“Who else is listening in 2024?” a fan commented on a live video of Dolly Parton performing “I Will Always Love You” in the 1970s. A lot of people are listening in 2024, actually, as Dolly fans gathered to discuss the classic song in the comments of the YouTube video.
Specifically, fans were comparing two iconic versions of the song—Dolly Parton’s original recording from 1974, and Whitney Houston’s powerhouse cover in 1992. The consensus was—well, there really was no consensus. Fans agreed and disagreed left and right. They didn’t necessarily argue with each other, but came to the conclusion that both versions have their own merits.
“[Dolly’s] version sounds sweet and romantic. Whitney’s version sounds intense and mourning. Both versions are amazing as always,” one fan wrote.
Another commented, “Regardless of who sings it best, the songwriting was a masterpiece by Dolly.” Elsewhere, someone discovered something new about the song, writing, “Learned today that Dolly originally wrote this song. What a fun surprise, and a great original.”
[RELATED: The Downside of Dolly Parton’s Signature Look: “It Hurt My Feelings So Bad”]
Fans Compare Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston on “I Will Always Love You,” Can’t Decide Who Sings it Best
While things stayed relatively civil between fans in the comments, there were some heated moments. Some fans simply stated that “Dolly’s is better,” while another wrote, “Houston #1 for ever.” Some even explained their reasoning.
“I like this version over Whitney’s. It’s raw, you can feel the words as she sings them and see the pain in her face,” one fan wrote. Another commented with a strong opinion, writing, “Whitney kinda ruins it actually by taking a simple heartfelt song and turning it into a “look at how I can over sing this baby!” kind of thing.”
Another fan had a rebuttal to that, writing, “To say Whitney ruins it is absolutely absurd, they both have different styles of singing which is equally impressive, they’re both vocal icons in their own genres.”
One fan in particular shared an anecdote that supposedly came from Dolly Parton. “Dolly has even said that Whitney’s version was better. She’s come out & said she likes when other artists cover her songs & make it their own. Very humble & kindhearted person,” they wrote.
Parton’s Real-Life Reaction to Hearing Houston’s Cover
Specifically, Dolly Parton has explained in the past how she first reacted to hearing Whitney Houston singing “I Will Always Love You.” In 2020, she spoke with Oprah Winfrey about hearing the cover on the radio.
“My heart just started to beat so fast and then when she got into ‘I Will Always Love You,’ when that opened up, and I realized that was my song, it was the most overwhelming thing,” Parton told Winfrey. She explained that she was driving from her office to her home in Brentwood, Tennessee, and “I was shot so full of adrenaline and energy, I had to pull off [the road] because I was afraid that I would wreck, so I pulled over quick as I could to listen to that whole song.”
She continued, “I could not believe how she did that. I mean, how beautiful it was that my little song had turned into that, so that was a major, major thing.”
Featured Image by Nancy Barr Brandon/MediaPunch/Shutterstock
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