Whitney Houston is more than just a lover and baker of (cocaine) brownies, y’all. I’m not sure if you remember, but Houston has an amazing voice! It’s powerful, full of range and instantly recognizable. This is displayed in her huge hit, “I Will Always Love You,” which came off the soundtrack of her movie, “The Bodyguard.” Whitney Houston definitely made this song a massive hit, but did you know that the song was actually written and performed by Dolly Parton?
Obviously, the two versions vary seeing as Dolly Parton is a country singer and Whitney Houston is a R&B singer. In Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You,” the song starts off with a slow acoustic guitar melody and a harmonica. A piano trickles in to finish off that country feel. Parton’s voice is soft, yet full of emotion and the strings definitely pull at your heartstrings! The song overall is pretty, but the drums sound very much like they’re coming from one of those metronomes that you hear on a keyboard. It was recorded in 1974 though, so I can’t complain if technology wasn’t what it is today!
Unfortunately, Whitney Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” has that fake drum-beat sound as well. Perhaps the product of early 90’s alternative/easy listening/R&B? Luckily for Houston, her voice alone diverts attention away from the cheesy, over produced music in the background. Her powerful voice leaves Parton’s in the shadows. Her vocal range goes from a soft whisper to a commanding howl with ease; as if she’s putting no strain on her voice whatsoever. Whitney is just talented like that!
The musical aspect of both of these songs is not very impressive (except for maybe the saxophone solo in Houston’s) but Parton’s personality and emotion makes her performance while Houston’s voice made her version a mainstream hit! Tell me you still don’t go around wailing ” … and AAAAAyyyyAAAAA WILL ALWAYS LOOOOOVE-A YOUUUUUUUU!”