Dolly Parton Sings 'I Will Always Love You' In Tribute To Burt Reynolds

Sep 09, 2020 by apost team

Dolly Parton originally wrote and recorded I Will Always Love You in 1973 as a farewell for her former mentor and collaborator Porter Wagoner. That was soon after she decided to pursue a solo career. She reworked her cult classic in 1974 for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas that was released in 1982.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical comedy in which Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds starred. Dolly played Miss Mona, the owner of a brothel called Chicken Ranch, who had a long term affair with the small Texas town sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd, the late Burt Reynolds' character.

The affair went on despite their professions having them on opposite sides of the law. After a long flimsy battle, the authorities shut down the Chicken Ranch; Miss Mona and her girls had to move away.

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In the scene where he sings Reynolds, I Will Always Love You, Mona is about to leave town, and Ed arrives just in time to stop her. He finds her bags packed at the back of a truck and hurriedly walks into the house to profess his love for her and propose marriage.

Although his proposal moves her, Mona resolves to decline as she did not want to always be in his way despite loving him since she was 16. She explains to the heartbroken sheriff, "And as much as I'd love for it to work, I know deep down in my heart it ain't ever going to be."

The sheriff is not about to give up, and he insists that it could work if they gave it a chance. And at that moment, Mona breaks into a heart-wrenching version of I Will Always Love You as a way to say goodbye and that she will love forever love him.

Even after the song, the sheriff stands his ground and insists she accept his proposal, and he cares less about what people will say or think. This is easily the most emotional part of the movie.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the song did not move the sheriff enough to change his mind. He walked out on Mona, headed straight for the trucks, and offloaded Mona's stuff from her car into his own. Mona stands on the porch in disbelief before she is scooped up into Ed Earl's truck. They drive away and live happily ever after.

Parton's version of I Will Always Love You was a mega-hit that reached number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice. The first time it leads in the charts was in June 1974 and later in October 1982, shortly after its feature in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

The song also scooped Dolly Parton Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1975 Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. The movie was also a success considering it opened at No.1 at the box office. Her performance in the film earned Parton a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, comedy, or Musical.

Parton and Reynolds made an excellent match in the movie, and it is no surprise that she joins millions of his fans around the world to mourn his death. Let us know your thoughts on this story and be sure to pass this along!