The Story of ‘I Will Always Love You’ by Whitney Houston, Who Would Have Turned 61: Kevin Costner, Jailed Fans & More

Legendary musician Whitney Houston had an incredible career, touching countless fans worldwide. While the late icon, who would have turned 61 today, August 9, has a plethora of hit songs, one of her most popular tracks to date is “I Will Always Love You.”

Whitney Houston at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City circa 1988. | Source: Getty Images

Released in the ’90s, Houston’s hit song garnered unprecedented success around the world, with fans even being arrested for their obsession with it.

Interestingly, while the track is globally recognized as Houston’s, the original was created by iconic country legend Dolly Parton. Let’s dive into the rich history of the song.

Whitney Houston performing in Paris, France on May 18, 1988 | Source: Getty Images

The Origins of ‘I Will Always Love You’: Dolly Parton Did It First

Before Houston made the song her own, Parton, known for her singing prowess and Southern charm, had written “I Will Always Love You” in the ’70s.

Dolly Parton performing “I Will Always Love You,” posted on December 7, 2021 | Source: YouTube/ShoutFactoryVEVO

The “Jolene” songstress had first performed the song live years ago. Video footage of her past performance shared in 2021 displayed a dolled-up Parton with her signature big blonde hair explaining how the track came to fruition.

Dolly Parton performing “I Will Always Love You” live, posted on December 7, 2021 | Source: YouTube/ShoutFactoryVEVO

“I’d like to do a song for you now that I wrote. This is a song that I had out a few months back, and hope maybe you might enjoy this one. In everybody’s life, there’s a special person,” Parton began.

Dolly Parton performing “I Will Always Love You” live, posted on December 7, 2021 | Source: YouTube/ShoutFactoryVEVO

Continuing her statement, the country music star divulged, “A person that you love more than you love anybody else. This is a song about that special person in my life. It’s called, ‘I Will Always Love You.’”

Dolly Parton then sang the song, tuning herself to the laid-back melodies of her live band. While the original has an unmistakable country vibe to it, Houston’s —still slow in the tempo— added more of a dance-pop feel.

Unpacking Whitney Houston’s Version of ‘I Will Always Love You’

Fans first heard Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” from the soundtrack of her popular movie, “The Bodyguard,” in which she starred alongside Hollywood star Kevin Costner in 1992.

The film’s plot follows a former Secret Service agent (Costner) who gets employed as the bodyguard of a famous R&B artist (Houston).

Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston in a scene from “The Bodyguard,” shared via Whitney Houston’s music video for “I Will Always Love You,” posted on September 28, 2010 | Source: YouTube/Whitney Houston

Many may be familiar with how impactful Houston’s acapella start of the song is, which zones in on her powerful vocal ability. Interestingly, the decision to begin her version of the song in this way was Costner’s.

Kevin Costner in a scene from “The Bodyguard,” shared via Whitney Houston’s music video for “I Will Always Love You,” posted on September 28, 2010 | Source: YouTube/Whitney Houston

On June 24, 2024, the “Yellowstone” star spoke to talented talk show host and entertainer Kelly Clarkson about how he fought for an idea he had. Costner’s suggestion was to have his co-star begin singing by herself before she was accompanied by instruments.

“They weren’t that wild about it on the record side of things, and I said, ‘Well you guys need to get over that.’ I said, ‘Don’t be too sure that they won’t play it on the radio,’” Costner stated.

Kevin Costner in a scene from “The Bodyguard,” shared via Whitney Houston’s music video for “I Will Always Love You,” posted on September 28, 2010 | Source: YouTube/Whitney Houston

e then went on to share, “But for me, Whitney was doing almost an apology moment at that point, and what better way to let somebody know they really mean what they’re singing to you, when they say, ‘I don’t even need the music behind me. Let me sing to you what I feel about you.’”

Whitney Houston in a scene from “The Bodyguard,” shared via her music video for “I Will Always Love You,” posted on September 28, 2010 | Source: YouTube/Whitney Houston

Costner also highlighted how this iconic moment was then further bolstered by the commencement of the band playing their instruments after Whitney Houston had her acapella solo. On this, he noted, “The band kicks in and we know when it does, the hair on your arm stands up.”

Whitney Houston in a scene from “The Bodyguard,” shared via her music video for “I Will Always Love You,” posted on September 28, 2010 | Source: YouTube/Whitney Houston

Explaining the intention behind his idea further, Costner concluded, “But that was just kind of an instinct that I had: Let’s not have any music, let’s let her stand out there, just bare and say, ‘You were important to me at a certain moment.’”

One of the record producers of “The Bodyguard,” David Foster, explained how Parton also got involved in Houston’s performance of her song in the movie. Foster said he had called the “9 to 5” singer to inform her that they would be doing the Linda Ronstadt rendition of “I Will Always Love You.”

David Foster at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in Los Angeles, California on April 13, 2024 | Source: Getty Images

Parton quickly told Foster that they should instead use her version, as she had added another verse, which ended up being one of the most important moments in the song.

Dolly Parton in a scene from “Straight Talk” in 1992. | Source: Getty Images

“She gave me the lyrics to the final verse over the phone — ‘And I wish you joy and happiness’ — right before I went downstairs. We had to call an audible at the last minute and make the song, like, 40 seconds longer after the director had already worked it out […] Can you imagine that song without that lyric?” disclosed Foster in an interview from 2012.

David Foster and Whitney Houston at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City on March 1, 1994 | Source: Getty Images

Houston’s recording of Parton’s song skyrocketed to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 after it debuted. It stayed in that prime spot for 14 weeks.

Whitney Houston performing at an event in 1992. | Source: Getty Images

Whitney Houston’s Iconic Version Gets Fans Put in Jail

Houston’s version of the insanely popular love song was such a hit among fans that some even ran into trouble with the law for blasting it in their homes. Neighbors in London found themselves at an impasse over “I Will Always Love You,” in the early ’90s.

Fans holding Whitney Houston posters at her Leimert Park Vigil in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2012 | Source: Getty Images

A young woman named Helen Stephens, who was 20 at the time, was jailed for a week for noise pollution. She repeatedly refused to reduce the volume at which she was playing the song on her radio.

Not long after this incident, another woman named Joan Hall threw her neighbor’s radio out of the fourth-floor window of an apartment building because the neighbor wouldn’t stop playing the track. The owner of the radio set, Julie Woolford, whose son was a Houston admirer, assaulted Hall, as a result.

Speaking on the situation, which saw Woolford spend some time in jail before being released on bail and ordered to move away from her neighbor, Hall explained, “I had just had enough of the noise.”

“They put the stereo on at full blast every night…. It was mostly Whitney Houston singing, ‘I will always love you,’ and it was driving us all up the wall,” Hall ended her statement.