Dolly Parton Would Choose Elvis Presley as Her ‘Last Conversation’ to Clear Up Any Misunderstandings
Of anyone living or dead that Dolly Parton would have a “last conversation” with, she chose Elvis Presley. She would love to chat with the King of Rock and Roll to clear up any misunderstandings between them.
Dolly Parton would tell Elvis Presley she was ‘disappointed’ over him not recording her song
Writing in 2021’s The Big Issue’s “Letter To My Younger Self,” Dolly Parton revealed she would love to discuss one element of her career with Elvis Presley. She chose him as her “last conversation” to clear up a feud over one particular song.
Yahoo! Movies UK reports that Parton wanted to clear the air with the King of Rock and Roll. If she were able, she would choose him as the last person she would speak to before her death.
Parton said she would choose Presley as her “last conversation” if she could speak to anyone from history to clear up the dispute. She was “disappointed” about the opportunity for him to record one of her most iconic songs, passing them both by.
She shared, “I’d probably talk about ‘I Will Always Love You’ and say, ‘Hey, I bet you were as disappointed as I was about all that, and I still dream about you singing that song.'”
“I even wrote a song called ‘I Dreamed About Elvis Last Night,’ and I had an Elvis-soundalike sing it with me. We actually sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ in it,” Parton continued.
“And one day, I’m going to put that track out. So I think I’d talk to Elvis and just clear that up with him,” the legendary superstar concluded.
What was the story behind Dolly Parton’s and Elvis Presley’s short-lived collaboration?
In the same interview, Dolly Parton revealed the details surrounding an attempt to collaborate with Elvis Presley. She called it “the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me.”
She wrote in The Big Issue’s Letter To My Younger Self, “I’d been invited down to the studio to meet Elvis and be there when he sang my song. That was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me. Who doesn’t love Elvis?”
“But then Colonel (Tom Parker, Presley’s manager) called me the afternoon before the session and said, ‘You do know we have to have at least half the publishing on any song that Elvis records?’” Parton also recounted this interaction with Howard Stern, saying that her songwriting and publishing catalog was most important to her.
Parton stood up for herself against Parker, saying, “No, I did not know that’.” Parker responded, “Well, it’s just a rule,” leading Parton to answer, “Well, it’s not my rule.”
She added, “And I cried all night long ’cause I was so disappointed. It wasn’t Elvis, I loved Elvis. And I’m sure he was as disappointed as I was because he had it all worked up and ready to go. I know he loved the song. Then, when Whitney [Houston’s version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland.”
Dolly later learned how important the song was to Elvis
The song must have made a significant impact on Elvis Presley. Dolly Parton also revealed details about the tune and how Presley sang it but never recorded it.
Parton revealed, “Priscilla told me later that he sang that song to her when they came down the courthouse steps after they divorced. That really touched me.”
She continued, “I thought, ‘Oh well, I can only imagine.’ But it wasn’t his fault.”
Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” is not an anguished story of lost romantic love. Instead, it was written by Parton in 1973 following the break-up of her professional partnership with Porter Wagoner. The song won Parton Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1975 CMA Awards.
“I Will Always Love You” would become a colossal hit for Whitney Houston and one of her signature songs.
