The Case of the Financially Loved-Up Whitney: How Much Dough Did "I Will Always Love You" Bring In?
Whitney Houston. The voice of a generation. The woman who could belt a note higher than a hawk with a head cold. And the undisputed queen of belting out one question we're all dying to know: how much money did she make from "I Will Always Love You"?
Hold on to Your Sequined Gloves, Because This Gets Twistyyy
Now, before you grab your calculators and dust off your childhood abacus, here's the thing: things get a little complicated. "I Will Always Love You" wasn't actually Whitney's song in the first place. Yes, you read that right. The OG version belongs to the legendary Dolly Parton, who wrote it as a farewell ballad to her mentor Porter Wagoner (turns out, even Dolly has to break up with someone eventually).
Whitney Takes the Wheel (and the Royalties)
But then Whitney Houston waltzed in, all shimmering gowns and powerhouse vocals, and recorded a version for the movie The Bodyguard. And let me tell you, it went about as well as a room full of puppies and chew toys. The song became a global phenomenon, topping charts faster than you can say "iconic soundtrack."
So, How Much Money Did Whitney Make? It's Complicated...But Kinda Funny
Here's where things get a little murky. Record deal shenanigans are about as transparent as a disco ball after a particularly enthusiastic night. Estimates suggest Whitney might have raked in somewhere around $1 million from the song itself. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, honey! "I Will Always Love You" helped propel The Bodyguard soundtrack to become the best-selling of all time, and let's be honest, Whitney was the main course in that musical feast.
Enter Dolly Parton: The Financially Savvy Queen
But here's the real kicker: Dolly Parton, bless her rhinestone-encrusted heart, was the one who wrote the song. And you know what they say: write a hit song, get paid. Estimates suggest Dolly earned a cool $10 million from Whitney's version. Not bad for a farewell gift, right?
The Moral of the Story?
There's a lesson here, folks. It's not always about who sings the song, but about who wrote it (and maybe negotiates a killer record deal). But hey, at least Whitney got to belt out a legendary tune and become an icon. And that, my friends, is priceless.
