I bet there isn’t a single woman out there who can’t help but crank up this classic hit whenever she’s in need of an instant pick-me-up! I know I’m the first one to whack on The Bodyguard soundtrack when I’m in the mood for some mirror dancing!
Okay, so none of us can ever do this track justice, no matter how many Vodka and Oranges we’ve had before we stumble up to do karaoke, but for those of us who realise just how bloody good this little number is, here is a bit of history for you…
First of all, it’s important to remember that our favourite blonde country Barbie doll, Dolly Parton was actually the little starlet who first recorded this song, only to have her limelight ripped away when Whitney gave it the once over for the film The Bodyguard; with all credit to her though, she did make it one of the best-selling singles of all time, and the best selling single ever by a female artist.
Dolly Parton Version
It’s only fair that before we bang on about how much we love Whitney Houston, we honour the lovely little lady who made it all possible after penning the song in 1973.
She has said in interviews that she originally wrote the song for her one-time partner and mentor Porter Wagoner; with whom she was going through a rough patch with at the time, and as a result, the lyrics seem to express a bittersweet and poignant tinge.
The single reached number 1 on the Billboard' Hot Country Songs a month later, but unlike the version we all know and love, this one had just modest success on the pop charts.
Whitney Houston Version
The true (but sad) fact is that if you asked the general public who sang I Will Always Love You, it’s a pretty safe bet that over half will probably plump for Whitney Houston, and not have a clue that our 9-5 girl had any input whatsoever.
The song was re-recorded in 1992 to go with her debut film appearance in The Bodyguard, but in actual fact, the original song was supposed to be Jimmy Ruffin's What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, as the lead single, however, when it was discovered the song was to be used for Fried Green Tomatoes, it made sense to plump for a different song. Thank God for that!
There’s no denying that the cover was a massive worldwide success, as it shifted a whopping 12 million copies worldwide and soon became a regular on countdown lists: appearing at number 8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years; number 4 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s and number 1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Love Songs.
It spent fourteen weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, which at the time was a record and it has since become Whitney’s longest run at number 1. Horray! What’s more, she even beat that fella Bryan Adams’ hit (Everything I Do) I Do It for You") by selling 400,000 copies in its second week of release, making it the best-selling song in a single week, even better though, it even went and broke its own record in the following three weeks, peaking at 632,000 copies!
So, we know that you and I love it more than sweets, but I bet Whitney loves it even more after it was certified 4xPlatinum in the U.S. for shipments of over 4 million copies and another whopping six million worldwide, making it the third best-selling single in the world, the biggest selling single by a female artist and the biggest selling non-charity single.
So if that doesn’t make you love it, I really don’t know what will - it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it!
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Tagged in Whitney Houston