Dolly Parton Expresses Her Regret Telling Elvis ‘No’

Country music legend Dolly Parton just spoke out to express her regret over refusing to let Elvis Presley cover her song “I Will Always Love You,” saying that it “broke her heart” to say no.

Dolly Parton Denies Elvis Presley “I Will Always Love You” Cover

Daily Mail reported that in a BBC documentary that is set to air this fall, the 73-year-old singer said that she’s “very protective” of her songs, explaining that’s why she refused to let Elvis cover the tune.

“I Will Always Love You” was Dolly’s first number one hit on the US Country charts when she released it in 1974, and it was later famously covered by Whitney Houston in 1992.

A newly released clip from the documentary shows Dolly explaining that she refused to let Elvis cover the song after his manager Colonel Tom insisted she would have to sign over half of the publishing rights.

“Elvis already had it worked up and he loved this song, in fact Priscilla had told me not very long ago that when she and Elvis were leaving the courthouse after they divorced, he was singing that to her. That I Will Always Love You. So she said he did love it,” Dolly said.

“But it wasn’t about Elvis. Colonel Tom wanted to have the potion on that song and I wouldn’t allow it because it was my most important copyright.”

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“I’d already had a number one song myself, broke my heart because Elvis didn’t get to sing it but I had to hold onto it, and so I’ve just kind of been protective of my songs, like you are with your children through the years,” she continued.

Dolly’s Country

The BBC documentary is called Dolly’s Country, and it will take fans on Dolly’s 50 year journey through her career in the music industry.

“You’ve got to be daring, you’ve got to be able to get outside yourself and I’ve always said… that my desire to do something was greater than my fear of it,” Dolly said.

“I’ve loved the journey, and it’s been hard, and I’ve paid some major dues and learned some hard lessons, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wanted to be seen, I wanted to be recognized, I wanted to be appreciated for what I do.”

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While it’s sad that Elvis never got to cover “I Will Always Love You,” we can also certainly understand why Dolly is so protective over her own songs.

We applaud Dolly Parton for being so open about this experience in the new documentary of her life.