Four phenomenal women, one song: the title of what these four have in common is ‘I Will Always Love You.’

Dolly Parton wrote it in 1973 and released it as a country single in 1974. Whitney Houston recorded it as a pop ballad in 1992, and this was the version that canonized the song was one of the greatest of the 20th century. Christina Grimmie brought it to the new generation on YouTube; Mayada Bseliss, to the Arabic world. Each of them approached the song differently, bringing their own sensibility and emotions, and did it justice in their own, brilliant way.

Of course, many more people have covered this song, and each has its merits. The connection between these particular four women was brought to my attention thanks to an episode of the BBC Radio 4 podcast Soul Music, which you can listen to on their website. On it, they also explain why Dolly Parton didn’t allow Elvis Presley to record it, they analyze it technically, and reflect over its cultural impact. It is very interesting.

After the recent passing of Dolly Parton, none of these four great artists remains with us. Dolly’s amazing contributions to music, culture, literacy, social welfare and equality are a monumental legacy and an example to follow. Having learned about her life and achievements through that podcast episode, I am certainly going to rethink how I tackle ‘I Will Always Love You’ on the sax. While I get to it, you can listen to a recent rendition on my YouTube channel:

Rest in peace, Dolly Parton. Thank you for sharing your immense talent and generous heart with the world.