Dolly Parton's "I Will Aways Love You" Hits #1

1974

Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" goes to #1 on the Country chart. Nearly two decades later, Whitney Houston's R&B version tops the Hot 100 and becomes one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Parton wrote the bittersweet ballad of undying (platonic) love for her longtime mentor Porter Wagoner, who saw her rise to success during her seven years as a singer on his television show. The two also recorded 13 duet albums together before Parton decided to part ways. "If I should stay, I would only be in your way," she sings. In reality, Wagoner was standing in Parton's way as mentor and protege continuously butted heads over her decision to go solo. The song was a last-ditch effort to bring her stubborn partner around to the idea. "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,'" Parton explained. It worked, but Wagoner insisted on producing the track. Not only does the song land at #1 on the country chart in 1974, it does it again when it's re-released in 1982, making Parton the first artist to reach #1 twice with the same song. Meanwhile, an 11-year-old choir girl in New Jersey named Whitney Houston is just beginning to sing solos in church. Little does anyone know, her powerhouse rendition as sung to Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard (1992) will become the defining version to many. It holds the #1 spot on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks and carries the distinction of being the best-selling single ever from a female artist. Several other artists have recorded the ballad, including Linda Ronstadt with a pre-Whitney R&B version, but not Elvis Presley. The King's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, tried to get Parton to sign over half her publishing rights before Elvis would record the cover, but she wouldn't be snookered into a raw deal. All in all, it's a lucrative bit of songwriting for Parton that leaves no room for sour grapes. Parton even presented Houston with the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female at the 1994 ceremony, where "I Will Always Love You" also won Record of the Year.