This was written by Dolly as a farewell to her long time singing partner Porter Wagoner as she decided to pursue a solo career, despite his wishes to continue as a duo. She didn't want him to be sad or mad as he had helped her a lot on her way. She wanted to follow her dreams and the break up was nothing to do with her love for him and what he did for her. Such a beautiful song.
She wrote this in dedication to Cole Porter who sort of discovered her when she broke their arrangement. She was on the Coke Porter show. It was mostly professional but with some personal
She left the Porter Wagner show after 5 years, she kept telling him she wanted to go solo, he didn't "hear her" so she wrote him this song. So, he let her leave, then sued her. But later in life when he was destitute, and had to sell the rights to all of his songs, she bought them back and gave them to him, and at his death bead Dolly was there.
I did not know this. Dolly Parton for leader of the world - her heart is bigger than her other "assets" and it's okay, Black Pegasus, that you referred to her breasts, because she joked about them all the time. She knew they were an attraction. I can just see her smacking some ol' boys' heads together and setting the world right in a hot minute.
Porter had his own show. He had her as a guest & kept her on. She made the show & drew in the money & he knew it! But she wanted to do so many other things! That's why he was mad! He said if he could have that song, she could go. lol But she wrote that to Porter Wagner. I guess to soften the blow! lol She did love him like family, but it was time for her to expand! Or as R.E.O. Speedwagon would say, "Time for me to Fly!!
Dolly Parton invested her royalties from Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" into Black community projects in Nashville. A woman of pure class.
This song was not written for a romantic relationship, it was written for loss of a professional relationship. Porter Wagner was a partner, a mentor, and a great supporter of Dolly's career. She had decided to pursue a solo career and wanted to end her partnership with Porter on a good place, and to let him know that she would always love him. Dolly's husband has always supported her career, but never wanted to be in the spotlight, she always respected and supported that too.
Porter sued her for a million dollars For breach of contract. In court she said Porter you write my checks you know I don’t have a million dollars Her husband and in-laws mortgaged Their business to pay him In later years Porter was in debt and she bought his songs years later he wanted to buy them back She told him you can’t buy them. I’ll give them to you
It would be great if you shared some information about the song (you would have to search Mr. Goggle) after you do your review. You wouldn't sound so ignorant (just meaning that you don't know). You really do get some things wrong. And it kinda makes me cringe. But I do like your reviews and enjoy watching them. It is fun to see your appreciation for songs that are new to you! 14:59
@@kathyr2792Absolutely, 100%. The first few times, it wasn't bad and I could even enjoy it and get into it, but after constant radio play, Whitney's version just didn't stand the test of time, and her vocal performance doesn't say that she will always love someone. It says, "HEY!! LOOK AT ME!! ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" She took an otherwise beautiful song, phrase, and sentiment and tried to place all the emphasis on the first word. Volume doesn't equal, nor convey, emotional sincerity.
@@starlaryer4165 I do appreciate your opinion. I agree that Whitney did an amazing job with it. Never said otherwise. I just feel Dolly’s version is better.
He wasn't "puttin' it down". She signed a 5 year contract to be on Porter Wagoner's tv show. After 5 years of being the "token girl singer" she wanted to branch out and go solo. He didn't like that, and wanted her to renew her contract, as the show's ratings were high. She got tired of talking to him about it, went home and wrote the song, and sang it to him the next day. At that point, he understood. He said she could go with his Blessing under 1 condition...that he could produce the song. Later, he was sued, lost his music catalogue, and was broke. During the same time, Dolly was making money. She managed to buy his music catalogue and gifted it back to him, mending any lingering hard feelings he harbored for her leaving his show at its peak. They remained friends until his death.
That wasn’t Dolly’s version in the bar but a cover from another artist John Doe John Doe. Yes that is the name associated with that particular cover. John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac on February 25, 1954 in Decatur, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet,[1] guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member
No they never played Dolly's hit record. They must have had someone record a lame version of the song to be played in the honkytonk scene. That showed a certain contempt for country music.
Dolly actually wrote this song in 1973 for her one-time business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, who she was separating from professionally after a seven-year singing partnership. Btw, Elvis wanted to record this song and Dolly was very flattered about this until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker demanded that, as "standard procedure", Dolly had to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded. Dolly refused and Elvis did not record the song. Dolly was so upset that she "cried all night."
True but she was smart enough to know that signing over publishing rights is a bad deal for any artist, she's an incredibly intelligent business woman. And years later when Whitney sang it, Dolly said she "absolutely loved her version, and laughing all the way to the bank too!"
7@@jamesbutler174She said she invested her 10 million from Whitney doing the song into a strip mall in the black community. This helped bring more investments to the area outside of Nashville that had been neglected.
@@jamesbutler174 It's not a bad deal when you sign over part of the publishing rights if Elvis Presley records your song because it is guaranteed to sell millions and make you millions. Dolly did it out of principle.
Isn’t that the craziest thing ?! That’s some In Spired writing ! I remember seeing her tell a story about how they were together on a tape or in a book , I want to know what else was there ?!
She's not just a great singer but a great person with an awesome sense of humour. She wasn't in love with Porter Waggoner, she was breaking off her contract with him so she could be independent against his wishes, but letting him know there was no hard feelings.
Dolly has written over 5,000 songs. 700+ of them have charted - Including 198 solo singles, 49 featured artist singles, 6 promotional singles, and 70+ music videos.
Dolly turned 78 in January and she has been married to Carl Dean since 1966 -- 58 years. Dolly wrote this song and another one in one evening and presented it to her boss, Porter Wagoner as she was leaving his show. She has written thousands of songs and is queen of country. She is an entrepreneur, an actor, director, producer, song-writer and singer. She grew up dirt poor with 6 brothers and 5 sisters. She is very charitable in the area she grew up in the Tennessee mountains. When asked what she thought about Whitney's cover of the song, she said that song put money in the bank for me. When Whitney covered it, I bought the bank!
