"I Will Always Love You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
from the album Jolene | ||||
B-side | "Lonely Comin' Down" | |||
Released | March 11, 1974 | |||
Recorded | June 12, 1973 | |||
Studio | RCA Studio B, Nashville | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:54 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) | Bob Ferguson | |||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio video | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" on YouTube |
"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.
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 an enormous success worldwide, going number one in 34 official singles charts. With over 24 million copies sold worldwide, it became the best-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 the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female [11] in 1994 for "I Will Always Love You". [12] Houston also won a Grammy Award for Album Of The Year for The Bodyguard - Original Soundtrack Album. [11]
The song has been recorded by many other artists including Linda Ronstadt, [13] John Doe, [14] Amber Riley, Kenny Rogers, [15] LeAnn Rimes, [16] 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. [17]
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.[ citation needed ] She recorded it in RCA Studio B in Nashville on June 12, 1973. [18]
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". [19] The country love track is set in a time signature of common time with a tempo of 66 beats per minute. (Larghetto/Adagio) [20] 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]". [21] 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." [22] [23] Parton clarified later, "I don’t really know if they were written in the same night." [24]
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. [25]
"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 Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming one of the best selling singles of 1974. [26]
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 the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded. [27] 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 buy Graceland. [28]
The song won Parton Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1975 CMA 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." [19] Writer Paul Simpson criticized the singer, stating that the track was only written to "soften the blow" of Parton and Wagoner's split. [29]
Weekly
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks (RPM) [30] | 4 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [31] | 1 |
Year-End
Chart (1974) | Peak Position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [32] | 22 |
"I Will Always Love You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dolly Parton | ||||
from the album The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | ||||
A-side | "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" | |||
Released | July 12, 1982 | |||
Recorded | c. February 1982 | |||
Studio | RCA Studio A (Nashville) | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:02 | |||
Label | RCA Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Film clip | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" (1982) on YouTube | ||||
Audio | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" (1982,from Greatest Hits) on YouTube |
Parton re-recorded the song for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ,released July 12,1982,as the first single from the soundtrack album. The single eventually hit number one on the Billboard Hot 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 from The 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." [33] 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." [34]
Chart (1982) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [35] | 72 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [36] | 4 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [30] | 8 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) [37] | 1 |
Canada Country Tracks (RPM) [30] | 1 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [38] | 2 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [39] | 45 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [40] | 53 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [41] | 17 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [42] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [43] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [45] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
Streaming | ||
Sweden (GLF) [46] | Gold | 4,000,000† |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"I Will Always Love You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dolly Parton and Vince Gill | ||||
from the album Something Special | ||||
B-side | "Speakin' of the Devil" | |||
Released | November 1995 | |||
Recorded | 1995 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:17 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Vince Gill singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" (1995) on YouTube |
Parton recorded "I Will Always Love You" in 1995 as a duet with Vince Gill for her album, Something Special . Following an August 26 performance of the duet at the Grand Ole Opry which aired on TNN,radio stations began giving the duet unsolicited airplay,causing it to debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles &Tracks chart at number 53. After a performance at the 29th Annual CMA 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 the 38th Annual Grammy Awards for Best 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) [30] | 22 |
US Hot Country Singles &Tracks (Billboard) [31] | 15 |
"I Will Always Love You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Whitney Houston | ||||
from the album The Bodyguard:Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | November 2, 1992 | |||
Recorded | April 22,1992 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:31 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) | David Foster | |||
Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" on YouTube |
In 1992,American singer and actress Whitney Houston recorded a new arrangement of "I Will Always Love You" for the soundtrack to The 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 US Billboard Hot 100,which at the time was a record. [50] [51] Houston's "I Will Always Love You" was also a massive international hit,topping the singles charts in almost every country,including the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles,where it spent 13 weeks at the top. The single ruled the summit position for ten weeks in Australia, [52] five weeks in Austria, [53] seven weeks for Belgium, [54] eight weeks in France, [55] six weeks in Germany, [56] eight weeks in Ireland, [57] six weeks in the Netherlands, [58] fourteen weeks in New Zealand, [59] nine weeks in Norway, [60] one week in Spain and Uruguay,six weeks in Sweden, [61] eight weeks in Switzerland, [62] and ten weeks in the UK. [63]
