NEW YORK – AUGUST 1978: Dolly Parton performing live on stage in New York in August 1978 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)
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Dolly Parton – who died Tuesday at age 80 – didn’t become one of the most successful entertainers of her time without shedding a few tears along the way.
One decision that left her heartbroken? When she said “no” to Elvis Presley.
In March 1974, Parton released “I Will Always Love You,” a soaring country ballad she penned in-part as a farewell to longtime collaborator Porter Wagoner. As television entertainers and duet partners, she and Wagoner shared the stage together for years prior to Parton launching a bona fide solo career in the mid-1970s.
Shortly after Parton released the song, Elvis Presley took a liking to “I Will Always Love You.”
“I got the word that he was going to record it, and I was so excited,” Parton told CMT in 2006. “I told everybody I knew, ‘Elvis is going to record my song. You’re not going to believe who’s recording my song.’”
CIRCA 1968: Country singers Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner in a candid portrait in circa 1968 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Dolly Parton Doesn’t Sell To Elvis
Eventually, Parton received a call from Presley’s longtime manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Yes, Presley wanted to cover “I Will Always Love You.” The catch? He wanted half of the song’s publishing, which would guarantee Presley a 50% cut of song royalties for as long as he owned the rights.
Parton declined the offer.
She told W Magazine in 2021: “I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the publishing.’ I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart—I cried all night. But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your [business]. Everybody’s going to use you if they can. These are my songs—they’re like my children.”
Diamond-Selling Cover
It proved to be a profitable decision, of course. Whitney Houston later covered “I Will Always Love You” for 1992 film The Bodyguard, capturing one of the most memorable vocal performances in pop music history.
Houston’s rendition became a wildly successful song in the 1990s and beyond; it has been certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America, one of the rarest commercial achievements in the music business.
Parton’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” hasn’t done too bad, either. The song received a Platinum certification from the RIAA in 2021 and – at publication time – has been played more than 168 million times on Spotify, making it her fifth most-popular song.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JANUARY 28: Dolly Parton performs during “Dolly: An Original Musical” fireside chat and press conference at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts on January 28, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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By saying “no” to selling her publishing, Parton turned a few tears into one of the most profitable decisions a songwriter could make. Or, as she joked later in her career, that decision eventually brought her “enough money to buy Graceland.”
And while there might not be a recording of Presley crooning “I Will Always Love You,” he still found his way to the song, Parton told W Magazine.
“Priscilla, Elvis’s wife, told me that when she and Elvis divorced, Elvis sang my song to her,” she said in 2021. “That touched me so deeply. And they also played the song at Whitney Houston’s funeral. After that, I thought, I bet they’ll play the same song when I go.”