I Will Always Love You

Dolly Parton wrote this song in 1973 as a farewell to Porter Wagoner, her mentor and duet partner on their popular TV show. She wanted to express her gratitude without bitterness, and the result was a simple, aching country ballad. Parton recorded it in 1973 and released it as a single in 1974. It hit number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart that June. She re-recorded it for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and that version also reached number one on the same chart, making Parton the first artist to top that chart twice with the same song.

Whitney Houston's version arrived a decade later, produced by David Foster and released as the lead single from The Bodyguard soundtrack. Houston's recording is a dramatic pop-and-soul ballad, building from a sparse opening into a massive, gospel-tinged climax. It spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for a female artist at the time, and topped charts in 34 countries. The single sold over 25 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling single by a female solo artist. It won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female in 1994, and the soundtrack itself won Album of the Year.

The song has been covered by dozens of artists, including Linda Ronstadt, LeAnn Rimes, and Pentatonix. In 2021, Parton's original was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. BMI reports over ten million broadcast performances, and the song remains a staple at weddings, funerals, and talent shows. Parton has said she never gets tired of hearing Houston sing it.[edit]