Back in 2019, Kirk Hamilton explored Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for his Strong Songs podcast:

It takes an extremely strong song to top the charts three separate times in three separate decades, but “I Will Always Love You” is just such a song. Written and recorded (twice) by Dolly Parton and then re-recorded in show-stopping fashion by Whitney Houston, the ballad has morphed from a fond farewell to a former mentor, to a theatrical goodbye to a lover, to a soaring ode to the very notions of love and loss. We follow that journey from the beginning, with all the vocal tricks, dramatic line-readings, and epic key changes that were added along the way.

It’s a great episode about a great song. A much needed bit of joy today.