Dolly Parton Wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the Same Day
And she turned down Elvis when his manager asked for half the rights.
Dolly Parton has written thousands of songs. Two of her most famous may have come out of a single day of writing in the early 1970s.
Two classics
Parton has said in interviews that she wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day. Jolene became one of her signature hits in 1973. I Will Always Love You was a goodbye to her longtime partner and mentor, Porter Wagoner, when she left his TV show to go solo.
Saying no to Elvis
Elvis Presley wanted to record I Will Always Love You. But his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, insisted on half of the song's publishing rights. Parton said no, even though it broke her heart.
The payoff
In 1992 Whitney Houston recorded the song for the film The Bodyguard. Her version became one of the best-selling singles of all time. Because Parton had kept the rights, she earned a fortune.
Parton has often said that hearing Houston's version on the radio for the first time was one of the biggest thrills of her life.
This story is based on the stars' own interviews and memoirs and on widely reported history. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
