I Will Always Love You is one of the most famous love songs ever recorded.

But there’s an interesting detail that many listeners still don’t know.

Whitney Houston didn’t write I Will Always Love You.

Dolly Parton did.

In fact, Parton wrote and recorded the song almost two decades before Houston turned it into an international pop phenomenon.

Who wrote I Will Always Love You?

Dolly Parton wrote I Will Always Love You.

She wrote the song in the early 1970s while preparing to end her professional partnership with country singer and television personality Porter Wagoner.

Parton had joined The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967, and the partnership played an important role in establishing her career.

Eventually, however, Parton wanted to move on.

Wagoner reportedly did not want the partnership to end.

Rather than trying to explain everything through another argument, Parton did what she did best.

She wrote a song.

Who was I Will Always Love You written about?

I Will Always Love You was written for Porter Wagoner.

That surprises many listeners because the lyrics sound like the end of a romantic relationship.

Parton and Wagoner weren’t a couple.

This was a professional farewell.

Parton later explained that the message was essentially that she appreciated everything Wagoner had done for her but needed to leave.

When she played the song to him, Wagoner cried and agreed that Parton could leave their partnership provided he was allowed to produce the recording.

That makes the song much more interesting.

It isn’t really about falling out of love.

It’s about loving and appreciating someone while knowing you still need to move on.

When did Dolly Parton release I Will Always Love You?

Dolly Parton’s original version was released in 1974.

It appeared on her album Jolene.

The song reached number one on the country chart.

Parton then recorded it again for the 1982 film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Remarkably, that version also reached number one on the country chart.

The song was already a country classic before Whitney Houston ever recorded it.

Whitney Houston records I Will Always Love You

Everything changed again in 1992.

Whitney Houston was starring alongside Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard and needed a song for the film.

Houston recorded a dramatically different version of I Will Always Love You.

Instead of Parton’s restrained country arrangement, Houston’s version begins almost completely exposed, with her voice carrying the opening lines before the enormous production arrives.

It became a worldwide phenomenon.

Houston’s recording spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

For millions of people, it became the definitive recording of the song.

But the underlying composition remained Dolly Parton’s.

Did Dolly Parton own I Will Always Love You?

Parton’s decision to maintain control of her songwriting became one of the defining business decisions of her career.

She retained ownership of a huge music catalogue containing thousands of songs.

Forbes estimated in 2025 that Parton’s catalogue was worth around $120 million and specifically highlighted I Will Always Love You and 9 to 5 among its most valuable compositions.

That ownership meant other artists recording her songs could create enormous financial value for Parton as the songwriter.

And Whitney Houston’s version created a lot of value.

Did Elvis Presley nearly record I Will Always Love You?

Yes.

Years before Whitney Houston recorded it, Elvis Presley was interested in performing I Will Always Love You.

But the potential recording came with a major condition involving publishing rights.

Parton refused to surrender the level of ownership requested in order to get an Elvis recording.

At the time, turning down Elvis Presley must have been an extraordinary decision for a songwriter.

In hindsight, retaining ownership was enormously valuable.

Her approach to ownership became an important part of how Parton built her fortune.

Did Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston ever sing I Will Always Love You together?

The two artists became permanently connected through the song even though their versions couldn’t sound much more different.

Parton’s recording is intimate and unmistakably country.

Houston transformed the same composition into an enormous vocal showcase.

Rather than being threatened by Houston’s success with her song, Parton repeatedly celebrated it.

That attitude is understandable.

Houston had demonstrated something remarkable about Parton’s songwriting.

Strip away the production.

Change the genre.

Change the vocalist.

Change the decade.

The song still works.

Why is I Will Always Love You so famous?

The simplicity is part of its power.

There is no complicated story to understand.

The narrator knows that leaving is necessary while still caring deeply for the person being left behind.

That emotion can apply to a romantic relationship, friendship, professional partnership or almost any meaningful goodbye.

It is why a song written about Dolly Parton leaving Porter Wagoner’s television programme could eventually become one of the most famous love songs in history.

And it is a perfect example of what made Parton such an exceptional songwriter.

Following Dolly Parton’s death at 80, I Will Always Love You will inevitably be one of the songs listeners return to most.

Whitney Houston may have created its most famous recording.

But the words, melody and story began with Dolly Parton.