Miley Cyrus’ godmother Dolly Parton has been in her life since day one, so it’s obvious the two would find plenty of time to collaborate. In honor of Cyrus’ recent portrayal of Parton in a sketch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Billboard has put together a timeline of the famous pair’s best collaborations.
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The Best of Both Worlds: Dolly Parton Guest Stars on Hannah Montana — Sept. 29 2006
Parton appeared on Hannah Montana as part of the semi-fictional family in the sixteenth episode of the first season, titled “Good Golly Miss Dolly.” Parton, who plays Aunt Dolly, is immediately involved in Miley’s hijinks. Miley loses a tape on which she confesses her love for her crush, which through the magic of Disney channel, ends up in her crush’s hands. Of course, Aunt Dolly and Miley must dress in their best all-black outfits and sneak through the school to get the tape back.
I Will Always Loathe You: Aunt Dolly Returns to Hannah Montana — Dec. 7 2007
Parton returns as Aunt Dolly in episode twenty of the second season. Dolly clashes with the visiting grandmother played by Vicki Lawrence, who refers to the aunt as “bottle blonde, shrink-wrapped, five pounds of bologna in a three-pound bag.” Ouch. Dolly serves Lawrence’s character with iconic sass: “Talk to the booty ‘cause the hand’s off duty.” Of course, the family comes together in the end and all is well.
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Dollywood Turns 25, Miley and Dolly Duet on “Jolene” – July 3 2010
When Parton’s 150-acre theme park had it’s 25th anniversary, of course the entire Cyrus family came to show their support. The still-brunette Miley took the stage with her godmother to perform “Jolene,” before later rejoining the stage with the rest of the family to perform Parton and Billy Ray Cyrus’ hit “Romeo.”
Miley Brings “Jolene” to The Backyard Sessions – Dec. 24 2012
Just before Miley made her big transformation into the Bangerz era, she recorded a gorgeous acoustic solo version of “Jolene.” Cyrus also gave the same treatment to a few other covers, including Jeff Buckley’s “Lilac Wine” and “Look What They’ve Done to My Song Ma” by Melanie Safka.
Miley and Dolly Take on “Jolene” Again, But This Time with Pentatonix Nov. 29 2016
Parton showed her support for Cyrus’ gig judging The Voice when she appeared for a performance of “Jolene” with Cyrus and famous a capella group Pentatonix. Cyrus and Parton amp up the performance in the final chorus, singing the name over and over again in a call-and-response format before indulging in higher harmonies than usual.
Miley Invites Dolly to “Rainbowland” – Sept. 29 2017
Dolly performs on an adorable, campy duet sharing the same name as Cyrus’ home recording studio, “Rainbowland.” The duet starts out with a voicemail from Parton, revealing she was on her way to Dollywood and not actually at the Malibu recording studio. The lyrics give a campfire-ready depiction of an ideal, loving world: “We are rainbows, me and you/ Every color, every hue/ Let’s shine through/ Together we can start livin’ in a rainbowland.”
Miley Becomes Her ‘Fairy Godmother’ on The Tonight Show
It’s a simple fact that host Jimmy Fallon loves returning to his SNL roots with a good sketch. During Cyrus’ week long residency on The Tonight Show, he donned Kenny Rogers’ silver mane and facial hair, while Cyrus rocked a pile of golden curls – amongst other physical additions synonymous with her godmother’s physique – to take on the two’s classic duet, “Islands in the Stream.”