Retro top 10
THIS WEEK IN 1992
1 I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston
2 Heal The World Michael Jackson
3 Would I Lie To You Charles and Eddie
4 Slam Jam WWF Superstars
5 Temptation (Brothers In Rhythm Remix) Heaven 17 6 Tom Traubert’s Blues (Waltzing Matilda) Rod Stewart 7 I Still Believe In You Cliff Richard
8 Out Of Space/ Ruff In The Jungle Bizness The Prodigy 9 Could It Be Magic Take That
10 Deeper and Deeper Madonna
This week’s top ten from 27 years ago has a certified classic at number one. Whitney Houston’s version of the Dolly Partoncomposed ‘I Will Always Love You’ is the sixth best selling single of all time, with sales in excess of 20 million physical copies.
Regarded as Whitney Houston’s signature song, ‘I Will Always Love You’ was recorded for the soundtrack of ‘The Bodyguard’, Houston’s movie debut.
She was originally to record a version of Jimmy Ruffin’s ‘What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted’ as the lead single from the film’s soundtrack, but when it was discovered that that song was being used on ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’, Houston wanted a different song.
Co-star Kevin Costner recommended ‘I Will Always Love You’ and played her Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 album version to make his point.
When Dolly Parton was told Houston was using the Ronstadt recording as a template for her version, she called producer David Foster to give him the final verse which Rondstadt had ommitted.
‘I Will Always Love You’ had a 14-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US - a record at the time. The song stayed at number one in the United States throughout January and February 1993, making it the first time Billboard did not rank a new number one single until March of the new year.
The single spent ten weeks on top of the UK chart, the longest run at number one for a solo female artist to date. Its reign ran right into early February, giving Houston the Christmas number one of 1992.
‘I Will Always Love You’ won two Grammys, for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It’s the best selling single by a female artist in history.
Dolly Parton’s original 1973 version of ‘I Will Always Love You’ was a big country hit, twice reacing number one in the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart - in June 1974 and again in October 1982, with her re-recording on the soundtrack of the movie version of ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’. – JIM HAYES