“I Will Always Love You”: Whitney vs Dolly – Power or Purity ?
It’s one of the greatest love ballads of all time. But beneath its beauty lies a powerful debate: whose version speaks louder—Dolly Parton’s raw, heartfelt farewell or Whitney Houston’s soaring, cinematic anthem ?
Dolly wrote I Will Always Love You in 1973 as a personal goodbye to her mentor Porter Wagoner. Her version is simple, quiet, and unfiltered. No vocal acrobatics, just tender truth. She wasn’t trying to impress—she was trying to heal. It’s a letter of love and letting go, whispered rather than shouted.
Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You (Live)
Then came Whitney in 1992, turning the song into a global phenomenon. Her voice—powerful, majestic, unforgettable—transformed Dolly’s gentle farewell into an emotional tsunami. The dramatic modulation, the final belted “And I…” shook the world. It became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history.
Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
But with all the vocal fireworks, did it lose the rawness of Dolly’s original? Some say Whitney made the song hers. Others say only Dolly truly lived it.
Two women. One song. Two different kinds of heartbreak.
Which version lives in your heart ?