She was also asked how she felt about people saying that it's Whitney's song, and she said "I don't care whose song they think it is, as long as I get the check"!!! LOL Gotta love Dolly---she don't mince words!!!
Dolly wrote Jolene that same night. Elvis tried to buy this song but she would not sell the rights. A great woman that has blessed this world for a very long time.
You guys really need to stop being bitter and assuming the worst, those were different times! Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to her long-time mentor and collaborator, Porter Wagoner. The split came when she decided to pursue a solo career and separate from him in a professional capacity
She is an amazing person. For every child in the US under the age of 5, she will send them one book every month. She started Dollywood just to bring jobs for people living in the rural area she came from. She gave a million dollars during the pandemic for the development of the vaccines. She has done so much for decades. No one can ever say she has not given back. She started out extremely poor in a family of 12 kids living in a cabin in the Tennessee mountains.
Dolly had a #1 with it. 10 years later it was on the soundtrack of a movie starring Dolly & Burt Reynolds and it was #1 again. Dolly said she went to the bank on this song and when Whitney had her international hit with it, Dolly joked, "I bought the bank". The "dude" was her mentor Porter Wagoner. She was leaving him to go out on her own.
Dolly Parton was a legitimate child prodigy. By the age of ten she was playing her guitar and singing on radio and television in East Tennessee. She first appeared at the Grand Ole Opry at age 13. After high school she moved to Nashville and initially found success writing songs for others. As she began recording her own songs, she was invited to join a popular country entertainer named Porter Wagoner on his television show and tours. Over the next six or seven years, they had many successful duets on the country music charts. By 1974, at age 28, Dolly wanted to focus on her solo career, and she left her partnership with Wagoner. “I Will Always Love You” is not about a broken romance, but is Dolly's tribute to Wagoner for the significant role he had played in her early career.
The "kids" part is just a little condescending.🤏 But it is not romantic break up, that we ever heard abouy. I love me some Dolly but back then those kind of things weren't spoken about. Love me some Dolly.
What in the world are you talking about. She had decided to embark on a solo career, leaving her mentor, the person that had believed in her and given her "her break" in Country Music and it was very talked about back when it happened.
This was not about the end of a romantic relationship. It was her good bye to mentor Porter Wagner who’s tv show she performed on as a regular and was under contract with. It was about her spreading her wings and flying away and his difficulty with accepting that. This was her peace offering.
If I'm not mistaken, Porter had a very hard time with it.. But in the end, when he was in financial difficulties, she bought back his music rights to his songs and gave them back to him.. Someone else who knows more will hopefully clarify if I got it wrong.. but she's always a freindcto the end.
I am a birthmother, and as I put my newborn in the arms of his adoptive parents, I sang this song, in Dolly's style, to my son. To this day, 23 rs later, I cannot hear this without getting teary-eyed and weepy
The song “Jolene” is about a hot bank teller that Dolly was afraid would steal her husband. I can only imagine how smokin that teller must’ve been for Dolly to be threatened.
Could be. However, a man can have the most desired woman in the world as a wife but if she is always gone on tours and working, another woman who is right in front of him and showing interest could be just attractive and still get his attention. I have no doubt both had affairs but with an understanding that at the end of the day, they are there for each other. If I'm wrong, Carl has to be an angel to put up with being the man in the shadows of a woman like Dolly. Between music and movies, she had to have been gone a lot.
@@mortimerbrewster3671 Is well known that her husband asked for her to keep him out of the spotlight. He wasn't "the man in the shadows" because of her.
@@rkb5472 No where in my comment did I say he was in the shadows because of her. I'm well aware of it being his choice but that does not negate my point.
Dolly actually created that typewriter backbeat while they were filming the movie just walking around in between takes by rubbing her fake acrylic nails together. This woman is all around genius.
Don, don't delete your life. Archive them online, a usb or in a box in real life. Someday you will look at them and not be sad and happy you have them to remember the time. I'm old, I just went through THOUSANDS of photos doing 'Swedish Death Cleaning" this week and I was so happy to be reminded of things I thought I never wanted to think about again because decades later I could appreciate the lessons and good times.
And , the worst part is this part , and it gets so much better , if you pay attention and let it . Sometimes , divorce is a blessing and it leads to new things. ❤
Dolly is just sitting there and hitting those notes with ZERO effort. Thats the craziest thing, imagine if she stood up and actually put her back into it
Ms. Dolly said the first time she heard Whitney's rendition of her song it blew her away. She loved Whitney's version. Ms. Dolly has written more than a hundred songs not only recorded by herself but some of the biggest stars in music today. She built Dolly Wood in Sevierville, Tn, has given away millions on causes she believes in. I could go for hours on the ways Ms. Dolly has given back to the world and has remained humble kind and grateful for the life she has. She also has a great sense of humor.
Its not what you thought.. its a well known story about porter Wagoner who's show she was on.. and after 5 years, she wanted to leave, and he didn't want to let her. She was married and still is married, song has nothing to do with a romantic relationship.
It was her friend (Porter Wagner) that had a tv show and helped her start her career, but he would not let her go. She needed to leave and he wouldn't let her go and sued her for leaving but she still considered him a friend and his family like her family and took care of them later in life because she was grateful to him. She truly has a beautiful soul and such talent! Dolly obviously went on to have an amazing career and is still writing and singing and touring sometimes but her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2019 so she is taking a break to care for him.
Her husband is Carl Dean and stays out of the spotlight. Despite her chemistry with Kenny Rogers, she and Carl have a very strong and long-lasting marriage.
@@mikedineen7857 Carl is still alive but was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a couple years ago. Dolly isn't touring right now because she wants to spend as much time with her husband while he still remembers her. Carl was never 1 for the spotlight and Dolly respected that.
You could've also Googled who she wrote the song about. It was written to Porter Waggoner who she was under contract to professionally. She was ready to fly and go solo. This was her goodbye to him. It fractured their relationship but they eventually made amends.
