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Dolly Parton was driving home in her Cadillac when a voice came on the radio that made her pay attention.
The words sounded familiar, but it took her a few seconds to place them. Which is funny, considering she’d written them herself.
It was Whitney Houston singing “I Will Always Love You.”
By the time Whitney got to the chorus, Dolly knew exactly what she was hearing, and she had to pull over to listen to the rest.
The opening threw her for a second
Dolly knew the team behind The Bodyguard had asked about using her song.
She’d sent it over, but she hadn’t heard whether they’d actually recorded it. So when Whitney’s voice came through the car speakers, Dolly wasn’t expecting to hear her own song.
And that opening really does give you a second to wonder. Whitney sings the first verse a cappella, so softly at first that Dolly remembered it as almost spoken.
There’s no guitar or piano to tell you what’s coming. Then Whitney stretches out that first “I” in the chorus, and Dolly has her answer.
Dolly told Graham Norton it was one of the most overwhelming feelings she’d ever had.
She’d already recorded the song twice herself, so she knew exactly how it could sound.
This was something else. And the funny thing about where she pulled over in the song is that the biggest note was still ahead of her.
It was already a hit. Twice.
Dolly wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a goodbye to Porter Wagoner, her longtime duet partner and TV boss, when she was getting ready to strike out on her own.
Her original went to No. 1 on the country chart in 1974. Then she recorded it again for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in 1982, and it went to No. 1 on the country chart all over again.
Whitney’s recording came out in 1992. The song that had started as a very particular goodbye now belonged to the closing moments of a movie starring Whitney and Kevin Costner.
But for Dolly, the first time hearing that version was just her, the radio and a spot to pull off the road.
Watch Dolly tell the story in the video below:
Whitney had wondered what Dolly would think
There’s a nice little detail from Whitney’s side, too.
She said she’d been concerned about what Dolly would make of the arrangement and the vocal flourishes she’d added. Hearing that Dolly was floored meant a lot to her.
Listen to the opening again after hearing Dolly tell the story. It’s easy to see how that first verse could sneak up on someone who was only half listening to the radio.
The arrangement takes its time getting to the part everybody remembers.
The record went on to spend 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won two Grammys, including Record of the Year.
Dolly got her first listen the same way plenty of people did in 1992. She happened to have the radio on.
You can listen to Whitney Houston’s famous version again in the official video below: