McWhorter 1

Austin McWhorter

Prof. Barnes

English 1201

2/14/21

Comparison of “I will always love you” By Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston

“I will always love you”. Possibly one of the most iconic lines in music history. It

represents loving someone no matter what happens. Dolly Parton wrote the original song in

1973, and had a very simple and intimate video for the song. Whitney Houdton reimagined the

song in 1992 for the movie “The Bodyguard”, and created much more grand and dramatic

visuals for the song . Although lyrically the 2 versions of the song are the same, each singer used

their own tone, cadence, and vocal ability to differentiate the 2 versions of the iconic song.

Although it’s to be assumed that Dolly Parton wrote the song for a romantic relationship,

she actually wrote the song due to the end of a professional relationship. Dolly wrote the song

after deciding to leave Porter Wagoner’s show in 1974. Despite the great success of the Porter

Wagoner show, Dolly wanted to leave and make a name for herself, which caused conflict

between the two. According to goodhousekeeping.com, Dolly told CMT that “There was a lot of

grief and heartache there, and he just wasn't listening to my reasoning for my going," Because of

all the emotions going on, she decided to write a song. She wrote the song to show Porter that no

matter what happened, she’d love their friendship.

While Dolly Parton wrote the song, it’s safe to say that Whitney Houston’s version of the

song in 1992 made the song one of the widest known songs today. The cover came along when

Whitney was the lead actress in a movie called The Bodyguard, where she co starred with actor

Kevin Costner. The movie is about a former secret service agent (Costner) who takes the job of
being the bodyguard of a R&B singer (Houston), and the 2 start to develop a relationship that

wasn’t intended. Originally, Houston was supposed to sing a cover of the song “What becomes

of the broken hearted” by Jimmy ruffin. Ultimately, that song had to be cut because it was

already going to be used in the 1991 movie “Fried Green Tomatoes”. According to

smoothradio.com, it was actually Kevin Costner that suggested “I will always love you”, playing

the version of the song sung by Linda Ronstadt in 1975.

While there are many similarities between the two versions of the song, there are many

differences as well. The three biggest differences I noticed between the two versions of the song

were the cadence the song was sung at, the tone of both the voice of the singers and the video

itself, and the vocal ability or strengths the singers used. There were many similarities I noticed

as well such as the feeling of passion in both of the singers voices and the serious tones in the

music videos. In the original version of the song sung by Dolly Parton, she appeals to a very

intimate casual perspective. In the video, Dolly is simply sitting on a stool singing along to the

live music being played. There aren't any crazy visuals, it’s just her singing to the camera, almost

like she's singing directly to the listener. The tone of her voice is very calm and reassuring, as if

to say everything will be okay. Her cadence is very slow, almost sounding like she's talking at

times. It’s almost as if she's not singing to express a feeling, but she's singing to teach a lesson as

an older wise person would to a younger person. Unlike Whitney, Dolly is keeping the song very

subtle which creates more of a feeling of intimacy. There aren’t any crazy high notes or runs

which at times can take away from the lyrics of the song depending on the desired message.

In Whitney Houston’s version of the song, she sings a much more love ballad version.

The tone of the song is very endearing and almost sounds like she's mourning the loss of a

relationship. Unlike Dolly’s version of the song, she is directly singing to someone, in this case,
Kevin Costner's character in the movie "The Bodyguard”. Her tone in the song sad but at pease,

and has a “if you love it let it go” undertone throughout. Her cadence is much faster than Dolly’s,

and has a much more contemporary rhythm, considering the years these songs came out

compared to now. In Dolly’s version, there wasn’t a feeling that a climax was going to happen,

but in Whitney’s version the listener is being prepared for a climax and can feel the gradual

buildup of both emotion and vocal power from Whitney. Due to the fact that Whitney’s version

of the song was recorded for a movie, the video consists of scenes from the movie as well as

dramatic clips of Whitney singing. This adds to the character development of the characters in

the movie as well as the message of the song. The high notes and control in her voice emphasize

the emotion of the song, and greatly affects how the listener feels while listening to the song.

The only rhetorical appeal I think this song appeals to is pathos. I believe the audience to

be older individuals, being 25 and above. Almost everybody who is older has experienced a

moment of wanting to love someone when they can’t. This could be a friend, a partner, or a

family member. The lyrics in this song have great emotional presence and not a single word is

wasted. Lines like “bittersweet memories” and “I hope life, treats you kind” creates a feeling of

losing someone you still care for, which greatly impacts someone's emotions.

The lyric “I will always love you” will go down in history as one of the most impactful

and powerful lyrics of all time. Although there are many differences between the 2 versions of

the song, like the cadence, tone, and vocal ability of the singers, there are so many similarities

that show even more how amazing this song is, no matter which one of these legendary singers

sings it.
 Works Cited:

Eames, T. (2018, March 27). The story of... 'i will always love you' by Whitney Houston.

Retrieved February 14, 2021, from https://www.smoothradio.com/features/i-will-always-

love-you-lyrics-meaning/

Finn, H. (2021, February 12). Dolly Parton Wrote "I will always love You" about a Professional

Breakup, not a romantic one. Retrieved February 14, 2021, from

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a30570197/dolly-parton-i-will-

always-love-you-lyrics-meaning/

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You 1974

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Official 4K Video)