In 2012, Dolly Parton co-starred with Kris Kristofferson, Queen Latifah, and Keke Palmer in the musical drama Joyful Noise. Parton also wrote the music for the film, and on the soundtrack, she recorded a duet with Kristofferson. “From Here to the Moon and Back,” A year later, Parton rerecorded it with Willie Nelson a year later for his 2013 album To All the Girls…, a nod to his 1982 No. 1 hit with Julio Iglesias “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.”

“I love Willie,” said Parton of their collaboration. “I love that old funky sound he gets on that guitar. But he’s very hard to sing with because of his phrasing. It was like an exercise of some sort, like trying to catch him with all his little phrases and all. But it was a joy, and I’m glad we did it.”

Nelson’s album, which also features duets with Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Alison Krauss, Carrie Underwood, and Miranda Lambert, marked the third duet for him and Parton.

In 2020, they reunited with Parton, pulling a Nelson classic with his 1963 hit “Pretty Paper” for her album A Holly Dolly Christmas. Written by Nelson in 1963, “Pretty Paper” became a hit for Roy Orbison in 1964 and tells the story of a disabled man that Nelson would often see selling ribbons and paper on the sidewalk in Fort Worth, Texas, who would shout “pretty paper” to grab the attention of passersby.