On this day (February 4) in 1974, Dolly Parton released Jolene. It became a top 10 hit on the Top Country Albums chart. The LP also contained two of Parton’s most enduring hits in “I Will Always Love You” and the title track. Moreover, it was released around the time she announced the end of her professional relationship with Porter Wagoner, marking the beginning of her solo career and an incredibly successful period of her career.
Videos by American Songwriter
Parton joined The Porter Wagoner Show in September 1967, less than two weeks before she released her debut album, Hello, I’m Dolly. Over the next seven years, she released 11 more solo albums. She and Wagoner put out as many albums in the same stretch of time.
By early 1974, Parton was feeling constrained by their professional relationship. While her time on Wagoner’s TV series and road show helped launch her career, she wanted more than that position could offer. Parton wanted more control over her output and more freedom to move forward as she saw fit. Walking away from Wagoner was the only way she would achieve that.
Dolly Parton Says Goodbye with a Massive Hit
Dolly Parton voiced her desire to part ways with Porter Wagoner, but she couldn’t get through to him with words alone. As a result, she wrote a song to express her feelings about their partnership and her need to move on. That song was “I Will Always Love You.”
According to Songfacts, Wagoner thought Parton’s choice to leave his show was a mistake. He pushed back against her desire to strike out on her own. “I Will Always Love You” was her way of bringing the drawn-out conversation to an end. “I wrote that song to say, ‘Here’s how I feel. I will always love you, but I have to go,” Parton explained.
The song worked where speaking to Wagoner wouldn’t. He called it the “prettiest song” he’d ever heard and agreed not to stand in Parton’s way. Months after she played it for him the first time, they officially announced her departure from the show.
Nearly two decades later, in 1992, Whitney Houston recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard. It became a massive hit, topping charts in multiple countries and winning multiple Grammy Awards.
Featured Image by George Rose/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.