Dolly wrote and sang this for a friend/business partner/coworker. Whitney sang for a lover. Two different audiences and no real comparison since they have different meanings. Also, as the original creator/performer it’s her song not her version.
Big thumbs up for Dolly! I've always liked her songs. Whitney did great with this one. Surprised me when I began hearing how many people didn't know Dolly wrote this. Both lovely ladies blessed with amazing talent.
I never cared for Whitney's version, it seemed she was shouting "I will always love you" when she sang, and I grew up listening to Dolly's version, and it seemed so heartfelt and genuine, and if someone shouted those 5 words to me the way Whitney does would probably scare me more than anything.
Country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, from whom she was separating professionally after a seven-year partnership. She recorded it in RCA Studio B in Nashville on June 12, 1973.
And of course, the legendary Dolly song, "Jolene". Famously covered by many including "The White Stripes", and now Beyoncé as a centerpiece to her "Cowboy Carter" album. Beyoncé's take on the song is quite different from Dolly's original. 🙂
Dolly is a legend: a smart businesswoman and a genuinely good person. She does a lot for poor and marginalized communities. She’s done some great covers of rock songs and an album of new material. She has a duet with Rob Halford of Judas Priest that’s amazing!
This video is from The Porter Wagoner Show where she was "the girl singer." The song is written to Porter, host of the show, who was angry that she was leaving to go solo.
Dolly's got a ton of hits to mine. Coat of Many Colors is a good one. Dolly gifted Whitney with this when she heard it. She said Whitney's is better just like Nine Inch Nails did with Hurt
7:12 Don that’s exactly what it was. She was under Porter Wagner’s thumb and she was never going to be Dolly Parton as long as she worked for Porter Wagner that’s exactly what happened. She was never with him though he was her boss.
I think we need about 60 more people to mention that she wrote this song as a farewell to Porter Wagoner. People might miss that info if it's only every other comment. 😅 This song is a great example of how performance/interpretation can take the same lyrics and melody in two very different directions. Whitney's cover is a power ballad. It's primarily an expression of her own emotions, which are mega-scale (ain't no mountain high enough). Dolly's rendition is intimate. Less about the mighty high-low of her own emotions than about conveying the message to that one person, as if he's sitting right in front of her as she sings. So cool how great singers co-create something unique.
This was her song to Porter Wagoner, telling him she was leaving his show. She had tried to leave a couple of times before and he always made offers that kept her. She knew by this time that she had a strong chance as a solo artist and she was leaving for good. She was not inn love with porter, but she loved him and owed him a lot and made sure there were no hard feeling between them. Carl Dean and Dolly were from the same area in Tennessee and met at a laundromat in Nashville her first day there. She was raised in dire poverty (listen to her song "Coat of Many Colors") In a cabin near Sevierville, Tennessee. She was one of 11 children raised in a one room cabin by strict religious parents. back in those days, it was mostly poor Scot-Irish mountain people living there. You had to go over the mountain to see Cherokee and in some places of the Appalachians you might find a very poor black family. My people having come from there, I know it was a hard life. Probably not a mans book, but if you can, read the book Christy. it is very enlightening as to how the white people lived in those days. We were beyond pitiful. She felt comfortable with Carl Dean, he was like her people.
Christy is my favorite novel of all time. I used to teach in those NC mountains - all grades. The book is much better than the TV version. Now to go read it again!
Funny the man she wrote it for was not a lover but a dear friend. Porter Wagner and her toured together and she went solo. She gave him money and help him when he got older and did right by him. She met her husband the first day she got to Nashville and they were together for decades. He owned his own business and still worked and supported her doing what she wanted to do.
Lol BP your are a player through and through….. that baby girl and your misses will change your perspective. Dolly’s love was to Porter Wagner who hired her for his show. He taught her many things but didn’t want her to spread her wings professionally. This was her way to say Thank you, you hugely impacted my life and I will always love you because of it. Dolly is hard working, very business savvy and extremely generous.
I've tried singing this song, but I always choke up with tears at the Bittersweet memories and it's not always about the people that have come and gone in my life but the beloved pets I've said goodbye to at the end of their lives. Darn it... now my mind is going through every family member and pet that has gone home before me. I love them all.
She wrote this and " Jolene " on the same day. And yes, it was written for her singing duo partner Porter Wagner. She wanted to break out on her own and he wasn't too cool about it. She was letting him know that she needed to take her career in a different direction, but that didn't change her friendship with him.
This was not a song that she wrote romantically. It was for her moving away from her relationship with her mentor and business partner. Its a lovely song that can mean many things to other people
Unpopular opinion; Dollys version is my favorite. I first heard it in one of my favorite movies Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas. The studio version is magical
I absolutely LOVE Dolly! Can’t wait to go to Dollywood and hope to see her there. You’ve already been informed about the origin of this song so I won’t repeat what everyone is saying. 😊
The first time Dolly heard the Whitney Houston version was on her car radio. She had to park the car and get out so she could jump up and down and shout - she liked Whitney's version that much (of course the fact that it made her a ton of money could have something to do with it).
If you watch "The Bodyguard" (Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston), when they are in the country bar and dancing together, Dolly's version is being played in the background on the jukebox.
Whittney belted it out; with the power and the strength we came to love from her and it was great. What I see with Dolly is how EASY it is for her to express the pure raw, emotion and she 'hits all the notes' with out hardly raising her voice. Emotion just oozes out.
When Dolly debuted this song, it was on the Porter Waggoner Show. The song was written for Porter Waggoner, her mentor that she was leaving to pursue a solo career. This version is not the debut. In the debut, she is literally singing it to the person she wrote it for.
This "Dear John" song written and sung by Dolly Parton is Beautiful. This particular "Dear John" song was written and sung to Porter Wagner who passed away years ago. You cannot force anybody to love you, and also there are different kinds, different types of love. Please play ""Me and Little Andy ' which was also written and sung by Dolly Parton if you would. I would really appreciate it very, very much and I sincy thank you both for listening with the heart and mot just with your ears Have a Blessed Day. Adios.
