For most songwriters, hearing that Elvis Presley wanted to record one of their songs would have been a dream.
For Dolly Parton, it almost happened.
Elvis wanted to record “I Will Always Love You,” the song Dolly had written as an emotional goodbye to her longtime musical partner Porter Wagoner. Her original version became a No. 1 country hit in 1974.
Dolly was thrilled by Elvis’s interest.
She later recalled that she had even been invited to the studio to hear him record it. Then, the day before the planned session, Colonel Tom Parker called her.
According to Dolly, Parker told her that Elvis’s organization required at least half of the publishing rights on songs Elvis recorded.
Dolly refused.
She later explained that she could not give away ownership of a song she had written, no matter how badly she wanted Elvis to sing it.
And it was not an easy decision.
Dolly said she “cried all night” because she was so disappointed. She stressed that she did not blame Elvis and believed he was disappointed too.
Dolly Parton Explains Why Elvis Never Recorded the Song
In the interview, Dolly explains the publishing dispute and why she ultimately chose protecting her songwriting rights over having Elvis Presley record the song.
That decision later became one of the smartest business choices of her career.
Dolly’s own version reached No. 1 on the country chart in 1974, then did it again after she re-recorded the song in 1982. Whitney Houston’s 1992 version later spent 14 weeks at No. 1, turning the song into a worldwide phenomenon while Dolly still owned her publishing.
But Elvis’s connection to the song may not have ended with the failed recording session.
Dolly has repeatedly said that Priscilla Presley later told her Elvis sang “I Will Always Love You” to her as they came down the courthouse steps after their divorce. Elvis and Priscilla’s divorce was finalized on October 9, 1973. The story comes through Priscilla as retold by Dolly, so it should be treated as a personal recollection rather than a recorded event.
That detail makes the story even more bittersweet.
Elvis never got to release his version.
Dolly never got to hear the recording she had dreamed about.
But she kept control of the song that would eventually become one of the most valuable and recognizable compositions of her career.
Dolly Parton said no to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, cried over the decision and then watched that same song become bigger than either of them could have imagined.