While original songwriter Dolly Parton took the song to No. And it just builds from there into a master class of vocal runs, with the perfect ratio of power notes to falsetto flourishes, while never losing touch of the song's heartbreaking message of eternal, unconditional love.

As the musical lynchpin of the Whitney-starring Bodyguard movie and its blockbuster soundtrack, Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' packs a poignant punch right out of the gate with its impeccably sung, unmistakable a cappella intro. 1 on the Hot 100 and is still the best-selling single ever by a female artist, but its true legacy is its cultural and emotional resonance. There's no overstating the commercial impact of this song, which spent a then-record 14 weeks at No.

'I Will Always Love You' ( The Bodyguard soundtrack, 1992)