Dolly wrote this song as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing to him her decision to pursue a solo career, He was very upset about her wanting to leave his show and she wanted him to know she didn’t want any hard feelings and how much she cared and appreciated their friendship.
Porter helped Dolly and is a great singer too. She sang this song to Porter Wagner and her wanting to pursue a solo career, not to her husband Carl. Dolly has always been a lady of virtue!
IMHO, while no one can dispute that Whitney did a great job with her power house vocals, her version can never compare to the sweetness, the simplistic beauty, of Dolly’s version. It’s so heartfelt it makes you want to cry.
She was on The Porter Wagoner Show as a young girl and they parted ways and she blew up....this song is supposed to be about him. He was famous for those sparkly western jackets...just a history lesson lol.
Dolly was a woman who had the total artistic talent of writing, composting, and singing her own music in a time where that was unheard of! Whitney had her own God given talent!! That Dolly paved the way for!! Thank you Dolly and Whitney ❤❤❤
Dude, I’m with you on the high road. It takes a measure of confidence to see someone you love off, and wish them well down the road. Dolly is a very kind person and she makes the world a better place just being in it.
US RCA Records Nashville re- serviced, the record several times to keep the attention on this record. Especially when Whitney covered the tune years later. The Dolly version has been on the Country charts a few times and RCA has re-mixed Dolly's hit as well. It's one of the most played country singles of all time.
Guys, people like to compare Whitney and Dolly singing this song. Don't bother. Both are great. Whitney was the powerful version; Dolly's is the soft version. BTW you should check out how many songs Dolly has written. It's in the hundreds. I grew up with Dolly but never knew how great she was.
Dudes their are more ways to love than romantic love!!! This was about a deep friendship. Porter Waggoner gave her the big break that her career was waiting for. She struggled with leaving, but didn’t want to just be the girl singer in Porter Waggoner’s band. She didn’t know how to tell him…and him think she was ungrateful…soooooo, SHE WROTE the song. Gettest thou minds out the GUTTER!!!!!
So I was in the theater watching a preview to The Bodyguard. Whitney was singing this song. I kept wondering why I knew every word. ?? Then it hit me. I knew this from Dolly Parton. Great song more matter who sings. I always enjoy your reactions. ❤
This was written by Dolly as a farewell to her long time singing partner Porter Wagoner as she decided to pursue a solo career, despite his wishes to continue as a duo. She didn't want him to be sad or mad as he had helped her a lot on her way. She wanted to follow her dreams and the break up was nothing to do with her love for him and what he did for her. Such a beautiful song.
:D As people in our 70's we've *both* managed to live through the '60's *twice!*
@JustMe-vk4fn I had to read your comment twice. LOL. I'm in my 50s. I was a 60s baby.
You guys must be friends for real! You make me laugh out loud in an empty room or if I have my headset on, a room full of people. Friends forever!!!😂😅
She was on his show. They weren't a couple and she was married
Yes she wrote it and it's the same one Whitney Houston sang in the bodyguard.
Somebody commented : "Whitney sang to the world, but Dolly sang to you."
She wrote this in dedication to Cole Porter who sort of discovered her when she broke their arrangement. She was on the Coke Porter show. It was mostly professional but with some personal
Porter Wagoner, not Cole Porter.
What a lovely way to express it ❤
And she sings it effortlessly.
@@emerje0 Like a bird!
She left the Porter Wagner show after 5 years, she kept telling him she wanted to go solo, he didn't "hear her" so she wrote him this song. So, he let her leave, then sued her. But later in life when he was destitute, and had to sell the rights to all of his songs, she bought them back and gave them to him, and at his death bead Dolly was there.
I did not know this. Dolly Parton for leader of the world - her heart is bigger than her other "assets" and it's okay, Black Pegasus, that you referred to her breasts, because she joked about them all the time. She knew they were an attraction. I can just see her smacking some ol' boys' heads together and setting the world right in a hot minute.
Porter had his own show. He had her as a guest & kept her on. She made the show & drew in the money & he knew it! But she wanted to do so many other things! That's why he was mad! He said if he could have that song, she could go. lol But she wrote that to Porter Wagner. I guess to soften the blow! lol She did love him like family, but it was time for her to expand! Or as R.E.O. Speedwagon would say, "Time for me to Fly!!
Yup she kept her word!
7 years she was with him. I thought
@@rondahaggard9727 Yes like an apprenticeship.
Dolly Parton invested her royalties from Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" into Black community projects in Nashville. A woman of pure class.
This song was not written for a romantic relationship, it was written for loss of a professional relationship. Porter Wagner was a partner, a mentor, and a great supporter of Dolly's career. She had decided to pursue a solo career and wanted to end her partnership with Porter on a good place, and to let him know that she would always love him.
Dolly's husband has always supported her career, but never wanted to be in the spotlight, she always respected and supported that too.
Porter sued her for a million dollars
For breach of contract. In court she said Porter you write my checks you know I don’t have a million dollars
Her husband and in-laws mortgaged
Their business to pay him
In later years Porter was in debt and she bought his songs years later he wanted to buy them back
She told him you can’t buy them. I’ll give them to you
@@wilmad100 i didn't know that part of the story, thank you
It would be great if you shared some information about the song (you would have to search Mr. Goggle) after you do your review. You wouldn't sound so ignorant (just meaning that you don't know). You really do get some things wrong. And it kinda makes me cringe.
But I do like your reviews and enjoy watching them. It is fun to see your appreciation for songs that are new to you!
14:59
Guys, read the comments. They're for real.
This is true! I hope he reads your post!!
Whitney's version leaves you breathless at the beauty of her voice. Dolly's version leaves you crying at the raw emotion.
Beauty of her auto tuned voice? Have you ever listened to the raw unedited tracks of Whitney singing?
Whitney's version has me switching radio stations. I can't stand the way she starts screeching.
The version Dolly sings in The Best Little Whorehouse is so utterly raw that I weep every time I hear it. And I've seen that movie at least 50 times.