"I Will Always Love You" won the 1994 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best 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 at the 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. [64] In 2020,"I Will Always Love You" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally,historically,or aesthetically significant". [65] In 2021,"I Will Always Love You" was listed at number 94 on the updated list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [66] In 2023,"I Will Always Love You" was listed at number 60 on Billboard's list of the 500 Best Pop Songs of All Time,Houston's second highest-ranked song on the list. [67]
"I Will Always Love You" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Sarah Washington | ||||
B-side | "Body Heat" | |||
Released | August 2, 1993 [68] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:27 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Sarah Washington singles chronology | ||||
|
British singer Sarah 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 the Eurochart Hot 100,it peaked at number 44 in September 1993. It was released on Almighty 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 station 95.8 Capital FM and its heavy rotation of the song. [69] 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 from Billboard commented,"There are no less than nine dance music covers of the Whitney Houston megahit "I Will Always Love You". So far,only Sarah Washington's hi-NRG rendering on Almighty Records is worth a spin." [70] 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." [71] Chris Roberts from Melody Maker added,"And now you can shake a tailfeather to it as well." [72] Alan Jones from Music Week gave it four out of five,complimenting "a sinewy garage groove with a powerful vocal from the Donna Summer school of disco divas." [73] Stephen Dalton from NME felt the record "hop,skip and pump along with a breezy,good-natured charm." [74] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "I Will Survive-ish" remake. [75]
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [76] | 44 |
Ireland (IRMA) [77] | 15 |
Spain (AFYVE) [78] | 3 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [79] | 32 |
UK Singles (OCC) [80] | 12 |
UK Airplay ( Music Week ) [81] | 22 |
UK Dance ( Music Week ) [82] | 11 |
UK Club Chart ( Music Week ) [83] | 19 |
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. [84] 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" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kristin Chenoweth and Dolly Parton | ||||
from the album For the Girls | ||||
Released | August 9,2019 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:22 | |||
Label | Concord | |||
Songwriter(s) | Dolly Parton | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Kristin Chenoweth singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dolly Parton singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio video | ||||
"I Will Always Love You" on YouTube |
"I Will Always Love You" was covered by American actress and singer Kristin 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 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. [89]
In February 2018,Fairground Attraction member Mark Nevin released Dolly Said No To Elvis, [90] 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 [91] and the director Heather Colbert's Vimeo channel. [92]
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer,songwriter,actress,and philanthropist,known primarily for her decades-long career in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others,Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello,I'm Dolly,which led to success during the remainder of the 1960s,before her sales and chart peak arrived during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Some of Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well,but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000,including her own label,Dolly Records.
The Bodyguard:Original Soundtrack Album is a soundtrack album from the film of the same name,released on November 17,1992,by Arista Records. The album's first side features songs recorded by American singer Whitney Houston,who starred in the film,while side two features the work of various artists. Houston and Clive Davis were co-executive producers of the record.
"Islands in the Stream" is a song written by the Bee Gees and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers's fifteenth studio album Eyes That See in the Dark. The Bee Gees released a live version in 1998 and a studio version in 2001.
Trio is a collaborative album by American singers Dolly Parton,Linda Ronstadt,and Emmylou Harris. It was released on March 2,1987,by Warner Bros. Records. The album has platinum certification in the U.S. for sales of one million copies,and has total worldwide sales of approximately four million. A second collaborative album,Trio II,was released in 1999.
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album,Whitney (1987). It was released as the lead single from the album on April 28,1987,by Arista Records. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden,and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam,of the band Boy Meets Girl,who had previously collaborated with Houston on "How Will I Know". At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards,"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance,marking Houston's second win in the category.
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Whitney Houston,released on February 20,1993 as the third single from The Bodyguard:Original Soundtrack Album (1992) by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson,and produced by Foster.
"Run to You" is a song performed by American singer and actress Whitney Houston,released on June 21,1993,by Arista Records as the fourth single from The Bodyguard:Original Soundtrack Album (1992). It was written by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich,and produced by David Foster. Originally intended to be a break-up song,it was approved by the production and stars. However,a month later,the director of The Bodyguard called,saying he liked the song so much,but he'd rather have it to be a love song so the entire song was rewritten,except for the title.
