Why does Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You' end 'Priscilla,' about Elvis' ex-wife?
Why is Dolly Parton singing at the end of a new movie about Priscilla Presley? Read on, Elvis fans.
"Priscilla," director Sofia Coppola's new biopic about the glam life and tumultuous times of Elvis Presley's ex-wife (played by Cailee Spaeny), is punctuated by a zippy soundtrack that ranges from a Ramones rendition of "Baby, I Love You" to period covers by Phoenix, a pop band led by Coppola's husband Thomas Mars.
But the movie (streaming now on Max) is noticeably devoid of any songs by the King of Rock 'n' Roll, since Elvis Presley Enterprises, which controls the singer's estate, said no.
"They told us they don't participate in things they didn't originate," Coppola told USA TODAY. "So we got creative."
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That includes closing the film with a recording of Parton singing her indelible song "I Will Always Love You," which much of the world knows thanks to the soaring Whitney Houston version that accompanied the 1992 romance "The Bodyguard."
Random choice? Hardly.
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The song's lyrics perfectly match the scene, as it is showcased as the couple emotionally splits up. (In that same complementary vein, "Baby, I Love You" helps open the film when Army inductee Presley is quickly becoming smitten with the very young stepdaughter of an Air Force officer stationed in Germany.)
Coppola's choice is also a nod to the deep history between Parton's heartfelt and lyrical promise, recorded in 1973, and Elvis.
In fact, Presley adored the song and yearned to record it. Parton was flattered and game. A version was worked up and Parton was making plans to hear it in the studio.
But as the country superstar said during an interview with USA TODAY recently, the session was derailed by Presley's notoriously controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Always with his eye on the coffers, Parker insisted that Elvis would only record the song if he retained half of the song's lucrative publishing rights.
Priscilla herself told the country legend that Elvis sang that song to as they were coming down the courthouse steps after finalizing their 1973 divorce.
"After Elvis died, she had told me that Elvis loved that song," Parton recalled. "Of course that was after we missed out on the opportunity for him to record it, so that was a heartbreaker when Cololnel Tom wouldn’t let Elvis do it because he wanted my publishing and I couldn’t let him have it. ... It was my most important copyright at that time. I was glad I held on to it and after Whitney did it, I was really glad I held on to it."
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'I Will Always Love You' appears in Baz Luhrmann's movie 'Elvis,' but not how you think
Elvis fanatics may also have noticed a reference to Parton's song toward the end of "Elvis," Baz Luhrmann's sprawling biopic that catapulted its star, Austin Butler, to an Oscar best actor nomination.
But it is not sung. Rather, in a scene that depicts a post-split meeting between Elvis and Priscilla on an airport tarmac, Butler can be seen turning to her and mouthing the words, "I will always love you."
Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Priscilla' movie ends with a Dolly Parton song instead of Elvis. Why?
