Whenever I’m driving down the road listening to music, and the song I Will Always Love You, sung by Whitney Houston comes on, I immediately crank up the volume, and showoff the range I wish I had. Dolly Pardon originally sang and composed this song in D Major in 1973. It was redone by Whitney Houston in the same key with a bigger range. Whitney Houston’s version made it’s debate in the film The Body Guard in 1992, and rose to the top charts shortly after that. Pardon stated in a CMT interview of the song that it is the biggest song in her career, made her the most money, and was recorded by more people than any of her other songs. I listened to Dolly Pardon, and Whitney’s version of the two songs and it is pretty amazing to see how different music can be sung , and how much one song can vary from the other.
Whitney Houston’s version starts off as a monophonic piece, using only her voice unaccompanied in the first verse. Durning her time singing unaccompanied, and throughout the piece you can hear the vibrato in her voice, which highlights her smooth and connected articulation. The first pieces of musical melody are introduced at the beginning of the chorus. Throughout the chorus, the piano and violin are added along with a beautiful upward leap with her voice, which shows off a small piece of the range she will use throughout the song.
A small bridge is added at the end of the 1st chorus giving a smooth transition to verse two. At the beginning of the second verse the percussion is brought in to add more musical accompaniment, helping us find the beat in the music. Dynamic’s during the second verse, and chorus build which help to lead into a musical solo played by the saxophone. Verse three’s dynamics start off medium, but begin to build again. The end of the third verse gives a four count pause, followed by a loud chorus. This chorus repeats itself a few times changing from higher octaves back down to lower ones showing off the movement and range in her voice.
Whitney ends the song with a beautiful outro with very little musical melody. During this time she uses her voice to add scales as she raises her pitch a total two octaves, holding the last note in each octave so we can hear the distinction. Rolling Stones Magazine stated that the song was at the top of the chart for 14 weeks, which set a record of the longest song to be number one in the billboards. (Rolling Stones)
There is no doubt that Whitney had a beautiful voice, and this song is only a small example of the kind of voice she had. Over all I think the change in dynamics and articulation used between notes are really what made this song rise to the top, and I believe it will be a very popular song amongst all generations for years to come.
http://www.cmt.com/news/1657965/dolly-parton-shares-inspiration-of-i-will-always-love-you/
Musical Thoughts 
Elizabeth,
I really enjoyed your analysis, very well written! I also love Whitney Houston, there’s no denying that voice/range of hers! I crank this song in the car too, except no one really wants to hear that. You should check out “my heart will go on” by celine dion if you want another range to match in your car 😉
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I too, really enjoyed reading your analysis. The use of the musical elements and including the different types of instruments was very good. I liked that you put in your personal input and the comparing of Whitney Houston to Dolly Parton, both very amazing singers. I definitely agree that the changes in dynamics is what makes this song unique!
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For those reading – check out this video of Dolly singing her song, and telling the backstory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8tffNHJno
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Great job on the analysis! I am still working and studying hard to do better on the next one. It is quite challenging yet worthwhile. Whitney Houston certainly does have a great voice that is so calm. Throughout the song, the piano and violin flowed beautifully with her voice.
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Hey Elizabeth,
I really enjoyed reading your analysis of this song. This is definitely one of those power ballad songs that regardless of who you are, you can’t help but admire what a great singer Whitney Houston was. I totally agree with you that the range that Whitney Houston possesses is amazing and that really does enhance the song and make it even that much better. I listened to Dolly Parton’s original version of this song and it is, like you said, quite different. Dolly Parton’s version is much softer and more “folksy” while Whitney Houston’s version is much bigger and bolder. I also noticed that the rhythm of the chorus is slightly different between the two versions. It just goes to show you that even the slightest of changes in music can make a huge impact.
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Great job on the analysis! I am still working and studying to improve my next musical analysis. As for Whitney Houston, she certainly does have wonderful voice and talent that is so calm. Throughout the song, the piano and violin flowed beautifully with her voice. I just cannot imagine the song without Houston’s voice in it.
I find it very interesting by having a comparison between Whitney Houston and Dolly Pardon who sang the same song. I find that Dolly Parton is more of a compassion and soft tone type of person. Whitney Houston emphasizes more on power and tone. I like that the same song can be created into different style by different singers.
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all these comments are so old lol
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