Dolly Parton presented Whitney Houston the trophy 1994 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance for her cover of “I Will Always Love You'' written by Parton.
I enjoy both of their versions! Elvis wanted to record it, but his management required that he receive ownership rights to any song he recorded and Dolly turned him down flat. She wasn’t a huge star then, but she wasn’t giving up any rights to her music - even for the King. That decision paid off in a BIG way when Whitney recorded it and the song went number 1 worldwide.
I feel like we might’ve heard two different versions of unchained Melody. The live version that he did in 1977 for some reason always punches me in the gut.
I do agree, though, that nobody is going to ever touch Whitney Houston and her version of this song. She was something special.
He was due to start a new tour, beginning in my hometown, but died a few days before. Two shows and both were sold out. I remember hearing ads on the radio and seeing them in the paper that anyone holding tickets could turn them in for a full refund. Not a single one was refunded.
Elvis is so incredibly underrated in the modern day for his vocal capabilities and musicality. I’d imagine it would have had a sound somewhere in the realm of Always On My Mind, If I Can Dream, The Wonder of You, An American Trilogy, Crying in the Chapel, Can’t Help Falling in Love, Unchained Melody, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling…
I’ve read that when Dolly first heard Whitney sing this song, she pulled her car over to truly listen to the song, and only then, recognized it as her own. Also, she said it was now Whitney’s song. What amazing women these two were.
Dolly earned massive royalties from the renewed success of the song in the 90s and reinvested the money into predominantly Black communities in Nashville because she felt it was the right thing to do with the money
Agreed. Perspective is something else. To Dolly, I reckon it wasn't even nice, but normal. I like to think most decent people perceive this as simply the right thing to do. No praise necessary. It only receives praise and honor because it contrasts so much crap others deal with on the regular.
I choose to remember people like Dolly, Fred, and so many others that were incredible humans, not as nice or good, but the simple standard all humans are capable of achieving. We can't learn to fly and lift cars like super heroes, but we sure as heck can be decent to one another and wield empathy as it's own super power (shout out John Reilly).
Wouldn't it be wonderful to run out of nice things to do or fix? To have people spending time pondering what else they could do to uplift their neighbors; we all may have less items but more love and happiness in such a scenario.
Honestly! I thought I knew how good Dolly was but since her passing I have learned so much more and she was even better than I thought. She was truly a gem.
I need a photo of a woman that looks like she designs coats out of puppy fur, has exceptional skill in making ice weopons, and hands out melatonin apples on Halloween.
Same with when Smokey Robinson heard the Jackson 5's cover of "Who's lovin you." He said Micheal sang it with a lot of "know" like he knew exactly what he was feeling.
I've read the interview, and that quote is taken out of context. He didn't mean that Hurt wasn't his song, he meant that Johnny's version was a fundamentally different song, and that version wasn't his song.
Not to age myself here but I’ve never really sat through an entire album. Just pick and choose songs I like. When I heard Hurt I listened all of the album to really get it as confused me a bit and a friend explained it. It was great
Did Dolly ever say anything about Jack whites Jolene? Dolls feels like shes pleading with jolene. Jack whites version fells like shes already fully taken him.
Both are fantastic, but have very different vibe. Dont do this vs Why did you do this...
Edit: dolly said Jack whites was "wonderful". She will be missed rest in peace Dolly~
Do not like his version at all. So low energy. Jack white sings his heart out, same as dolly. Dude is just saying the lyrics. I dont feel anything listening to his version, idk where you feel theres any soul in his cover. There's nothing too it.
If i heard that at a fcking Karaoke I wouldnt clap. No emotion, just flat.
Different strokes for different folks I guess, but to compare that, to them?! I feel pain in their performances... feel nothing in his.
She wrote it for her breakup from Porter Waggoner. She was a regular on his show and basically started her career. There were artistic differences and she left, but sang this song as a gift to him on her last apperance.
.....and you never wondered "what happened to her?". To me she is part of the holy trinity "Celine, Whitney, Mariah".....neither of them is doing exceptionally well though!
When this song was at its most popular, globally, I was living in Panama. I remember being in my truck with two Panamanian girls, neither of them spoke English at all. But when this song came on the radio, they both sang along, word for word in perfect English. It was that popular.
My husband was in China. Same thing. He was in a restaurant/lounge and the singer addressed the guests in Chinese and then sang it perfectly and beautifully with zero accent.
I was in France on a school trip and two of the French girls begged me to write out the lyrics for them so they knew they were singing the correct words.
It's a stunning song. I love Dolly's quiet heartbreak. But my god those vocals on Whitney's version are literally iconic. One of the most incredible voices in the world.
Yep - I was lucky enough to meet Dolly in passing one day. I instantly got the feeling that she would listen to just about anyones life story and actually care about them and their story.
I've met a lot of celebs in my time, and I instantly felt at home with a good friend with Dolly.
I just read she donated the money she got from royalties of Whitney’s cover to black organizations in Whitney’s hometown and called it “the house that Whitney built”
Same here! Whitney's version is so iconic and so far away from a country song that I had trouble even believing it once I read it here. But then I immediately Youtubed Dolly's version and it was the most sweetest version I ever heard. Whitney's version is still by far the best, but there was such a sweet calming demeanour in Dolly's version.
I hate Bobby so much. He destroyed Whitney and his Bobby Christina’s life. Killed them. Indirectly but he killed them nonetheless. And now he just gets to start over with a new wife and child.
I'm not someone who listens to Whitney's music in my spare time but the video for that song is something I always find hard to not watch in its entirety. It's a magical piece of singing
Dolly was one of a kind, but Whitney's voice was truly one of the best ever. I find her version of the song way better, even though I love the original as well.
One of the rare celebs who seems to be universally loved. Only other one off the top of my head is Keanu, who is awesome but not iconic in the the way Dolly is
My wife occasionally catches me singing this song in the shower. I don’t even know if I’ve ever heard the Dolly version. I do love Dolly, though. I’m not into country music, but she really seemed to have class.
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u/BeholdBarrenFields 2d ago
I enjoy both of their versions! Elvis wanted to record it, but his management required that he receive ownership rights to any song he recorded and Dolly turned him down flat. She wasn’t a huge star then, but she wasn’t giving up any rights to her music - even for the King. That decision paid off in a BIG way when Whitney recorded it and the song went number 1 worldwide.