"I Will Always Love You"
was written and originally recorded in 1973 by American
singer / songwriter legend Dolly Parton. Written as a
farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner,
expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career. In
1992, Whitney Houston recorded a new arrangement of the song
for the soundtrack to the blockbuster "Bodyguard", her film
debut. It was her co-star Kevin Costner who suggested "I
Will Always Love You". Producer David Foster and Whitney
re-arranged the song as a soul ballad. Her record company
did not feel a song with an a-cappella introduction would be
as successful; however, Houston and Costner insisted on
retaining it. Perfect! The song became one of the biggest
hits in history with a total of 16,547,000 points. "I Will
Always Love You" topped the hitlists in almost all countries
around the world and also the 1993 year-end list. |