Greatest Love Songs Ever: #14 “I Will Always Love You”

By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates

What is the best selling love song in history? Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” But even though Ms. Parton had two #1 hits with the same song spaced a decade apart, it is Whitney Houston’s epic 1992 performance that took it over the top, selling 24 million copies worldwide.

The song is about sacrificial love. The singer is walking away from the relationship for the good of the other. The first verse sets the stage:

“If I should stay,

I would only be in your way,

So I’ll go, but I know,

I’ll think of you every step of the way.”

Houston sings it (above) at the end of her debut movie, “The Bodyguard.” She walks away from pursuing a relationship with her bodyguard, Kevin Costner, knowing it wouldn’t be in Costner’s best interests.

Dolly Parton wrote the song in 1973 when she decided to pursue a solo career after being mentored by country great Porter Waggoner for years. Her song is a tender goodbye to her friend and singing partner. It reached #1 on the Country charts the next year.

In 1982, she re-recorded the song for a movie she was in, and it went to #1 again (below).

Dolly sings “I Will Always Love You”

It is very hard to top Dolly Parton, but Whitney Houston succeeded with a jaw dropping performance of “I Will Always Love You,” winning her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1994.

Which version do you like best?

You don’t see/hear a song like this very often that presents a theme of sacrifice. Modern love songs, on the rare occasion a modern composer attempts to write one, are about ‘me,’ not ‘you.’

Christ modeled sacrificial love when He died on the cross. Marriage is built upon sacrificial love. Kudos to Dolly Parton for writing this masterpiece.

Next week, we revisit Cole Porter with his greatest song sung by Sinatra at his best with a classic arrangement by Nelson Riddle at his best. What a treat you have in store!

In the meantime, if you’re not sure whether or not you’re pro-life, just keep listening to the songs on our list of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever. Love songs connect us with our humanity, and our unborn brothers are certainly human. Love is the antidote to abortion.

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