Actors - I Will Always Love You

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	Actors - I Will Always Love You

"I Will Always Love You" is a song originally written and performed by American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, first released as a single in 1974. The song, considered by some to be one of the most popular and well-known ever written, was produced by Bob Ferguson, and has been covered many times, most notably by American R&B singer Whitney Houston.

Dolly Parton version

Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973. She has told numerous interviewers over the years that she wrote it for her one-time partner and mentor, Porter Wagoner (the two were splitting professionally at the time). Recorded on June 17 1973 in RCA's Studio "B" in Nashville, the song was included on Parton's Jolene album, and was released as a follow-up single, after the chart-topping success of the title track, in April 1974 (see 1974 in music). The single reached number one on the Country Singles a month later; the lyrics express a bittersweet and poignant ode to an ex-lover, and are delivered with Parton's twang. Parton once told an interviewer that she had been contacted by someone in the Elvis Presley organization who expressed to her his wish to record the song. When she refused to split her songwriting royalties, he did not record it, but the song was destined, almost immediately, to be covered by artists across various other genres, including a jazz version by Horace Silver and a folk version by Linda Ronstadt, each of which garnered modest attention.

Parton herself 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 U.S. country chart, marking the first time the same song reached number one on the country charts twice by the same artist. The 1982 version was also a modest hit on the U.S. pop singles chart, reaching number fifty-three.

Whitney Houston version

In 1992 (see 1992 in music), singer Whitney Houston covered the song for the soundtrack to The Bodyguard
(see The Bodyguard (soundtrack)), 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 would be used for Fried Green Tomatoes, he asked her co-star Kevin Costner to find a new song. Originally not wanting to pick a country song, an oldies song (with not much of a country feel to it) would do. Houston reinterpreted the song as a soul ballad, showcasing her voice.

The song was a massive success, and helped revive Houston's struggling career, whose previous album I'm Your Baby Tonight
had been a critical and commercial flop. The song has also become a regular on countdown lists, appearing at number forty on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Pop Songs", number six on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years", and number one on VH1's "40 Greatest Love Songs". The single's video 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 theatre with the spotlight shining on her, singing of her love. The video is intercut with scenes from The Bodyguard.

Chart performance

The single spent fourteen weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, a record that would not be broken until 1996 by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's duet, "One Sweet Day" (released in 1995). "I Will Always Love You" shares the record for being the longest running single by a female solo artist with Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" (2005). The single became Houston's longest run at number one, beating her previous record of three weeks with "Greatest Love of All" (1986). It is also the single from a soundtrack album with the longest run at number one.

The single debuted at number forty in the U.S., and became Houston's tenth number one hit two weeks later. It was the biggest and most successful single of Houston's career and for Arista Records. The song 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 hit 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 (Houston's longest stay to date).

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