On this day (March 11) in 1974, Dolly Parton released what would be one of her most enduring songs, “I Will Always Love You.” It was a hit for Parton. Then, nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston would turn it into an international sensation. It all started with Parton wanting to strike out on her own after years of working with Porter Wagoner.
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Parton released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly in September 1967 and it peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Later that month, she performed on The Porter Wagoner Show for the first time. This led to a seven-year partnership during which the pair released albums together and Wagoner mentored the young singer/songwriter.
Parton publicly announced her professional separation from Wagoner in February 1974. “I Will Always Love You” was her way of saying goodbye to her longtime partner.
Dolly Parton Reflects on “I Will Always Love You”
Dolly Parton reflected on “I Will Always Love You” in an interview for CMT’s 40 Greatest Love Songs in 2011. Parton called it “The biggest song so far in my career,” during the interview. “I’m famous for several, but that one has been recorded by more people and made me more money, I think, than all of them. But that song did come from a true and deep place in my heart,” she added.
“I was trying to get away on my own because I had promised to stay with Porter’s show for five years. I had been there for seven,” she recalled. “And we fought a lot. We were both very much alike. We were both stubborn and we both believed that we knew what was best for us. Well, he believed he knew what was best for me, too, and I believed that I knew more what was best for me at that time,” she explained.
“So, needless to say, there was a lot of grief and heartache there, and he just wasn’t listening to my reasoning for my going,” Parton said. “I thought, ‘He’s never going to listen. He’s just going to b*tch every day that I go in to talk to about this.’ So, I thought, ‘Wait. Why don’t you do what you do best? Why don’t you write this song?’”
At the time, Parton knew that she was leaving The Porter Wagoner Show no matter what Wagoner had to say about it. She hoped that “I Will Always Love You” would help soften the blow. “It’s saying, ‘Just because I’m going don’t mean I won’t love you. I appreciate you and I hope you do great and I appreciate everything you’ve done, but I’m out of here,’” she said about the meaning of the song.
“I Will Always Love You” Was a Massive Hit
Dolly Parton’s plan worked. “I Will Always Love You” helped Porter Wagoner see reason. As she mentioned in the CMT interview, it also made her a pile of money.
The song went to No. 1 for Parton twice. She originally released it in March 1974 as a single from Jolene and it topped the chart. Nearly a decade later she re-recorded the song for the soundtrack from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and released it as a single, sending it to the top of the charts a second time.
Then, Whitney Houston recorded a pop arrangement of the song for the soundtrack from The Bodyguard in 1992. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, received a Diamond certification from the RIAA, and became the best-selling single of all time from a solo female artist. It also topped the charts in more than 30 other countries and brought Houston three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year.
