Covers Day 3

Today I want to look at covers of one song, and why I think one is good and the other is not.

Dolly Parton is an artist who is not often covered. If you look at covers at pure tribute to the original artist, then this is a shame, because she wrote some of the most amazing music ever! Two of her songs have been covered quite a lot. One is very well known and the other not so well known. It is the well known song that I am dealing with today, although I will but some links to the other as well.

The interesting thing about I Will Always Love You is that the covered version was a much bigger hit that then original. That would probably invalidate it based on my original rules, but many people know it from Dolly Parton first, so I think it is fine (plus in a 1982 recording of the song, Parton reached number 1 on the country chart and 53 on the top 100. The better known recording of this song is from Whitney Huston and is often considered her signature song. It has also been covered by many others, including Linda Ronstadt. It was Ronstadt’s recording that brought it to the attention of the producer of The Bodyguard, the movie in which Huston sings the song.

So which is the better and which is the worse? I am much happier with the Ronstadt recording than the Huston. When you listen to Linda Ronstadt, I almost feel like I am listening to Dolly Parton. Whitney Huston is just way over the top and the song was played way too much on the radio.

As for the other covered Parton song, it is the wonderful Jolene, which was one of her biggest hits! It was covered more than any other of her songs. Here is a link to Dolly Parton live in England.

Enjoy!?

Linda Ronstadt

Whitney Huston

Dolly Parton (from the movie Best Little Whorehouse in Texas)