I Will Always Love You
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| “I Will Always Love You” | |||||
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| Single by Dolly Parton from the album Jolene |
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| B-side | "When Someone Wants to Leave" (1974 version) | ||||
| Released | April 4, 1974 (U.S.) July 23, 1982 (re-recording) 1995 (re-recording w/ Vince Gill) |
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| Format | 45 rpm single | ||||
| Recorded | RCA Studio "B", Nashville; June 17, 1973 | ||||
| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 2:55 | ||||
| Label | RCA Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Dolly Parton | ||||
| Producer | Bob Ferguson | ||||
| Dolly Parton singles chronology | |||||
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"I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally performed by American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton (first released as a single in 1974) and then most famously recorded by American singer Whitney Houston.
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[edit] Dolly Parton version
Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 and it was released a year later, having been produced by Bob Ferguson. She has told numerous interviewers over the years that she wrote it for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, with whom she was having a business splitting at the time. Recorded on June 17, 1973 in RCA's Studio "B" in Nashville, the song was included on Parton's album Jolene, and was released as a follow-up single, after the Country chart-topping success of the title track, in April 1974 (see 1974 in music). The single reached number one on the Billboard Country Singles chart a month later, but had just modest success on the pop charts. The lyrics express a bittersweet and poignant ode to an ex-lover, and are delivered with Parton's twang.
Parton re-recorded the song in 1982 (see 1982 in music) to include it on the soundtrack to the film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Her 1982 version also reached number one on the US Country Chart, marking the first time the same song reached number one on the country charts twice by the same artist. The 1982 version also saw limited crossover pop success, reaching number fifty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seventeen on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Parton had success with the song again in 1995 in a duet with Vince Gill. This time the song peaked at No. 15 in December of that year, making it the third time the song was a hit for Parton, albeit in duet form this time. In 2003, CMT ranked it #16 on their 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. In 2004, CMT ranked it #1 on their 100 Greatest Country Love Songs.
The most recent release of the song appears on her 2008 album "Backwoods Barbie," which features a live version an exclusive bonus track on the iTunes version of the release.
| “I Will Always Love You” | |||||
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| Single by Whitney Houston from the album The Bodyguard Soundtrack |
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| Released | October 23, 1992 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | CD single, Cassette single, 7" single | ||||
| Genre | Soul, Pop | ||||
| Length | 4:32 | ||||
| Label | Arista | ||||
| Writer(s) | Dolly Parton | ||||
| Producer | David Foster | ||||
| Certification | 4x platinum (RIAA) | ||||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | |||||
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[edit] Whitney Houston version
In 1992 (see 1992 in music), singer Whitney Houston covered the song for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard her film debut. The song was also referenced in the plot of the film itself. Houston was originally to record Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" as the lead single from The Bodyguard. However, when the producer discovered the song was to be used for Fried Green Tomatoes, she asked her co-star Kevin Costner to find a new song, and he brought her Linda Ronstadt's 1975 cover version of the tune from her album Prisoner in Disguise without telling her it was a Dolly Parton composition. Houston reinterpreted the song as a soul ballad, showcasing her voice. Houston recorded two versions with subtle differences. One was for the movie, the other for commercial release. Houstons recorded the song in only a few takes live with a band at a hotel ball room. Despite recording it a few times, only the first take was used. The first verse was sung entirely in accapella. Houston's label did not agree with this decision, feeling that radio would not play a song with an accapella introduction. Houston and Costner insisted to maintain slow introduction. It is generally considered Houston's signature song. (A country version sung by former "X" front-man John Doe may be heard playing on a jukebox during a bar scene in the movie.)
The song is generally considered Houston's signature song. It is one of the most covered songs ever written and it remains one of the most popular songs of all time.
Houston's single was a massive worldwide success, selling over 10 million copies and proving a much bigger success than the original version almost 20 years earlier. It became a regular on countdown lists, appearing at number eight on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years", number four on "VH1 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" and number one on VH1's "100 Greatest Love Songs".
[edit] Music video
The single's video, credited to Alan Smithee, begins with the performance of the song Houston gives at the end of The Bodyguard. The video then cuts to Houston in a dark blue suit sitting in an empty theater with the spotlight shining on her, singing of her love. The video is intercut with scenes from The Bodyguard.
[edit] Houston's Chart Performance
The single spent fourteen weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which at the time was a record. The single became Houston's longest run at number one, beating her previous record of three weeks with 1986s, "Greatest Love of All." It is also the longest running number one single from a soundtrack album.