@@kathyr2792Absolutely, 100%. The first few times, it wasn't bad and I could even enjoy it and get into it, but after constant radio play, Whitney's version just didn't stand the test of time, and her vocal performance doesn't say that she will always love someone. It says, "HEY!! LOOK AT ME!! ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME?!" She took an otherwise beautiful song, phrase, and sentiment and tried to place all the emphasis on the first word. Volume doesn't equal, nor convey, emotional sincerity.
What a perfect way to put it!!
I like Dolly’s version ten fold better than Whitney’s. No sleight to Whitney, she did great. Dolly’s version is just raw and beautiful.
I always think Whitney's is more polished and pitch perfect but this she sings with far more feeling Whitney's always feels to me a bit cold
@@gillianhollins3003Whitney's version altho fantastic, was more about showcasing her vocals. Dolly's is more heartfelt & tender.
Sorry, Whitney hit this out of the park and Dolly said so as well.
@@starlaryer4165 I do appreciate your opinion. I agree that Whitney did an amazing job with it. Never said otherwise. I just feel Dolly’s version is better.
100% true! Dolly brings out the heart of the song.
He wasn't "puttin' it down". She signed a 5 year contract to be on Porter Wagoner's tv show. After 5 years of being the "token girl singer" she wanted to branch out and go solo. He didn't like that, and wanted her to renew her contract, as the show's ratings were high. She got tired of talking to him about it, went home and wrote the song, and sang it to him the next day. At that point, he understood. He said she could go with his Blessing under 1 condition...that he could produce the song. Later, he was sued, lost his music catalogue, and was broke. During the same time, Dolly was making money. She managed to buy his music catalogue and gifted it back to him, mending any lingering hard feelings he harbored for her leaving his show at its peak. They remained friends until his death.
In the movie, Dolly's version is played on the jukebox when Kevin and Whitney were in a bar dancing. And Dolly is the GOAT!!!
Yeah, cool!
Kevin Costner was the one who brought this song to the director for consideration in the movie!! Smart move!!
That wasn’t Dolly’s version in the bar but a cover from another artist John Doe
John Doe. Yes that is the name associated with that particular cover.
John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac on February 25, 1954 in Decatur, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet,[1] guitarist and bass player. Doe co-founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member
No they never played Dolly's hit record. They must have had someone record a lame version of the song to be played in the honkytonk scene. That showed a certain contempt for country music.
Dolly actually wrote this song in 1973 for her one-time business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, who she was separating from professionally after a seven-year singing partnership.
Btw, Elvis wanted to record this song and Dolly was very flattered about this until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker demanded that, as "standard procedure", Dolly had to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded. Dolly refused and Elvis did not record the song. Dolly was so upset that she "cried all night."
True but she was smart enough to know that signing over publishing rights is a bad deal for any artist, she's an incredibly intelligent business woman. And years later when Whitney sang it, Dolly said she "absolutely loved her version, and laughing all the way to the bank too!"
7@@jamesbutler174She said she invested her 10 million from Whitney doing the song into a strip mall in the black community. This helped bring more investments to the area outside of Nashville that had been neglected.
@@epfanforever Wow that's amazing! 10 million in royalties for that song and she put it all to a community in need. She's a true Angel!
I hated Tom Parker because he kept Elvis from the World, just because of his illegal immigrants status.
@@jamesbutler174 It's not a bad deal when you sign over part of the publishing rights if Elvis Presley records your song because it is guaranteed to sell millions and make you millions.
Dolly did it out of principle.
Dolly Parton is a National Treasure ❤❤❤ Fabulous singer - writer - and a Very Fine Human Being ❤❤❤❤
She is a prolific song writer. The same night she wrote this song, she also wrote "Jolene!"
Isn’t that the craziest thing ?! That’s some In Spired writing !
I remember seeing her tell a story about how they were together on a tape or in a book , I want to know what else was there ?!
She's not just a great singer but a great person with an awesome sense of humour. She wasn't in love with Porter Waggoner, she was breaking off her contract with him so she could be independent against his wishes, but letting him know there was no hard feelings.
You are correct. I think she loved him as a friend but not in love with him as she was with her husband.
She actually IS a great singer
Porter Waggoner was her mentor and business partner. She LOVED him. She was not IN LOVE with him.
Dolly has written over 5,000 songs. 700+ of them have charted - Including 198 solo singles, 49 featured artist singles, 6 promotional singles, and 70+ music videos.
Dolly turned 78 in January and she has been married to Carl Dean since 1966 -- 58 years. Dolly wrote this song and another one in one evening and presented it to her boss, Porter Wagoner as she was leaving his show. She has written thousands of songs and is queen of country. She is an entrepreneur, an actor, director, producer, song-writer and singer. She grew up dirt poor with 6 brothers and 5 sisters. She is very charitable in the area she grew up in the Tennessee mountains.
When asked what she thought about Whitney's cover of the song, she said that song put money in the bank for me. When Whitney covered it, I bought the bank!
She was also asked how she felt about people saying that it's Whitney's song, and she said "I don't care whose song they think it is, as long as I get the check"!!! LOL Gotta love Dolly---she don't mince words!!!
Dolly wrote Jolene that same night. Elvis tried to buy this song but she would not sell the rights. A great woman that has blessed this world for a very long time.
Dolly is having a private conversation with someone important. Whitney was announcing something to the world. Same song - two interpretations.
nicely put!
You guys really need to stop being bitter and assuming the worst, those were different times!
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” as a farewell to her long-time mentor and collaborator, Porter Wagoner. The split came when she decided to pursue a solo career and separate from him in a professional capacity
She is an amazing person. For every child in the US under the age of 5, she will send them one book every month. She started Dollywood just to bring jobs for people living in the rural area she came from. She gave a million dollars during the pandemic for the development of the vaccines. She has done so much for decades. No one can ever say she has not given back. She started out extremely poor in a family of 12 kids living in a cabin in the Tennessee mountains.
