Dolly Parton is one of the few things that everyone — Democrats and Republicans, men and women, people who prefer Family Guy to The Simpsons, etc. — can agree on. She rules. But despite her unanimous popularity and the fact that she’s written some of the most popular English-language songs ever, Parton has never performed during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The NFL has reached out to Parton, presumably over Up With People, the Blues Brothers, or the Elvis impersonator Elvis Presto, but she’s turned them down. More than once.
“Oh, sure. I’ve been offered that many times,” Parton breezily told the Hollywood Reporter. “I couldn’t do it because of other things, or I just didn’t think I was big enough to do it — to do that big of a production. When you think about those shows, those are big, big productions. I’ve never done anything with that big of a production. I don’t know if I could have. I think at the time that’s what I was thinking.”
Come on, Usher. A “9 to 5” / “OMG” mashup would bring the house down.
Parton’s upcoming album, Rockstar, is packed with special guests including Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, Miley Cyrus, Chris Stapleton, Elton John, Debbie Harry, and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. It comes out on November 17th.