I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career,[1] the country single was released in 1974. The song was a commercial success for Parton, twice reaching the top spot of the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982, with a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
This article is about the Dolly Parton song also recorded by Whitney Houston. For other uses, see I Will Always Love You (disambiguation)."I Will Always Love You"
"Lonely Comin' Down"
March 11, 1974
June 12, 1973
2:54
Dolly Parton
Whitney Houston recorded a Pop-ballad arrangement of the song for the 1992 film The Bodyguard. Houston's version peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks.[2] The single was certified diamond by the RIAA, making Houston's first diamond single, the third female artist who had both a diamond single and a diamond album,[3] and becoming the best-selling single by a woman in the U.S.[4][5][6][7] The song was a global success, topping the charts in almost all countries. With over 24 million copies sold worldwide, it became the best-selling single of all time by a female solo artist.[8] It was also the world's best-selling single of 1992.[9] Houston won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female[10] in 1994 for "I Will Always Love You".[11] Houston also won a Grammy Award for Album Of The Year for The Bodyguard - Original Soundtrack Album.[10]
The song has been recorded by many other artists including Linda Ronstadt,[12] John Doe,[13] Amber Riley, LeAnn Rimes,[14] and Sarah Washington, whose dance version reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. "I Will Always Love You" has been recognized by BMI for over ten million broadcast performances.[15]
Background and composition[edit]
Country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, from whom she was separating professionally after a seven-year partnership. She recorded it in RCA Studio B in Nashville on June 12, 1973.[16]
Author Curtis W. Ellison stated that the song "speaks about the breakup of a relationship between a man and a woman that does not descend into unremitting domestic turmoil, but instead envisions parting with respect – because of the initiative of the woman".[17] The country love track is set in a time signature of common time with a tempo of 66 beats per minute. (Larghetto/Adagio)[18] Although Parton found much success with the song, many people are unaware of its origin; during an interview, Parton's manager Danny Nozel said that "one thing we found out from American Idol is that most people don't know that Dolly Parton wrote [the track]".[19] During an interview on The Bobby Bones Show, Dolly Parton revealed that she wrote her signature song "Jolene" on the same day that she wrote "I Will Always Love You."[20][21]
Several times (long before Whitney Houston recorded the song), Dolly Parton suggested to singer Patti LaBelle that she record "I Will Always Love You" because she felt LaBelle could have sung it so well. However, LaBelle admitted she kept putting off the opportunity to do so and later deeply regretted it after she heard Whitney Houston's rendition.[22]
"I Will Always Love You"
July 12, 1982
c. February 1982
RCA Studio A (Nashville)
Country
3:02
Dolly Parton
- Dolly Parton
- Gregg Perry
"Speakin' of the Devil"
November 1995
1995
3:17
Dolly Parton
- Steve Buckingham
- Dolly Parton
Rik Waller version[edit]
In 2002, English pop singer Rik Waller took his own version of "I Will Always Love You" into the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 6.[269] It was his debut single and the first released from his debut studio album From Now..., after his taking part in the Pop Idol series.
"I Will Always Love You"
"Forever Country"[edit]
The song found further chart success as part of the "Forever Country" medley, created in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Country Music Association Awards. The medley also features "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "On the Road Again". Parton performs on the medley, along with 29 other country music artists. The medley debuted at number one on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs chart and number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 8, 2016.[274]
Dolly Said No To Elvis[edit]
In February 2018, Fairground Attraction member Mark Nevin released Dolly Said No To Elvis,[275] a single that recounts Parton's refusal to let Presley cover I Will Always Love You, yet allowing Houston to sing it for The Bodyguard. A few days prior, the official stop motion animated music video for Dolly Said No To Elvis was uploaded on Nevin's YouTube channel[276] and the director Heather Colbert's Vimeo channel.[277]