Dolly had a #1 with it. 10 years later it was on the soundtrack of a movie starring Dolly & Burt Reynolds and it was #1 again. Dolly said she went to the bank on this song and when Whitney had her international hit with it, Dolly joked, "I bought the bank".
The "dude" was her mentor Porter Wagoner. She was leaving him to go out on her own.
Best Little Whore House in Texas is one of my all-time favorites!
That's one awesome movie.
The song also hit #1 again when Whitney passed. I’m pretty sure it holds the record for having multiple #1’s in multiple decades ❤
Whitney sang this song the way the producer told her to. Dolly, who wrote the song, performed it the way she wanted it heard
Legend has it, Dolly wrote this song and “Jolene” in the same night. She remarked in an interview about it “It was a good night for music.” ❤❤❤
PINK did a monologed when DOLLY was inducted to rock and roll hall of fame talking about this!
@@tammygarnett6038that was a kick ass performance by Dolly too! Pegasus needs to see that! And Jolene!
When you're in the zone you can do surprising things.
This was not a farewell song for a lover but a farewell song for a very close and special friend.
Dolly Parton was a legitimate child prodigy. By the age of ten she was playing her guitar and singing on radio and television in East Tennessee. She first appeared at the Grand Ole Opry at age 13. After high school she moved to Nashville and initially found success writing songs for others. As she began recording her own songs, she was invited to join a popular country entertainer named Porter Wagoner on his television show and tours. Over the next six or seven years, they had many successful duets on the country music charts. By 1974, at age 28, Dolly wanted to focus on her solo career, and she left her partnership with Wagoner. “I Will Always Love You” is not about a broken romance, but is Dolly's tribute to Wagoner for the significant role he had played in her early career.
Kids, . . . this song is NOT about a romantic breakup.
The "kids" part is just a little condescending.🤏 But it is not romantic break up, that we ever heard abouy. I love me some Dolly but back then those kind of things weren't spoken about. Love me some Dolly.
What in the world are you talking about.
She had decided to embark on a solo career, leaving her mentor, the person that had believed in her and given her "her break" in Country Music and it was very talked about back when it happened.
😂😂😂
This was not about the end of a romantic relationship. It was her good bye to mentor Porter Wagner who’s tv show she performed on as a regular and was under contract with. It was about her spreading her wings and flying away and his difficulty with accepting that. This was her peace offering.
That's what I read also...
If I'm not mistaken, Porter had a very hard time with it.. But in the end, when he was in financial difficulties, she bought back his music rights to his songs and gave them back to him.. Someone else who knows more will hopefully clarify if I got it wrong.. but she's always a freindcto the end.
It was a romantic relationship she was 19 years old and he was old enough to be her dad he paid to have her breasts done amongst other things
You guys should listen to Roy Orbison when he sings crying he's the only one that could hit three octaves with his voice
Dolly is a masterful songwriter! I love her voice! More Dolly please! ❤️🔥✌🏻
Dolly LOVED Whitney’s version. She’s written thousands of songs.
There will never be another Dolly, how sad that is. She is a walking legend.
I became a fan in 1970 when Dolly sang and yodeled "Muleskinner Blues."
I am a birthmother, and as I put my newborn in the arms of his adoptive parents, I sang this song, in Dolly's style, to my son.
To this day, 23 rs later, I cannot hear this without getting teary-eyed and weepy
Lots of granny hugz
it takes a lot of love and courage to give another person your baby. I pray that the pain has been reduced…God Loves you.
Thank you for giving your baby life and not only that but you gave her the best life you could.
Dolly is a national treasure.❤️
Dolly always has that teardrop in her voice that always gets me
The song “Jolene” is about a hot bank teller that Dolly was afraid would steal her husband. I can only imagine how smokin that teller must’ve been for Dolly to be threatened.
Could be. However, a man can have the most desired woman in the world as a wife but if she is always gone on tours and working, another woman who is right in front of him and showing interest could be just attractive and still get his attention. I have no doubt both had affairs but with an understanding that at the end of the day, they are there for each other. If I'm wrong, Carl has to be an angel to put up with being the man in the shadows of a woman like Dolly. Between music and movies, she had to have been gone a lot.
@@mortimerbrewster3671 Is well known that her husband asked for her to keep him out of the spotlight. He wasn't "the man in the shadows" because of her.
@@rkb5472 No where in my comment did I say he was in the shadows because of her. I'm well aware of it being his choice but that does not negate my point.
Now do "9 to 5". Fun song and the typewriter backbeat will befuddle anyone born after 1990. 😂
Dolly actually created that typewriter backbeat while they were filming the movie just walking around in between takes by rubbing her fake acrylic nails together. This woman is all around genius.
Don, don't delete your life. Archive them online, a usb or in a box in real life. Someday you will look at them and not be sad and happy you have them to remember the time. I'm old, I just went through THOUSANDS of photos doing 'Swedish Death Cleaning" this week and I was so happy to be reminded of things I thought I never wanted to think about again because decades later I could appreciate the lessons and good times.
And , the worst part is this part , and it gets so much better , if you pay attention and let it .
Sometimes , divorce is a blessing and it leads to new things. ❤
Dolly is just sitting there and hitting those notes with ZERO effort. Thats the craziest thing, imagine if she stood up and actually put her back into it
Ms. Dolly said the first time she heard Whitney's rendition of her song it blew her away. She loved Whitney's version. Ms. Dolly has written more than a hundred songs not only recorded by herself but some of the biggest stars in music today. She built Dolly Wood in Sevierville, Tn, has given away millions on causes she believes in. I could go for hours on the ways Ms. Dolly has given back to the world and has remained humble kind and grateful for the life she has. She also has a great sense of humor.
Dolly also said she loved all the money Whitney's version made her as the songwriter!
@@ruthlafler5622she gave that away.
Its not what you thought.. its a well known story about porter Wagoner who's show she was on.. and after 5 years, she wanted to leave, and he didn't want to let her. She was married and still is married, song has nothing to do with a romantic relationship.
