How Dolly Parton’s Music Gave Whitney Houston & Beyoncé Milestone Chart Moments

Of the many roles that Dolly Parton held — including singer, actress, philanthropist, author and humanitarian — perhaps the chief legacy of the late icon, who died Tuesday (Aug.

25) at age 80, is as a songwriter.

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1 Hit Gifted with a unique talent to distill the most universal feelings into sage reflections, catchy quip-filled charm or tear-jerking sentiments, Parton created a catalog that stretched across genres and generations.

Beyond establishing the foundation of her own career, the works assisted in milestone moments for fellow iconic superstars — including a pair of significant Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits — in markedly different renditions from the originals.

The most obvious case occurred in 1992 when Whitney Houston covered one of Parton’s signature tunes, “I Will Always Love You,” for the soundtrack to her feature film debut, The Bodyguard .

Given the song’s placement, where characters played by Houston and her co-star Kevin Costner finally drop their guard and share an extended kiss, and its segue into the closing credits, the song selection was a pivotal moment — and the iconic result nearly never happened.

Houston was initially set to record a cover of Jimmy Ruffin’s “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,” but two conflicts prevented its final approval.

The first, as Bodyguard music supervisor Maureen Crowe told the New York Post in 2022, “when you slow that song down, it’s like a dirge.” And worse, during production, singer Paul Young covered the song for 1991’s Fried Green Tomatoes and it climbed to a No.

22 Hot 100 peak.

“We couldn’t use that song because it would just seem like we ripped it off.” Parton’s song was then suggested, a pitch that satisfied Houston, Costner and Arista Records head Clive Davis.

Several adjustments make it plenty different from Parton’s — an a cappella opening, a slower tempo and the return of an oft-skipped third verse — but the core DNA of an agonizing, tearful heartbreak remains.

Unlike the fictional Bodyguard scenario, Parton’s inspiration was autobiographical, stemming from a decision to exit The Porter Wagoner Show after a multi-year run with the host, with whom she recorded many duets in the 1960s and ‘70s.