Dolly Parton’s ‘Love Note’ Brought Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Together for a Beatles Classic — And She Could Hardly Believe They Said Yes
When Dolly Parton decided to record a rock album, she didn’t simply choose famous songs and reinterpret them on her own.
For one of the most meaningful tracks on 2023’s Rockstar, she went straight to the source.
Parton wanted to record the Beatles classic “Let It Be,” and rather than assuming anything, she sent what she described as a “love note” through the managers of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, asking whether they might be willing to join her.
Both said yes.
The result became one of the most remarkable collaborations on Rockstar: Parton singing alongside McCartney, with Starr on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood adding percussion.
For a lifelong Beatles fan, the moment was almost difficult for Parton to process.
Dolly simply asked — and the legends answered
Parton later explained that she approached the musicians carefully because she did not want them to feel pressured.
She contacted them through their representatives, explained the album she was making and made it clear that they were free to decline.
“I didn’t want to put you on the spot,” she recalled telling them, while inviting them to participate if they were interested.
To her surprise and delight, the artists she approached agreed.
Parton said she felt “very honored,” “very proud” and “very humbled” that musicians with such demanding schedules were willing to make time for her project.
Paul McCartney was the first Beatle she called
“Let It Be” had long been one of Parton’s favorite Beatles songs.
After initially recording her version, she began wondering whether McCartney — who wrote the song — might actually consider singing and playing on it.
Parton had met him several times over the years and remembered him as consistently gracious.
So she reached out.
McCartney agreed not only to sing with her, but also to play piano on the recording.
Parton recalled being struck by the generosity of his response, particularly because she knew how busy he was.
She also appreciated the mutual respect behind the collaboration.
“He was so gracious,” she said, adding that she was honored he wanted to be involved.
Then Dolly realized she needed Ringo Starr too
Once McCartney was part of the recording, another thought immediately followed.
Parton wanted Ringo Starr.
With McCartney already involved, she felt the song would be even more special if the two surviving Beatles could both appear.
“So I asked Ringo if he would do it,” she recalled.
His response was just as straightforward.
“I’d be glad to do it,” Starr told her.
That left Parton with a recording featuring McCartney on vocals and piano and Starr behind the drums — an extraordinary lineup before the rest of the musicians were even considered.
Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood made the lineup even bigger
Parton’s version of “Let It Be” did not stop with the two Beatles.
Peter Frampton contributed guitar, while Fleetwood Mac co-founder Mick Fleetwood played percussion.
Even Parton seemed amused by how extraordinary the final combination had become.
“Does it get any better than singing ‘Let It Be’ with Paul McCartney, who wrote the song?” she said.
Then she answered her own thought by pointing to everyone else who joined.
McCartney was playing piano. Starr was on drums. Frampton was handling guitar. Fleetwood was adding percussion.
“How much better does it get?” Parton said.
McCartney publicly praised Dolly’s version
After the recording was released, McCartney responded publicly and made clear that the admiration went both ways.
He thanked Parton for recording his song and told her he loved her interpretation.
“I love your version and am very pleased to be by your side on this one,” McCartney wrote on social media, before adding: “Rock on.”
For Parton, that response carried particular significance because her relationship with Beatles music reached all the way back to the beginning of Beatlemania.
Dolly never forgot hearing ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’
Parton had been a Beatles fan since 1964, when she first heard “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
Years later, she still remembered the emotional effect the song had on her.
She described being completely “jarred” by it and feeling a rush of different emotions.
Parton recalled riding around with an older girlfriend who had an old car, listening whenever the Beatles came on the radio.
At the time, she remembered, their music seemed to be playing constantly.
“I couldn’t get enough of it,” she said.
That fascination remained with her throughout her career.
‘Let It Be’ wasn’t Dolly’s first Beatles cover
Parton had already explored Beatles songs decades before Rockstar.
While working on her 1979 album Great Balls of Fire, she recorded a bluegrass interpretation of “Help!”
The arrangement placed one of the Beatles’ best-known songs inside a musical world much closer to Parton’s own Appalachian and country roots.
Years later, she turned to another song associated with the Beatles’ legacy.
On her 2005 album Those Were the Days, Parton recorded John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
The accompanying music video even incorporated private home footage featuring Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Those earlier recordings showed that Parton’s connection to the Beatles was never simply about choosing recognizable material.
Their songs had been part of her musical life for decades.
‘Let It Be’ became a full-circle moment
By the time Rockstar arrived in 2023, Parton had already spent years performing and recording Beatles material.
But “Let It Be” was different.
This time, she wasn’t simply interpreting a song written by one of her musical heroes.
Paul McCartney was sitting at the piano and singing alongside her.
Ringo Starr was playing drums.
Two musicians whose records had fascinated Parton since she first heard the Beatles on the radio in 1964 were now helping bring her own version of one of their most famous songs to life.
And it happened because Dolly Parton did something remarkably simple.
She sent a love note and asked.