London: As fans mourn the untimely death of Whitney Houston, her music has started climbing the charts again and country singer Dolly Parton is set to profit from it with the record companies. Parton wrote the lyrics for “I will always love you” in 1973 and Houston recorded her version for The Bodyguard almost two decades later.
The song became synonymous with Houston and continues to be her biggest hit. Her death on Saturday at the age of 48 has brought the focus back on her musical legacy and as happens with the dead stars, Houston is set for a great musical comeback after her death like Michael Jackson.
Houston was reportedly on the brink of bankruptcy and it seems unlikely that her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown will gain much from her mother’s musical resurrection. Parton, 66, owns the song and she stands to earn a significant amount of money as the No1 hit is expected to top the iTunes singles chart again, the Daily Mail reported.
“I will always love you” was the song that Jennifer Hudson chose to pay her tribute to Houston on Grammy’s night. Sony Music owns the rights to Houston’s back catalogue, including The Bodyguard soundtrack, and is now planning a rigorous campaign to elevate Houston to the top of the charts again.
The label did the same thing when Michael Jackson died, posthumously selling more than 35 million albums worldwide. However, unlike Jackson, who died in June 2009, Houston did not pen her biggest hits nor have a share of the publishing thus her family including her daughter is not expected to earn much from her posthumous popularity.
Sony chief creative officer Clive Davis, who discovered Houston when she was a teenager, is also expected to gain from the death of Houston. Davis executive-produced Whitney’s first three, as well as her final record ‘I Look To You’ in 2009. (PTI)