I Will Always Love You

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Liza Golod
Katie Sandy-Smith
ENG 1201
11/05/20
I Will Always Love You
At one point or another, we might find “I will always love you” lingering in our hearts.
Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton experience the same feeling throughout their music videos.
For some of us, we will find eternal love behind the feeling, just as Dolly Parton did. While for
others, memories are the only eternal aspect behind that feeling, as Whitney Houston
experienced. Although both artists portray the same lyrics, they elicit different meanings within
their music videos. Dolly is able to shine light on love and happily ever after from the beginning.
Whitney on the other hand steers in the direction of moving past. Holding on and letting go of
love are the lessons that one will come across after viewing the artists’ two takes on the same
lyrics.
Dolly Parton sticks to the old-fashioned outlook on love: humble, caring, and worth
fighting for. The wooden cottage with antique covering on the furniture, brings out the simplicity
within the meaning of love. From the very beginning, a stray of sunlight comes in through the
window, shining throughout the cottage during the entire duration of the music video. The
symbolism within the stray, provides the audience with a hint at the ending. As dolly uses the
lyrics to pour out her soul to her loved one, the stray of sunlight remains a constant reminder of:
light overpowers darkness, just as love overpowers uncertainty and affliction. With the music
video, Dolly is able to assign the powerful lyrics a hopeful meaning. Just as a stray of light
blocks off darkness, Dolly and her loved one are able to use love to block off their doubts.
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Whitney Houston on the other hand, takes a different approach to the same lyrics. Unlike
Dolly, Whitney does not resolve the conflict with her loved one by the end of the music video.
Instead, from the very beginning, Whitney begins her journey with moving on. For the majority
of the video, Whitney reminiscences on her memories with her ex-lover as she sits on stage. In
this music video, the stage is an important symbol of Whitney’s relationship. The stage on which
Whitney performs on brought the two lovers together. However, ironically, that is the same stage
where Whitney insists on coping with moving on. Throughout the video, Whitney’s mind
rumbles through all of the ex-couples’ memories together, with no intention of conflict
resolution. Dolly’s optimistic take on the lyrics, completely opposes Whitney’s melancholic
approach.
In order to get their messages across, both artists utilize the concept of pathos. Dolly is
able to appeal to the audience’s bittersweet emotions, whereas Whitney is able to bring out the
blues and sorrow. As described above, the setting in Dolly’s video is very light and simple, going
along with her outlook on love. However, from the beginning, Whitney’s setting is very dark and
in a constant state of change. The entire music video consists of different locations, due to all of
the memories that Whitney looks back on. The setting effectively reflects Whitney’s outlook on
love in the video. Instead of resolving the issue, she walks us through her mind, while trying to
move on. This being said, Dolly’s audience would mostly consist of couples who are madly in
love. Couples who are ready to look past their struggles and differences. Couples who find
simplicity in love, even behind the chaos of the real world. In contrast, Whitney’s audience
would mostly consist of individuals who found it best to part ways. Individuals who gave it their
all, but sill could not make it together. Individuals who need someone to relate to throughout the
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process of heartbreak. Altogether, both videos are able to provide us with a powerful yet
contrasting message.
Overall, Dolly and Whitney are able to successfully get across opposite messages to the
same lyrics. Through the setting, Dolly is able to emphasize the significance that simplicity plays
in the complicated feeling of love. Hope guides Dolly throughout the process and brings the
audience to a heart-felt ending. Although Whitney’s video complicates the subject of love, it
brings attention to the concept of independence and moving on. Whitney is able to look back on
the touching and pleasant memories, while walking through the process of moving on. Whitney’s
video may come off as more relatable to some, however Dolly’s take is more encouraging and
hopeful. Altogether, a powerful message rests behind the uncertainty of each of the two videos.
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Works Cited
“Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You.” YouTube, 13 Nov. 2006, www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_utP1mGoutQ. Accessed 6 Jan. 2020. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.
‌“Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (Official Music Video).” YouTube, 27 Sept. 2010,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018. Accessed 3 Nov.
2020.

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I Will Always Love You

v=_utP1mGoutQ. Accessed 6 Jan. 2020. Accessed 3 Nov. 2020.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU. Accessed 4 Dec. 2018. Accessed 3 Nov.

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