Many Dolly Parton fans have been revisiting the story of her hugely successful song “I Will Always Love You” following her passing, including the blockbuster success of Whitney Houston‘s 1992 rendition.
Dolly wrote the song and retained her publishing rights, but Whitney‘s version generated substantial royalties for her. Some reports have estimated that Dolly earned around $10 million in royalties from Whitney‘s recording in the 1990s.
How much did Dolly Parton make from Whitney Houston’s version?
Whitney recorded it for The Bodyguard and the cover went on to become a massive global hit. Dolly retained the songwriting and publishing interest, resulting in an estimated $10 million during the 1990s.
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What did Dolly do with the money?
In 2021, Dolly revealed that she invested some of the proceeds in an office complex in a historically Black Nashville neighborhood. She memorably connected the property to Whitney and said she felt it was appropriate that the money be invested there.
“I bought my big office complex down in Nashville. So I thought, ‘Well, this is a wonderful place to be,’“ Dolly shared during a 2021 visit to Watch What Happens Live. “I bought a property down in what was the Black area of town, and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there. It was off the beaten path from 16th Avenue and I thought, ‘Well, I am gonna buy this place — the whole strip mall.’ And I thought, ‘This is the perfect place for me to be,’ considering it was Whitney.”
Dolly almost lost part of the song’s publishing
Elvis Presley wanted to record the song years earlier, but his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker required Dolly to give up 50% of the publishing rights, meaning she’d also be giving up 50% of the royalties. She turned down the deal despite really wanting Elvis to record it.
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Speaking to W Magazine in 2021 about the decision to turn down Elvis, Dolly said, “I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the publishing.’ I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart—I cried all night. But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your [business]. Everybody’s going to use you if they can. These are my songs—they’re like my children.”
Whitney‘s version of the song went on to become a rare certified Diamond record and Dolly‘s recording has a Platinum certification. It has been played more than 176 million times on Spotify.
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