Dolly Parton‘s relationship with Whitney Houston is founded upon their shared song, “I Will Always Love You”. Parton wrote the song, and Houston covered it. However, this simple exchange would forever connect them in the music industry. And if not for Parton’s willingness to share the song, Whitney Houston would have never scored her biggest all-time hit.
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That being said, the story isn’t quite that simple and brief. As a matter of fact, Dolly Parton was so amazed by Houston’s cover song that it nearly caused her to get into a car accident.
How Whitney Houston Almost Turned Dolly Parton’s Routine Ride Into a Disaster
If you listen to Parton’s original version and Whitney Houston’s cover, the two starkly contrast with one another. In the song, there isn’t any enormous difference in the lyrics or arrangements. However, Houston’s voice takes the scale of the song to a level Parton didn’t know was possible. This is ultimately why Dolly Parton nearly crashed her car after hearing it for the first time.
In an Instagram video honoring Houston and promoting the film I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Parton recalled how her initial reaction almost derailed her routine car ride home.
“I was driving home in my car from my office, going through Brentwood, a little town by where I live in Nashville,” said Parton. “I just heard this voice come on the radio. It kind of rang a bell, but it didn’t hit because she was kind of talking it. Then, all of a sudden, it went into the ‘I Will Always Love You’ part, and I just about wrecked. I had to pull off the side of the road, seriously, to listen to it.”
Very rarely does music impact one to such an extent. Though, it is no surprise that Houston had this effect on Dolly Parton.
Concerning her affinity for the song, Parton stated that she was “overwhelmed” and that Houston “made it so much more than it ever would have been.” Houston did, in fact, take the song to another level, as it not only peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 but also became one of the most popular love songs of the 20th century. Dolly Parton’s rendition is phenomenal, but we and Parton can agree that Houston’s version is transcendent and beyond iconic.
Whitney Houston performing at Wembley Arena, London, UK 5 May 1988 via Getty Images
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