Houston’s version for the first time when sitting down with Clarkson.
“When they were doing The Bodyguard movie, they had chosen another song for the theme song [at first],” Parton explained, adding that even after choosing, the filmmakers kept looking for a different theme track. “Kevin Costner and his secretary said, ‘Do you remember Dolly Parton’s song, ‘I Will Always Love You?’ It’s a country song, but it’s a beautiful song.’ So they called me to see if they could use it, and I said yes.”
Parton added, “I didn’t know [or hear] anything else about it. I didn’t know if they had it, if they had done it.” She went on, “And I was driving my car [through L.A.] and I was driving along and I had the radio on, and I just heard [the song] and that was the first time. They didn’t send it to me or nothing.” Parton noted that when she heard Houston’s powerful vocals on the tune that she (understandably) “just freaked out.” “I had to pull over to the side, because I honestly thought I’d get in a wreck,” Parton continued. “It was the most overwhelming feeling.”
Fans will recall that back in March, Clarkson performed her own rendition of the song when honoring Parton’s career at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Parton detailed how she still isn’t over Clarkson’s incredible take on the song, saying, “When you sang that song, when you did that at the Academy of Country Music Awards and you did that at the end, I have to tell you, Whitney would have been so proud of you.” Clarkson was visibly moved by Parton’s words. The “Coat of Many Colors” singer then suggested singing the song together, harmonizing beautifully and making viewers choke up. With a smile, Clarkson told Parton,”You’re like a magical fairy human.” (We’re not crying, you’re crying!)
