Dolly Parton was an absolute hitmaking machine back in the ’70s ad ’80s, and continues to be a mainstay in country music to this day, as she’s arguably the most beloved singers in the genre.
Strike that… the most beloved people in the world.
With that being said, she was topping the country singles chart on this date back in 1974, with her mega-hit “I Will Always Love You.”
The song was written by Parton on her iconic Jolene album, and was a farewell song to her good friend, business partner, and mentor, Porter Wagoner, as she had officially made the decision to pursue a solo career after leaving the Porter Wagoner Show.
Wagoner was not happy at all about Dolly’s decision to leave the show, as he sued her for leaving. In an effort to make amends and heal the wounds, she wrote “I Will Always Love You” (she wrote “Jolene” on the same day).
Although they didn’t speak for years, Wagoner was finally willing to renew their old friendship once again.
The song was used in the 1982 movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which starred Dolly and Burt Reynolds.
Although the song saw a lot of success in country music, it was Whitney Houston who made it a beloved worldwide hit, as she covered the song for her 1992 movie, The Bodyguard. The song spent a record-shattering 14 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
I think you can say you’ve officially made it as a songwriter, when you have artists across just about every genre wanting to cover your song. Not to mention, Houston was on top of the world in pop at the time.
Check out Dolly’s version:
And Whitney’s version:
