Kelly Clarkson Teams Up with Dolly Parton for a New ‘9 to 5’ Duet

The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson is joining forces with legendary singer Dolly Parton to record a new version of the classic song “9 to 5” from the 1980 film of the same name. It’s for an upcoming documentary about the movie’s lasting legacy.

Kelly Clarkson, Dolly Parton Record New ‘9 to 5’ Duet

Clarkson and Parton’s new version of the song will debut with the documentary Still Working 9 to 5 at this year’s SXSW festival on Sunday, March 13. Interestingly, Clarkson previously covered the song solo in a 2019 promo for The Kelly Clarkson Show.

9 to 5 starred Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin as three secretaries who get revenge on their sexist boss. Parton wrote the song “9 to 5” for the movie, and it’s become a modern classic. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars.

In a brief clip from the new documentary, Parton talks about how she got Fonda and Tomlin’s opinions on the song as she was writing it. She also tapped on her nails to create the background rhythm, which they still ask Parton to do when they’re together.

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What Sets This Duet Apart from the Original?

The documentary’s co-director/producer Gary Lane told Variety of the new collaboration, “We could do a documentary just on the making of the duet.” He added of the SXSW premiere, “It almost feels like launching two projects in one.”

Fellow co-producer/director Camille Hardman shared that Clarkson and Parton’s duet is slightly different from the original recording, in keeping with the documentary’s themes about how women are still fighting for equality in the workplace over 40 years later.

“The first iteration, Dolly’s original version was very upbeat,” Hardman said. “There was a lot of hope I would say in the song. And this version is just a little bit melancholic.”