Few singers have it in them to cover famous songs from other artists and make them entirely their own.
But when Whitney Houston covered Dolly Parton’s old country hit, ‘I Will Always Love’, for her motion picture debut in 1992, she not only eclipsed the original recording – artistically, but created with it – the most iconic moment in Pop music history, for a female artist.
The impact of that song was so huge, it largely contributed to not only her own legacy, but also helped shape how female voices were going to be molded thereon.
But among some interesting tidbits and trivia we know about that song, one now comes from the mouth of another legendary diva – Miss Patti LaBelle.
In a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the 75 year old powerhouse performer revealed how Dolly Parton offered her to do the song, much before Houston got her hands on it.
“I said to Dolly, ‘Oh yes, I want to do that song, honey!'” – Patti told the host.
But since Patti respected and admired Whitney, for her own gigantic gifts – she backed-out after finding out the latter had already recorded it, before she could say ‘yes’ to it.
Interestingly, I Will Always Love You is one song which also got some attention from late music icon, Elvis Presley – as he approached Dolly to record his own version of the same. For whatsoever reasons back in the day, Dolly declined the offer.
The country singer later agreed to have Whitney re-record the song, after the producers of The Bodyguard approached her for the same.