| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the original 1974 U.S. single | ||||
| Single byDolly Parton | ||||
| from the albumJolene | ||||
| B-side | "Lonely Comin' Down" | |||
| Released | March 11, 1974 (1974-03-11) | |||
| Recorded | June 12, 1973 (1973-06-12) | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio B,Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producer | Bob Ferguson | |||
| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" onYouTube | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriterDolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentorPorter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career,[1] thecountry single was released in 1974. The song was a commercial success for Parton, twice reaching the top spot of the USBillboardHot Country Songs chart: first in June 1974, then again in October 1982, with a re-recording forThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack.
Whitney Houstonrecorded apop-ballad arrangement of the song for the 1992 filmThe Bodyguard. Houston's version peaked at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks.[2] The single was certified diamond by theRIAA, 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 an enormous success worldwide, going number one in 34 official singles charts. With over 25 million copies sold worldwide, it became thebest-selling single of all time by a female solo artist.[8][9] It was also the world's best-selling single of 1992.[10] Houston won theGrammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award forBest Pop Vocal Performance, Female[11] in 1994 for "I Will Always Love You".[12] Houston also won aGrammy Award for Album of the Year forThe Bodyguard - Original Soundtrack Album.[11]
The song has been recorded by many other artists includingLinda Ronstadt,[13]John Doe,[14]Amber Riley,Kenny Rogers,[15]LeAnn Rimes,[16]Christina Grimmie,[17] andSarah Washington, whosedance version reached number 12 on theUK Singles Chart. "I Will Always Love You" has been recognized byBMI for over ten million broadcast performances.[18]
Country music singer-songwriterDolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 for her one-time partner and mentorPorter Wagoner, from whom she was separating professionally after a seven-year partnership.[citation needed] She recorded it inRCA Studio B in Nashville on June 12, 1973.[19]
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".[20] Thecountrylove track is set in atime signature ofcommon time with atempo of 66beats per minute. (Larghetto/Adagio)[21] 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 fromAmerican Idol is that most people don't know that Dolly Parton wrote [the track]".[22] During an interview onThe 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."[23][24] Parton clarified later, "I don’t really know if they were written in the same night."[25]
Several times (long before Whitney Houston recorded the song), Dolly Parton suggested to singerPatti 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.[26]
"I Will Always Love You" was issued on March 18, 1974, as the second single from Parton's thirteenth solo studio album,Jolene (1974). During its original release in 1974, "I Will Always Love You" reached number four in Canada on the CanadianRPM Country Tracks chart and peaked at number one on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart, becoming one of the best selling singles of 1974.[27]
When the 1974 recording of the song reached number one on the country charts,Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to record the song. Parton was interested until Presley's manager,Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of thepublishing rights to any song Elvis recorded.[28] Parton refused. She recalls:
I said, 'I'm really sorry,' and I cried all night. I mean, it was like the worst thing. You know, it's like, Oh, my God… Elvis Presley.' And other people were saying, 'You're nuts. It's Elvis Presley.' …I said, 'I can't do that. Something in my heart says, 'Don't do that. And I just didn't do it… He would have killed it. But anyway, so he didn't. Then when Whitney [Houston's version] came out, I made enough money to buyGraceland.[29]
The song won Parton Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1975CMA Awards.
In Curtis W. Ellison's book,Country Music Culture: From Hard Times to Heaven (1995), he stated: "In the early 1990s, when ambiguity in romantic relationships accompanies changing expectations for both men and women, this song demonstrates Dolly Parton's appeal as a songwriter in the pop music market."[20] Writer Paul Simpson criticized the singer, stating that the track was only written to "soften the blow" of Parton and Wagoner's split.[30]
Weekly
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[31] | 4 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[32] | 1 |
Year-End
| Chart (1974) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[33] | 22 |
| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byDolly Parton | ||||
| from the albumThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | ||||
| A-side | "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" | |||
| Released | July 12, 1982 (1982-07-12) | |||
| Recorded | c. February 1982 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio A (Nashville) | |||
| Genre | Country pop | |||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producers |
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| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
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| Film clip | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" (1982) onYouTube | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" (1982, fromGreatest Hits) onYouTube | ||||
Parton re-recorded the song forThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, released July 12, 1982, as the first single fromthe soundtrack album. The single eventually hit number one on theBillboardHot Country Singles chart, earning Parton a rare distinction: reaching the number one position twice with the same song.