If you go down the Dolly road, and want another one that gets into the feels, Hard Candy Christmas is high on the list.
She wrote it for Porter Waggoner when she went solo and she sang it at his funeral.
It was her friend (Porter Wagner) that had a tv show and helped her start her career, but he would not let her go. She needed to leave and he wouldn't let her go and sued her for leaving but she still considered him a friend and his family like her family and took care of them later in life because she was grateful to him. She truly has a beautiful soul and such talent! Dolly obviously went on to have an amazing career and is still writing and singing and touring sometimes but her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2019 so she is taking a break to care for him.
She wrote and sang this when she was leaving the Porter Wagner show to go off on her own
She explained it on show.
We all know Dolly and Kenny Rogers loved each other but they respected each other's relationships. Beautiful, talented people.
Her husband is Carl Dean and stays out of the spotlight. Despite her chemistry with Kenny Rogers, she and Carl have a very strong and long-lasting marriage.
Over 60 years in fact! ❤️
Carl died
@@sandralybrand9425 58 years, they were married in 1966.
@@mikedineen7857 Carl Dean is still alive and is 81 years old.
@@mikedineen7857 Carl is still alive but was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a couple years ago. Dolly isn't touring right now because she wants to spend as much time with her husband while he still remembers her. Carl was never 1 for the spotlight and Dolly respected that.
Dolly and Whitney; Two stellar talents both with a unique approach to the same song.
You could've also Googled who she wrote the song about. It was written to Porter Waggoner who she was under contract to professionally. She was ready to fly and go solo. This was her goodbye to him. It fractured their relationship but they eventually made amends.
What a sweetheart Dolly is…💕 Her loveliness shines through whether she’s talking or singing.💕
Dolly wrote and sang this for a friend/business partner/coworker. Whitney sang for a lover. Two different audiences and no real comparison since they have different meanings.
Also, as the original creator/performer it’s her song not her version.
Big thumbs up for Dolly! I've always liked her songs. Whitney did great with this one. Surprised me when I began hearing how many people didn't know Dolly wrote this. Both lovely ladies blessed with amazing talent.
Written in one day.
When you know you know.
It doesn’t take forever to say what you feel.
Just say it.
Awww I love me some Dolly...she sang this song in the movie - "The best little whore house in Texas" lol
I never cared for Whitney's version, it seemed she was shouting "I will always love you" when she sang, and I grew up listening to Dolly's version, and it seemed so heartfelt and genuine, and if someone shouted those 5 words to me the way Whitney does would probably scare me more than anything.
Country music singer-songwriter Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, from whom she was separating professionally after a seven-year partnership. She recorded it in RCA Studio B in Nashville on June 12, 1973.
And of course, the legendary Dolly song, "Jolene". Famously covered by many including "The White Stripes", and now Beyoncé as a centerpiece to her "Cowboy Carter" album. Beyoncé's take on the song is quite different from Dolly's original. 🙂
Much prefer Dolly's version! ❤❤❤
That's what I was going to recommend too. Though I love the original the most.
Dolly is a legend: a smart businesswoman and a genuinely good person. She does a lot for poor and marginalized communities. She’s done some great covers of rock songs and an album of new material. She has a duet with Rob Halford of Judas Priest that’s amazing!
This video is from The Porter Wagoner Show where she was "the girl singer." The song is written to Porter, host of the show, who was angry that she was leaving to go solo.
This is for Porter Wagoner. She very much loves her husband. Not everyone cheats guys
please do Dolly Parton coat of many color this song is about true story
Dolly's got a ton of hits to mine. Coat of Many Colors is a good one. Dolly gifted Whitney with this when she heard it. She said Whitney's is better just like Nine Inch Nails did with Hurt
7:12 Don that’s exactly what it was. She was under Porter Wagner’s thumb and she was never going to be Dolly Parton as long as she worked for Porter Wagner that’s exactly what happened. She was never with him though he was her boss.
I think we need about 60 more people to mention that she wrote this song as a farewell to Porter Wagoner. People might miss that info if it's only every other comment. 😅
This song is a great example of how performance/interpretation can take the same lyrics and melody in two very different directions. Whitney's cover is a power ballad. It's primarily an expression of her own emotions, which are mega-scale (ain't no mountain high enough). Dolly's rendition is intimate. Less about the mighty high-low of her own emotions than about conveying the message to that one person, as if he's sitting right in front of her as she sings. So cool how great singers co-create something unique.
This was her song to Porter Wagoner, telling him she was leaving his show.
She had tried to leave a couple of times before and he always made offers that kept her.
She knew by this time that she had a strong chance as a solo artist and she was leaving for good.
She was not inn love with porter, but she loved him and owed him a lot and made sure there were no hard feeling between them.
Carl Dean and Dolly were from the same area in Tennessee and met at a laundromat in Nashville her first day there.
She was raised in dire poverty (listen to her song "Coat of Many Colors") In a cabin near Sevierville, Tennessee.
She was one of 11 children raised in a one room cabin by strict religious parents. back in those days, it was mostly poor Scot-Irish mountain people living there.
You had to go over the mountain to see Cherokee and in some places of the Appalachians you might find a very poor black family. My people having come from there, I know it was a hard life.
Probably not a mans book, but if you can, read the book Christy. it is very enlightening as to how the white people lived in those days. We were beyond pitiful.
She felt comfortable with Carl Dean, he was like her people.
Christy is my favorite novel of all time. I used to teach in those NC mountains - all grades. The book is much better than the TV version. Now to go read it again!
Thanks for delving into Dolly music...she is country icon!
Only Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris have been gifted with pure angelic voices from the heavens.
I really like rebas voice
Funny the man she wrote it for was not a lover but a dear friend. Porter Wagner and her toured together and she went solo. She gave him money and help him when he got older and did right by him. She met her husband the first day she got to Nashville and they were together for decades. He owned his own business and still worked and supported her doing what she wanted to do.
