Dolly Parton Opens Up About the Heartbreaking Day She Had to Say No to Elvis Presley
In a career marked by dazzling success and trailblazing choices, Dolly Parton has rarely had regrets. But one decision still lingers in her heart — the day she turned down Elvis Presley.
Speaking with legendary journalist Dan Rather, Parton recalled one of the most bittersweet moments of her early career: when the King of Rock and Roll wanted to record her now-iconic 1973 ballad “I Will Always Love You.”
At the time, Dolly was still in her late 20s and riding high on the success of the song, which she had written as a farewell to her longtime musical partner Porter Wagoner. The song had topped the charts and cemented her reputation as not just a performer, but a serious songwriter. So when Elvis expressed interest in covering it, Dolly was stunned — and thrilled.
“I was so excited,” she said. “I mean, Elvis Presley! He loved my song. I couldn’t believe it.”
But the excitement was short-lived. The day before the scheduled recording session, Elvis’s infamous manager Colonel Tom Parker called Dolly with an ultimatum. “He said, ‘Now you do know Elvis doesn’t record anything unless he gets the publishing rights or at least half of them,’” she recalled.
For Dolly, it was a devastating moment. “I said, ‘I’m really sorry, but I can’t do that. This song is too important to me.’” Though her heart was set on hearing Elvis sing her words, she stood firm. “I just knew I couldn’t give up the rights to a song that had already been a hit — and that I knew would be important for the rest of my life.”
The deal fell through. Elvis never recorded the song.
“I was just heartbroken,” Dolly admitted. “It hurt me because I had to go tell everybody, ‘Well, Elvis isn’t going to do it after all.’”
Despite the disappointment, Dolly never harbored bitterness. She’s always been clear that she didn’t blame Elvis himself — only the business dynamics that kept the collaboration from happening. “I’d have loved to work something out. I think he would’ve done a beautiful job with it.”
Her instincts about the song’s power were spot on. Two decades later, Whitney Houston’s soaring rendition of “I Will Always Love You” for The Bodyguard soundtrack became a global phenomenon. The single sold millions of copies, topped charts worldwide, and introduced the song to a whole new generation — all while Dolly retained full songwriting credit and rights.
Speaking to The Big Issue, Dolly reflected on the missed opportunity with Presley and revealed that if she could have one last conversation with anyone in history, it would be him.
“I’d probably talk about ‘I Will Always Love You,’” she said. “And say, ‘Hey, I bet you were as disappointed as I was about all that. I still dream about you singing that song.’ I’d like to clear that up with him.”
Now at 79, Dolly continues to be one of the most respected and financially savvy artists in music history. Her choice to protect her publishing rights — at a time when few women dared say no to a star of Elvis’s magnitude — is part of what’s made her not just a legend, but a role model.
“It broke my heart at the time,” she says, “but I’ve never been sorry that I stood my ground.”
And though the duet with Elvis never came to be, the song he once wanted to sing became one of the most beloved tracks in music history — thanks to the woman who never gave it away.