The Business Decision That Left Dolly Parton In Tears – And Made Her A Fortune

NEW YORK - AUGUST 1978: Dolly Parton performing unrecorded connected shape successful New York successful August 1978 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

Redferns

Dolly Parton – who died Tuesday astatine property 80 – didn’t go 1 of the astir successful entertainers of her clip without shedding a fewer tears on the way.

One determination that near her heartbroken? When she said “no” to Elvis Presley.

In March 1974, Parton released “I Will Always Love You,” a soaring state ballad she penned in-part arsenic a farewell to longtime collaborator Porter Wagoner. As tv entertainers and duet partners, she and Wagoner shared the shape together for years anterior to Parton launching a bona fide solo profession successful the mid-1970s.

Shortly aft Parton released the song, Elvis Presley took a liking to “I Will Always Love You.”

“I sewage the connection that he was going to grounds it, and I was truthful excited,” Parton told CMT successful 2006. “I told everybody I knew, ‘Elvis is going to grounds my song. You’re not going to judge who’s signaling my song.’”

Dolly Parton Doesn’t Sell To Elvis

Eventually, Parton received a telephone from Presley’s longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Yes, Presley wanted to screen “I Will Always Love You.” The catch? He wanted half of the song’s publishing, which would guarantee Presley a 50% trim of opus royalties for arsenic agelong arsenic he owned the rights.

Parton declined the offer.

She told W Magazine successful 2021: “I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t springiness you the publishing.’ I wanted to perceive Elvis singing it, and it collapsed my heart—I cried each night. But I had to support that copyright successful my pocket. You person to return attraction of your [business]. Everybody’s going to usage you if they can. These are my songs—they’re for illustration my children.”

Diamond-Selling Cover

It proved to beryllium a profitable decision, of course. Whitney Houston later covered “I Will Always Love You” for 1992 movie The Bodyguard, capturing 1 of the astir memorable vocal performances successful popular euphony history.

Houston’s rendition became a wildly successful opus successful the 1990s and beyond; it has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, 1 of the rarest commercialized achievements successful the euphony business.

Parton’s signaling of “I Will Always Love You” hasn’t done excessively bad, either. The opus received a Platinum certification from the RIAA successful 2021 and – astatine publication clip – has been played much than 168 cardinal times connected Spotify, making it her 5th most-popular song.

By saying “no” to trading her publishing, Parton turned a fewer tears into 1 of the astir profitable decisions a songwriter could make. Or, as she joked later successful her career, that determination yet brought her “enough money to bargain Graceland.”

And while location mightiness not beryllium a signaling of Presley crooning “I Will Always Love You,” he still recovered his measurement to the song, Parton told W Magazine.

“Priscilla, Elvis’s wife, told maine that erstwhile she and Elvis divorced, Elvis sang my opus to her,” she said successful 2021. “That touched maine truthful deeply. And they besides played the opus astatine Whitney Houston’s funeral. After that, I thought, I stake they’ll play the aforesaid opus erstwhile I go.”