The single debuted at number forty on the Hot 100 in the U.S., and became Houston's tenth number one hit a mere two weeks later. It also dominated various other Billboard charts, spending fourteen weeks at the top of Billboard's singles sales chart (the most for a female artist), and eleven weeks at number one on its radio airplay chart. The song also stayed at number one for five weeks on the Adult Contemporary Chart and for eleven weeks on the R&B chart, and remained in the Top 40 for twenty-four weeks. It became Arista Records' biggest hit.
Houston's version sold approximately 400,000 copies in its second week of release, making it the best-selling song in a single week (taking the record from Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"). It broke its own record in the following three weeks, peaking at 632,000 copies in the week ending December 19 (the week it broke its own record for most copies sold in a single week for any song). It went on to sell over four million copies in the U.S. and another six million worldwide, making it the third best-selling single in the world. It remains the biggest selling single by a female artist and the biggest selling non-charity single.
The single became an international success, hitting #1 in the United Kingdom, ten weeks; and Australia's ARIA Singles chart for ten weeks. It also hit pole position in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, and several other European, South American, and African countries. It is the only single to have ever topped the US, and Australian charts for at least ten weeks.
The song stayed at number one in the United States throughout January and February in 1993, making it the first time Billboard didn't rank a new number one single until March of the new year. Houston's "I Will Always Love You" was also ranked as the top US single of 1993 by Billboard magazine. Similarly, in the UK, Houston's version was ranked the number one single of 1992, and then made the countdown again in 1993 where it was ranked number nine, making it the first time an artist had a single ranked in the Top 10 of the year-end review two years in a row. The strength of the single also pushed Houston's soundtrack album for The Bodyguard to the number one position for twenty weeks, and it became the best-selling soundtrack of all time, with over 42 million copies sold worldwide.
In March 2007, the United World Chart ranked Houston's "I Will Always Love You" as the most successful song released by a solo female artist.[1] On that chart, it stayed at number one for twenty-two weeks which is longer than anyother song in the history of music in 1993.
[edit] Awards
- Grammy Awards
- Record of the Year
- Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
- American Music Awards
- Favorite Pop/Rock Female Single
- Favorite R&B/Soul Female Single
- Billboard Music Awards
- Top Selling Single of the Year
- Top Hot 100 Single of the Year
- Top R&B Selling Single of the Year
- Top R&B Single
- World Music Awards
- World's #1 Single of 1993
- MTV Movie Awards
- Best Song
- People's Choice Awards
- Favorite Female Music Video
- Soul Train Music Awards
[edit] Whitney's Version Remixes
- I Will Always Love You [Hex Rector Mix] 4:50
- I Will Always Love You [Hex Hector Radio Remix] 4:52
- I Will Always Love You [Hex Hector 12 Inch] 9:51
[edit] Controversy
After Houston's cover of the song became a hit, the tabloid press began reporting on a 'feud' between the two performers, stemming from Parton's allegedly reneging on an agreement that she would not perform the song for a number of months while Houston's version was on the charts, so as not to compete with the more recent cover. However, both Houston and Parton have dispelled any rumours, speaking glowingly of one another in interviews [1] [2], Houston praising Parton for writing a beautiful song, and Parton thanking Houston for bringing her song to a wider audience, and in the process making her a great deal of money in royalties.
The song was also discussed on the now-defunct NBC news program Now! in 1994. The program discussed how 'overplayed' the song was and how so many people were sick of the song.
In a joke frequently used by Mad Magazine, whenever Whitney Houston is mentioned, they casually mention the fact that people use this song for weddings, when the song is about people breaking up for good.
In 2002 the Iraqi government held a referendum asking whether Saddam Hussein should remain as president. Saddam Hussein's campaign advertising before the election featured the song 'I Will Always Love You'.[2][3] [4] [5]
[edit] Later covers
The popularity of Houston's version revitalized interest in the song, and introduced it to a much wider audience. As a result, the song was covered by LeAnn Rimes as well as established artists such as Kenny G, Kenny Rogers, Tamia, James Galway, John Tesh and Wallace Roney. It has also been released by Roger Whittaker and UK Pop Idol finalist Rik Waller and Bulgarian Music Idol winner Nevena Tsoneva.
Parton rerecorded the song in 1995 with Vince Gill. The Gill duet was released as a single and reached number fifteen on the country charts, becoming one of Parton's few chart hits during the mid- to late-1990s. The Parton/Gill duet won the 1995 Country Music Association award for Collaboration of the Year, and was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Emily Williams from Young Divas also covered this song in 2006. It is on their debut album.
The Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins also recorded an Italian version of this song.
Punk Rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes performed this song on a tribute album to Dolly Parton.
Dutch country singer Ilse de Lange performed the song twice. In the TV show of Paul de Leeuw and in the radio show of Giel Beelen.
Connie Talbot, from the British television talent show Britain's Got Talent, put the song on her first studio album Over The Rainbow that was released November 2007.
