Dolly Parton may have written “I Will Always Love You,” but she never shied away from giving Whitney Houston credit for taking the song to another level.
Parton originally wrote the ballad in 1973 as a farewell to her longtime mentor and collaborator Porter Wagoner. According to Page Six, Parton wanted to leave “The Porter Wagoner Show” to pursue the next chapter of her career, but Wagoner struggled with her decision.
Parton turned to songwriting to express what she had been trying to tell him. She performed “I Will Always Love You” privately for Wagoner, and he agreed to let her leave if he could produce the song.
The track became a hit for Parton, but nearly two decades later, Houston’s rendition would introduce it to an entirely new audience.
Dolly Parton ‘Just About Wrecked the Car’ Hearing Whitney Houston’s Version
Houston recorded “I Will Always Love You” for the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” which she starred in alongside Kevin Costner.
According to Biography, another song had initially been planned before Costner pushed for “I Will Always Love You.” Parton sent the song for consideration but did not hear Houston’s completed version before it was released.
Instead, Parton heard it unexpectedly while driving.
At first, she did not recognize the song because Houston’s arrangement sounded so different. Then Houston reached the familiar chorus.
“I just about wrecked the car,” Parton recalled.
Costner also supported the decision to open Houston’s rendition a cappella, while producer David Foster worked with Houston on the arrangement.
The result became one of Houston’s signature recordings. Her version spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped “The Bodyguard” soundtrack sell more than 45 million copies worldwide, according to the Recording Academy.
Parton later credited Houston with bringing the song to a massive new audience, saying the singer “took it worldwide.”
Houston’s success also changed how Parton viewed her own songwriting. Per People, Parton said seeing the song become a worldwide phenomenon helped her recognize the value of her work.
“That’s when I felt my worth as a songwriter,” she said.
Parton had also famously refused to give up half of the song’s publishing rights when Elvis Presley wanted to record it. Per Page Six, she later joked that Houston’s version made her enough money to “buy Graceland.”
Whitney Houston Thanked Dolly Parton During Their Full-Circle Grammy Moment
Parton and Foster presented Houston with the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for “I Will Always Love You” at the 1994 Grammy Awards.
“Dolly, of course, coming from you, this is truly an honor,” Houston told Parton during her acceptance speech, per the Recording Academy. “You wrote a beautiful song.”
“I Will Always Love You” also won Record of the Year, while “The Bodyguard” won Album of the Year.
Their connection to the song took on a more emotional meaning years later.
After Houston died in 2012 at age 48, “I Will Always Love You” was played at her funeral. Biography reported that Parton said hearing her song during Houston’s final farewell “shattered” her.
Parton later recalled the funeral in a 2014 interview, according to People. She said hearing the song as Houston’s coffin was lifted was the moment the loss truly sank in.
Parton even predicted that “I Will Always Love You” would one day become part of her own farewell.
“I’m sure they’ll be playing ‘I Will Always Love You’ when I die, just like they did with Whitney Houston,” Parton said.