Lol BP your are a player through and through….. that baby girl and your misses will change your perspective. Dolly’s love was to Porter Wagner who hired her for his show. He taught her many things but didn’t want her to spread her wings professionally. This was her way to say Thank you, you hugely impacted my life and I will always love you because of it. Dolly is hard working, very business savvy and extremely generous.
I've tried singing this song, but I always choke up with tears at the Bittersweet memories and it's not always about the people that have come and gone in my life but the beloved pets I've said goodbye to at the end of their lives. Darn it... now my mind is going through every family member and pet that has gone home before me. I love them all.
She wrote this and " Jolene " on the same day. And yes, it was written for her singing duo partner Porter Wagner. She wanted to break out on her own and he wasn't too cool about it. She was letting him know that she needed to take her career in a different direction, but that didn't change her friendship with him.
This was not a song that she wrote romantically. It was for her moving away from her relationship with her mentor and business partner. Its a lovely song that can mean many things to other people
I love both singers, but the emotion you can hear when Dolly sings is just so poignant. Her version will make me cry.
This is why the 70s where so very special
Dolly is and will always be a legend ❤❤❤❤. One of my favorite female singers of all time. Thank you Dolly for always being real❤🎉❤
Unpopular opinion; Dollys version is my favorite. I first heard it in one of my favorite movies Best Little Wh*rehouse in Texas. The studio version is magical
I absolutely LOVE Dolly! Can’t wait to go to Dollywood and hope to see her there. You’ve already been informed about the origin of this song so I won’t repeat what everyone is saying. 😊
The first time Dolly heard the Whitney Houston version was on her car radio. She had to park the car and get out so she could jump up and down and shout - she liked Whitney's version that much (of course the fact that it made her a ton of money could have something to do with it).
To me this is and will always be Dolly's song. Idc what anyone says. Dolly touches your soul
Sorry, all you Whitney fans, but I'll ALWAYS love the way Dolly sings her song. (I'm sure Dolly was happy that Whitney had such a big hit.)
❤ Love Dolly Parton. Such a wonderful humble human being.
If you watch "The Bodyguard" (Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston), when they are in the country bar and dancing together, Dolly's version is being played in the background on the jukebox.
Whittney belted it out; with the power and the strength we came to love from her and it was great. What I see with Dolly is how EASY it is for her to express the pure raw, emotion and she 'hits all the notes' with out hardly raising her voice. Emotion just oozes out.
When Dolly debuted this song, it was on the Porter Waggoner Show. The song was written for Porter Waggoner, her mentor that she was leaving to pursue a solo career.
This version is not the debut. In the debut, she is literally singing it to the person she wrote it for.
This "Dear John" song written and sung by Dolly Parton is Beautiful. This particular "Dear John" song was written and sung to Porter Wagner who passed away years ago. You cannot force anybody to love you, and also there are different kinds, different types of love. Please play ""Me and Little Andy ' which was also written and sung by Dolly Parton if you would. I would really appreciate it very, very much and I sincy thank you both for listening with the heart and mot just with your ears
Have a Blessed Day. Adios.
Dolly has the sweetest voice
Dolly wrote this song as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing to him her decision to pursue a solo career, He was very upset about her wanting to leave his show and she wanted him to know she didn’t want any hard feelings and how much she cared and appreciated their friendship.
Porter helped Dolly and is a great singer too. She sang this song to Porter Wagner and her wanting to pursue a solo career, not to her husband Carl. Dolly has always been a lady of virtue!
IMHO, while no one can dispute that Whitney did a great job with her power house vocals, her version can never compare to the sweetness, the simplistic beauty, of Dolly’s version. It’s so heartfelt it makes you want to cry.
She was on The Porter Wagoner Show as a young girl and they parted ways and she blew up....this song is supposed to be about him. He was famous for those sparkly western jackets...just a history lesson lol.
This song always makes me cry. Dolly's and Whitney's verison has passion and love in their voice.
Y’all should check out the song she wrote for her induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame
Dolly was a woman who had the total artistic talent of writing, composting, and singing her own music in a time where that was unheard of! Whitney had her own God given talent!! That Dolly paved the way for!! Thank you Dolly and Whitney ❤❤❤
Got news for you ! Dolly Parton has written thousands of songs and not just for herself but for others singers big hits!❤❤❤❤
Whitney's cover was a big production for the world. When Dolly sings it, it's close and personal and intimate.
Thank you Don!!! Yes the magic word "mature" ...you can use words in such a more meaningful and beautiful way with a little intelligence...
This is why this will always be Dolly Parton’s song… again the emotion involved is just spot-on
Dolly once said, " she bought the Bank " when Whitney recorded it!!!!!
Dude, I’m with you on the high road. It takes a measure of confidence to see someone you love off, and wish them well down the road. Dolly is a very kind person and she makes the world a better place just being in it.
US RCA Records Nashville re- serviced, the record several times to keep the attention on this record. Especially when Whitney covered the tune years later. The Dolly version has been on the Country charts a few times and RCA has re-mixed Dolly's hit as well. It's one of the most played country singles of all time.
Dolly has written so many songs, sometimes more than one in a day.
Guys, people like to compare Whitney and Dolly singing this song. Don't bother. Both are great. Whitney was the powerful version; Dolly's is the soft version. BTW you should check out how many songs Dolly has written. It's in the hundreds. I grew up with Dolly but never knew how great she was.
Dudes their are more ways to love than romantic love!!! This was about a deep friendship. Porter Waggoner gave her the big break that her career was waiting for. She struggled with leaving, but didn’t want to just be the girl singer in Porter Waggoner’s band. She didn’t know how to tell him…and him think she was ungrateful…soooooo, SHE WROTE the song. Gettest thou minds out the GUTTER!!!!!
So I was in the theater watching a preview to The Bodyguard. Whitney was singing this song. I kept wondering why I knew every word. ?? Then it hit me. I knew this from Dolly Parton. Great song more matter who sings. I always enjoy your reactions. ❤
Dolly Parton is the best country singer every. Everything she put out was great...she is an angel and a blessing to us all