Parton Wouldn’t Give Elvis Her Love Song
By WENNFriday, May 21, 2010
ELVIS PRESLEY’s manager once tried to buy the rights to I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU from DOLLY PARTON.
The country superstar has made a fortune from the heart-wrenching ballad, which became a massive hit for Whitney Houston, but she briefly considered letting Colonel Tom Parker buy it from her.
She says, “I had got word that Elvis was gonna record the song, so the day of the session they had invited me down (and) Colonel Tom calls me and says, ‘You know, we don’t record any songs that we don’t get half the publishing of.’
“I thought, ‘Oh no, that’s already been a hit and that’s what I’m leaving for my family.’”
Parton turned Elvis and his manager down and The King never got to record the ballad.
She adds, “It broke my heart, I cried for days ‘cos I could just picture him singing it.”
Parton dedicated the song to Oprah Winfrey during an appearance on her talk show on Friday (21May10), stating, “I’ve never seen somebody so loved in my whole life… Thank you for all the years you’ve helped me and all these people. We all own a little piece of Oprah and you’ve allowed us to do that.”
She then quoted the lyrics of the song, stating, “I hope that life treats you kind and I hope you have all you’ve ever dreamed of. And I wish you joy and happiness, but above all this, we wish you love.”
Stunned by the impromptu tribute, Winfrey fought back tears as Parton and members of her studio audience sang “I will always love you”.
The host said, “I’m gonna go into the ugly cry.”