Billboard gave a positive review which said, "The first single fromThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas isn't the sort of brassy main theme normally used to launch a major movie musical: here Parton reinterprets one of her earliest exercises in pure pop writing, and while older fans may be divided over the breathier, more stylized reading she offers here, the song itself is still a lovely ballad with a soaring chorus."[34]Cashbox also reviewed the single favorably, saying that "hoisted over a building arrangement, Parton's vocals have never been more convincing or moving. The single choice from her Hollywood flick,The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the tune is sentiment wrapped in an appropriate package replete with strings, oboe and harp in addition to a delicate rhythm section."[35]
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[36] | 72 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[37] | 4 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[31] | 8 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[38] | 1 |
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[31] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[39] | 2 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[40] | 45 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[41] | 53 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[42] | 17 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[43] | 1 |
| USCash Box Top 100[44] | 41 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[45] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[46] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[47] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
| Streaming | ||
| Sweden (GLF)[48] | Gold | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byDolly Parton andVince Gill | ||||
| from the albumSomething Special | ||||
| B-side | "Speakin' of the Devil" | |||
| Released | November 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producers |
| |||
| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Vince Gill singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" (1995) onYouTube | ||||
Parton recorded "I Will Always Love You" in 1995 as a duet withVince Gill for her album,Something Special. Following an August 26 performance of the duet at theGrand Ole Opry which aired onTNN, radio stations began giving the duet unsolicited airplay, causing it to debut on theBillboardHot Country Singles & Tracks chart at number 53. After a performance at the 29th AnnualCMA Awards, the song was officially released as a single in November 1995, peaking at number 15. This marked the third time Parton had a top 20 hit with the song. The song was nominated at the38th Annual Grammy Awards forBest Country Collaboration with Vocals and was named Vocal Event of the Year at the 30th Annual CMA Awards.
Adapted from the album liner notes.
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[31] | 22 |
| USHot Country Singles & Tracks (Billboard)[32] | 15 |
| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byWhitney Houston | ||||
| from the albumThe Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | November 2, 1992 (1992-11-02) | |||
| Recorded | April 22, 1992 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:31 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producer | David Foster | |||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" onYouTube | ||||
In 1992, American singer and actressWhitney Houston recorded a new arrangement of "I Will Always Love You" forthe soundtrack toThe Bodyguard, her film debut. Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" received widespread acclaim from music critics, being now regarded as one of her "signature'' songs. The single spent 14 weeks at the top of the USBillboard Hot 100, which at the time was a record.[51][52] Houston's "I Will Always Love You" was also a massive international hit, topping the singles charts in almost every country, including theEurochart Hot 100 Singles, where it spent 13 weeks at the top. The single ruled the summit position for ten weeks in Australia,[53] five weeks in Austria,[54] seven weeks for Belgium,[55] eight weeks in France,[56] six weeks in Germany,[57] eight weeks in Ireland,[58] six weeks in the Netherlands,[59] fourteen weeks in New Zealand,[60] nine weeks in Norway,[61] one week in Spain and Uruguay, six weeks in Sweden,[62] eight weeks in Switzerland,[63] and ten weeks in the UK.[64]
"I Will Always Love You" won the 1994Grammy Awards forRecord of the Year andBest Female Pop Vocal Performance, Houston's third win in the latter category after earlier wins in 1986 and 1988. In addition, it received Favorite Pop/Rock Single and Favorite Soul/R&B Single awards atthe 21st American Music Awards, which was the first record by a solo female artist to win both categories. "I Will Always Love You" won two Japan Gold Disc Awards in 1993 for International Song of the Year, and a 1994 International Song of the Year Special Award for Japanese sales of over one million units.[65] In 2020, "I Will Always Love You" was selected by theLibrary of Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[66] In 2021, "I Will Always Love You" was listed at number 94 on the updated list ofRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[67] In 2023, "I Will Always Love You" was listed at number 60 onBillboard's list of the 500 Best Pop Songs of All Time, Houston's second highest-ranked song on the list. Parton herself publicly stated she liked Houston's cover of her song better than her own.[68]
| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single bySarah Washington | ||||
| B-side | "Body Heat" | |||
| Released | August 2, 1993 (1993-08-02)[69] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:27 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producers |
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| Sarah Washington singles chronology | ||||
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British singerSarah Washington released a dance-cover of "I Will Always Love You" in August 1993. It became her highest-charting hit, reaching number three in Spain, number 12 in the UK, number 15 in Ireland, and number 32 in Sweden. On theEurochart Hot 100, it peaked at number 44 in September 1993. It was released onAlmighty Records, which described Washington as "an eager young hopeful" and cited her "sensational studio performance" as being key to the ultimate success of the track, also giving credit to London radio station95.8 Capital FM and its heavy rotation of the song.[70] A black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single. In 2006, Almighty Records released an 11-mixes package of "I Will Always Love You".
Larry Flick fromBillboard commented, "There are no less than nine dance music covers of theWhitney Houston megahit "I Will Always Love You". So far, only Sarah Washington'shi-NRG rendering on Almighty Records is worth a spin."[71] In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote, "If anything this new version adds a little more to the song, and at least proves it had genuine soul to start with. Top 10 for sure."[72] Chris Roberts fromMelody Maker added, "And now you can shake a tailfeather to it as well."[73] Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave it four out of five, complimenting "a sinewygarage groove with a powerful vocal from theDonna Summer school ofdisco divas."[74] Stephen Dalton fromNME felt the record "hop, skip and pump along with a breezy, good-natured charm."[75]James Hamilton from theRecord Mirror Dance Update described it as a "I Will Survive-ish" remake.[76]
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[77] | 44 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[78] | 15 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[79] | 3 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[80] | 32 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[81] | 12 |
| UK Airplay (Music Week)[82] | 22 |
| UK Dance (Music Week)[83] | 11 |
| UK Club Chart (Music Week)[84] | 19 |
| "I Will Always Love You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKristin Chenoweth andDolly Parton | ||||
| from the album For the Girls | ||||
| Released | August 9, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Concord | |||
| Songwriter | Dolly Parton | |||
| Producers |
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| Kristin Chenoweth singles chronology | ||||
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| Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "I Will Always Love You" onYouTube | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" was covered by American actress and singerKristin Chenoweth as a duet with Dolly Parton. It was released on August 9, 2019,[85] as the first single[86][87] from Chenoweth's album,For the Girls.
Chenoweth reflected on recording "I Will Always Love You" with ET Online, saying "it is a song I've loved since I was a child." She went on to say, "I used to think, 'One day I'm gonna sing that song.' Little did I know that I'd get to sing it with the queen herself."[88]
The song found further chart success as part of the "Forever Country" medley, created in 2016 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of theCountry 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 theBillboard USHot Country Songs chart and number 21 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart on October 8, 2016.[89]
In 2002, English pop singerRik Waller took his own version of "I Will Always Love You" into the top ten of theUK Singles Chart, peaking at number 6.[90] It was his debut single and the first released from his debut studio albumFrom Now..., after his taking part in thePop Idol series.
In 2024, Swedish singer and lead vocalist of the band Skid Row, Erik Gronwall, released a version of the song on his YouTube account. His version is more of reminiscent of Whitney Houston's version. Produced by Greenwall Entertainment AB.
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