Song · Dolly Parton
“I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton
From the album Jolene (1974)
“I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton appears on 9 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 2004 and 2026. It was first released in 1974 on the album Jolene. Its best result is #44 on the WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #699 indie & aaa song of all time and #227 of the '70s.
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Video from YouTube (DollyPartonVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" in 1973 as a goodbye to Porter Wagoner, her business partner and mentor, and it works as a thank-you and a declaration of independence in the same breath: she was leaving to go it alone. It landed on her 1974 album Jolene and, issued as a single that year, went to the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in June 1974; a re-recording for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas soundtrack took it back there in October 1982.
Bob Ferguson produced the original for RCA, and the band behind her is stacked: Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano, Stu Basore on steel guitar, Johnny Gimble and Mack Magaha on fiddle, Larry Londin on drums, Dolores Edgin and June Page among the background singers. For all that firepower, it's Parton's farewell that carries it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 650 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 482 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2018 | 566 | The Current | The Current's 893 Essential Songs | 892 |
| 2020 | 863 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 228 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2022 | 969 | WYEP | WYEP Countdown to Fall 2022 | 603 |
| 2022 | 399 | KEXP | KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) | 491 |
| 2023 | 254 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time | 909 |
| 2026 | 44 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love you.
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