Heartbreaker is the twentieth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on July 17,1978,by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Gary Klein and Parton with Charles Koppelman serving as executive producer,and was an even more direct aim at the pop charts,with several of its songs verging on disco. The album topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for nine consecutive weeks and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart,"Heartbreaker" and "I Really Got the Feeling",while "Baby I'm Burnin'" peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has been certified Gold in the United States and Canada.
Hello,I'm Dolly is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 18,1967,by Monument Records. The album was produced by Fred Foster. It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album spawned two top 40 hits,"Dumb Blonde" and "Something Fishy",which peaked at numbers 24 and 17,respectively.
Always,Always is the third collaborative studio album by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. It was released on June 30,1969,by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 162 on the Billboard 200 chart. "Yours Love" and the album's title track were released as singles,peaking at numbers nine and 16,respectively.
"I Believe in You and Me" is a song written by Sandy Linzer and David Wolfert in 1982. The song was first recorded and released by the R&B group The Four Tops,who released it as a single from their album One More Mountain (1982). While it failed to reach the US Top 40,it became a moderate hit for the group on the US Billboard R&B chart,peaking at number 40 in early 1983.
"Jolene" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Dolly Parton. It was produced by Bob Ferguson and recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville,Tennessee on May 22,1973,then released on October 15,1973,by RCA Victor as the first single and title track from her album of the same name.
"Real Love" is a song written by David Malloy,Richard "Spady" Brannon and Randy McCormick,and recorded as a duet by American entertainers Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers that topped the US country singles chart in August 1985. It was released in April 1985 the second single and title track from Parton's Real Love album. Released after the top-ten success of "Don't Call It Love",the song became Parton and Rogers' second country chart-topper as a duet act. However,"Real Love" did not fare as well on the pop singles charts as 1983's "Islands in the Stream" had done,stalling at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 13 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The singles discography of American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton includes over 200 singles and touches on eight decades. Parton has released 198 singles as a lead artist,49 as a featured artist,six promotional single and 68 music videos. Parton also released 21 singles with Porter Wagoner from 1968 to 1980,bringing her total number of singles to 243.
"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser,who composed the music,and Linda Creed,who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson,who made the song a substantial hit,peaking at number two on the US Hot Soul Singles chart that year,the first R&B chart top-ten hit for Arista Records. The song was written and recorded to be the main theme of the 1977 film The Greatest, a biopic of the boxer Muhammad Ali,and is performed during the opening credits.
"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" is a song by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. The song was written by Parton and was first released as a duet with Chet Atkins on his 1976 album,The Best of Chet Atkins &Friends. Parton performed the song live throughout the 1970s,but did not release a solo version until 1982 on Heartbreak Express. Parton's solo version was released as the album's third single in July 1982,a double A-side release with "I Will Always Love You" from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack. The song did not chart on its own,but did chart as the flip-side of "I Will Always Love You" throughout the single's chart run on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Parton would record the song for a third time in 1994,this time with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. This version would be released on the 1999 album Trio II,and would be one of three singles released simultaneously from the album.
American singer Whitney Houston,known as "The Voice",released 57 singles as a leading artist and 4 as a featured artist. Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time,with over 220 million records sold worldwide. In the United States,Houston amassed 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles,all of whom have been certified either gold,platinum,multi-platinum or diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and was one of a selected group of artists to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in four different decades. She is currently ranked in seventh place of the artists with the most number one singles in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to the introduction of digital singles,Houston sold 16.5 million physical singles in the country,the most ever by a female recording artist. In October 2012,the Official Charts Company claimed Houston was the fourth biggest-selling female singles artist of all time with a sales total of 8.5 million singles in that country.
"I Will Always Love You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Whitney Houston released on November 2,1992,via Arista Records for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard,her film debut. It was released as the soundtrack's lead single. Houston's version was produced by Canadian musician David Foster. The song was a global success topping the singles charts in 34 countries. It sold over 24 million copies worldwide,making it the best-selling single by a female artist of all time as well as one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also the world's best-selling single of 1992.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)