Kelly Clarkson and Dolly Parton shook the sound stage on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The powerhouse singers combined their vocal skills for a legendary “9 to 5” duet during rehearsals for the November 30 episode. Between takes for Kellyoke, the duo would go over the specifics of their performance and discuss who would handle certain harmonies. At one point, Parton unexpectedly belted out lyrics that filled Clarkson with so much excitement that she ran off the stage, waving her hands in the air. “Get your ass over here,” Parton said into the mic.
“We had to pull out all the stops.”
Clarkson previously shared with Parton the official audio for their 9 to 5 duet, which is featured in the documentary Still Working 9 to 5, which premiered in March. The film reunited Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman from the original 1980 film, as well as Rita Moreno from the film’s television adaptation and Allison Janney from the Broadway musical.
Parton and Clarkson’s Kellyoke duet, which officially airs December 1, is a combination of their cover for the documentary and Parton’s original cut of the song. “We had to pull out all the stops,” said Jason Halbert, music producer and keyboardist in the talk show’s house band, Y’all. He added: “We put in a horn section. We recreated the typewriter sound of the original version. This song is just so much fun to play and such a cool part of the story. [We] couldn’t be more excited.”
At the end of rehearsals, Clarkson and the soon-to-be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee happily hugged and congratulated each other on their good work. Check out the incredible 9 to 5 sample by the music icons above.