The Dolly Parton song she called “real special”
In 1974, country singer Dolly Parton penned the powerful song ‘I Will Always Love You’ about her close friend Porter Wagoner, with whom she was severing her professional relationship. The track is a tender ode to the good times she had working with Wagoner, using lines such as “And I hope life, will treat you kind” to wish him well.
However, many people are unaware that the song belongs to Parton, as it was popularised by Whitney Houston, whose rendition of the song soundtracked the film The Bodyguard. Upon the release of the movie, Houston’s version of the track hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks. It remains one of the best-selling singles of all time and the highest-selling female-sung track ever recorded.
It is easily one of the most recognisable songs in popular culture, thanks to Houston’s incredibly soulful take on the track, which has transcended its place in the film, which was considerably less well-received by critics. The song was suggested by Houston’s co-star Kevin Costner, who was a fan of the original version, as well as Linda Ronstadt’s cover.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show, Parton discussed Houston’s cover of the song. “When they were doing The Bodyguard movie, they had chosen another song for the theme song [at first]. Kevin Costner and his secretary said, ‘Do you remember Dolly Parton’s song, ‘I Will Always Love You?’ It’s a country song, but it’s a beautiful song.’ So they called me to see if they could use it, and I said yes.”
She added: “I didn’t know anything else about it. I didn’t know if they had it, if they had done it. And I was driving my car, and I was driving along, and I had the radio on, and I just heard [the song], and that was the first time. They didn’t send it to me or nothing. I had to pull over to the side, because I honestly thought I’d get in a wreck. It was the most overwhelming feeling.”
When Houston won a Grammy for her performance of the song, Parton presented her with the award, only ever speaking highly of the singer’s interpretation of her modest country hit. To Parton, ‘I Will Always Love You’ is a “real special” song. On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Parton revealed that it’s one of her favourite songs she’s ever penned.
“As far as a singer-songwriter, all singers love to have a song that you can sing tender and then you can go big if you want to,” she said. “You can sing loud or show how much volume you have and how much range and all. So I would think that the ‘I Will Always Love You’ song is really good for that because I can sing it little or I can sing it big.”
Revisit Parton’s original version below.
