When you have a voice like Whitney Houston, it’s hard to believe that you’d ever be nervous about singing anything. But the singer once revealed that she had concerns about singing one of her biggest hits. Fans will recall that in 1992, she released a cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” to accompany her film, The Bodyguard. The cover was nothing short of stunning, becoming an even bigger hit than Parton’s original rendition. But Houston admitted that she was a bit apprehensive about it.
When did Dolly Parton first write the song “I Will Always Love You”?
Houston may have made “I Will Always Love You” more popular, but Parton’s original version was a big success in its own right. The tune sat atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs on two separate occasions. First penned by the Hannah Montana alum back in 1973, the song was written as a loving goodbye to Parton’s business partner, Porter Wagoner, when she decided to go solo.
Whitney Houston was concerned about covering ‘I Will Always Love You’
Considering Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You” was well-loved, it makes sense that Houston felt pressure to do the song justice. In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone, the producer of The Princess Diaries shared that she thought a lot about how Parton would receive her take on the tune. “I think Dolly Parton is a hell of a writer and a hell of a singer,” Houston said. “I was so concerned when I sang her song how she’d feel about it, in terms of the arrangement, my licks, my flavor.”
Parton nearly crashed her car when she first Houston’s version of her song
It turns out that Houston had absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Parton has stated countless times that she adored the “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” singer’s take on her song. In fact, when she first heard Houston’s version of the tune, she was overwhelmed by how beautiful it was. The Tenessee native was driving home from her office the first time she heard Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” She was so taken aback by the gorgeous rendition that she forced herself to get off the road.
“I almost wrecked,” Parton shared in an interview with SiriusXM. “I had to pull over. I was afraid because I was so caught up in that by then that I had to pull over and listen to it. But it was the most overwhelming feeling that little song mine could be done so beautifully, so big, so overwhelming, that it really almost just heart attack right there; I’ll never forget it.”
Did Parton and Houston ever talk about the song?
Parton also made sure to give Houston a call and share with her how much she loved her version of “I Will Always Love You.” This gesture was something that Houston deeply appreciated. Recalling the call to Rolling Stone, the late singer shared: “When she said she was floored, that meant so much to me.”
