The most awarded female artist of all time according to Guinness World Records, R&B/Pop singer, Whitney Houston, and the Queen of Country Music, Dolly Parton, are two very different artists, but through one song they prove that there are certain truths and emotions common to us all in this life. Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You", and many artists have done covers of her song, but Dolly and Whitney will always be the key names associated with this classic.
The two versions have become very popular and many have claimed which one is their favorite. I like both versions because I feel that while it is one song and the emotions are similar, the perspectives the two artists are singing from are quite different.
Two Versions of the Classic
Whitney Houston’s version of the song seems to be sung in more of a present tone evoking a passionate urgency. The soulful saxophone solo played by Kirk Whalum has a way of almost encompassing the “bittersweet memories.” Houston’s version is in part moving on and at the same time desperately calling the love back to her life. Parton’s take on the song is more looking back on the memories and singing the song as if it were a story she has separated herself from in order to give comfort to the one she is writing the song for, especially during the parts where she speaks the words of the song. Great country songs tend to tell a story, and that is exactly what Dolly does with "I Will Always Love You". Her version contains extended trills that make this especially heartfelt because it comes forth in a natural way.
What does the song I will always love you mean to me?
It means true love. The phrase, "If you love someone, you need to be able to let them go", is that selfless sacrifice that this song reminds us of. The song displays the power of music to alter a situation that may seem negative into something that could possibly be beautiful. It is a song that heals and sings of a life that is most certainly worth living despite any heartache or pain one may go through. It is the heartache and pain that creates those unbelievably happy moments that you wouldn not want to trade for anything in the world.
Forever on Repeat
"I Will Always Love You" is a song that stands the test of time and shows that there are loves that never do fade away, and for the better, they are a part of who we are and who we will be, and that is someone who has been and is loved.
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