Dolly Parton Admitted Some Artists Have ‘Ruined’ Her Songs When They Cover Them
Dolly Parton is a prolific songwriter, and many other artists have covered her work. Parton said that this always feels like a compliment and she welcomes it. Still, she’s listened to some covers with a wince. Parton admitted that some covers of her songs are a lot weaker than others.
Dolly Parton said she didn’t like some covers of her songs
Parton has been writing songs since childhood and has an extensive collection of music. While she records her own songs, she welcomes others to do the same thing.
“I’ll take anybody,” she told American Songwriter in 1990. “I’m always flattered that anybody would record my songs, even if they change them.”
She said that some versions of her songs impress her, while others don’t sound as good.
“Certain ones of my songs, I’ll hear somebody do it and I’ve had mixed emotions,” she said. “I think either, ‘wow, that’s great. I’ve never thought of hearing it like that’ or I’ll think, ‘oh Lord, they’ve ruined that song.”
Still, she said she loves to hear people’s takes on her music. It flattered her to know that her music inspired someone.
“But you’re still glad as a writer that they did it, no matter how it turns out,” she said. “You’re just glad that somebody liked your song enough to record it. But you do have your favorites. I guess the ones I’d like to record my songs right now are the ones having hits and make me the most money.”
Dolly Parton said one cover has stood out to her for years
One cover of Parton’s songs stood out to her more than the rest. In 1992, Whitney Houston released a cover of “I Will Always Love You,” one of Parton’s favorite songs she’s ever written. She said she felt astonished when she heard Houston’s cover for the first time.
“My heart just started to beat so fast and then when she got into ‘I Will Always Love You,’ when that opened up, and I realized that was my song, it was the most overwhelming thing,” she said on The Oprah Conversation (per Yahoo!).
Parton was driving at the time and had to pull over because she felt so overwhelmed.
“I was shot so full of adrenaline and energy, I had to pull off, because I was afraid that I would wreck, so I pulled over quick as I could to listen to that whole song,” Parton said, adding, “I could not believe how she did that. I mean, how beautiful it was that my little song had turned into that, so that was a major, major thing.”
She has put out versions of other people’s music
Many people have covered Parton’s music, and she has tried her hand at other artists’ songs. Over the years, she has released covers of songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “My Girl,” and “Stairway to Heaven.” She said the latter was a choice she made because of her husband.
“He loved it,” she told Alanna Nash in Dolly: The Biography. “He said, ‘You know, I’m real surprised. I didn’t want you to embarrass yourself, but it’s good. And it’s different.’”