In the 2008 Season of American Idol, Syesha Mercado sang this song during a week devoted to Dolly Parton.
The popular YouTube Filipino singing sensation Charice Pempengco was discovered through cyberworld with her rendition of the song that attract millions of viewers, the cover was included in her debut album "Charice (album)" that was released May 2008.
[edit] Use of the song in film, television, and radio
The song appears in at least five major films. In addition to the two described above (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Bodyguard), Parton's original 1973 recording was used in Martin Scorsese's 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, playing in a scene while Ellen Burstyn and Harvey Keitel are making small talk in a bar; part of the famous chorus was used for the "Elephant Love Medley" song from the 2001 hit film Moulin Rouge! where Christian (Ewan McGregor) sings it to Satine (Nicole Kidman) at the end of the medley; and in "It's My Party," a 1996 film about a man dying of AIDS throwing a party to say goodbye to his friends before he commits suicide, the lead character, played by Eric Roberts, chooses to play the Parton original several times to symbolize his feelings, causing his friends to comment on his music selection.
On the television show Gilmore Girls, in episode 7.20 ("Lorelai? Lorelai?") Lorelai Gilmore sings the Dolly Parton arrangement of the song in a karaoke bar. She begins singing it to her daughter Rory, who is graduating from Yale, but when her on-again off-again fiance Luke Danes walks into the bar she shifts her attention and is clearly singing it to him. This led to discussion among her friends,
Lane Kim: She's a Whitney fan? Rory Gilmore: Oh, I think it's Dolly inspired.
On ESPN Radio and ESPN 2's Mike and Mike in the Morning, Mike Greenberg, who is an avid New York Jets fan, plays the Houston version of the song whenever he or Mike Golic talks about Chad Pennington.
On the NBC television show 30 Rock, the song is comically used during the closing scene of Season 1, Episode 15.
Whitney Houston's cover also appears in The Simpsons season 10 episode, "Mayored to the Mob," where it's sung to Homer after he graduates bodyguard school. It also appears in the end credits of the episode.
The song was played during a segment at Movie Rocks Show in 2007 where different movie songs and themes were played by piano.
The song was sung by Leona Lewis on the third series of the X Factor in 2006.
Six-year old Connie Talbot did a cover of the song on her debut album Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
In 2003, Rolling Stone and MTV ranked Houston's version at #40 in its list of 100 Greatestest Pop songs of All Time.
In 2007, VH1 listed Houston's version at #4 in its list of the Greatest Songs of the 90s.
Then in 2005, Maureen Marcelo delivered an outstanding performance on the first season of Philippine Idol.
On season seven of the hit show American Idol, finalist Syesha Mercado performed the hit single under the guidance of Dolly Parton.
I'd Do Aything contestant Rachel Tucker sung the power ballad in the quarter-finals of the series on 17 May 2008.
The song was also sung by Niki Evans for her audition on the 4th series of The Xfactor in 2007
On the second episode of Britain's Got Talent 2008 (aired 19th April 2008) the Filipino Madonna Decena sang the classic, bringing judge Amanda Holden to tears, and receiving high praise from the judges.
[edit] References
- ^ 6th most successful song in history
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article1169307.ece
- ^ Weekly Review, By Roger D. Hodge (Harper's Magazine)
- ^ Iraqi voters' choice: Yes or yes - - chicagotribune.com
- ^ In Iraqi Ballot on Hussein, All Signs Pointing to Yes (washingtonpost.com)
- Ammons, Kevin; Bacon, Nancy 1996. Whitney Houston: Good Girl, Bad Girl. Carol Publishing, New York. ISBN 1-55972-379-3
[edit] External links
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| Preceded by "Pure Love" by Ronnie Milsap |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single by Dolly Parton June 8, 1974 |
Succeeded by "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore" by Charlie Rich |
| Preceded by "(A Taste Of) Yesterday's Wine" by Merle Haggard and George Jones |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single by Dolly Parton October 16, 1982 |
Succeeded by "He Got You" by Ronnie Milsap |
| Preceded by "How Do You Talk to an Angel" by The Heights |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Whitney Houston version) November 28, 1992- February 27, 1993 |
Succeeded by "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle |
| Preceded by "Would I Lie To You?" by Charles and Eddie |
UK Singles Chart number one single (Whitney Houston version) November 29, 1992 for 10 weeks |
Succeeded by "No Limit" by 2 Unlimited |
| Preceded by "If I Ever Fall In Love" by Shai |
Billboard's Hot R&B Songs number one single (Whitney Houston version) December 5, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty By Nature |
| Preceded by "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men |
Billboard Hot 100 Number one single of the year (Whitney Houston version) 1993 |
Succeeded by "The Sign" by Ace of Base |
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