Kelly Clarkson is no stranger to delivering jaw-dropping covers. On her TV show, Kellyoke, she often takes songs to new heights—sometimes even rivaling the originals. But even Clarkson has tracks she believes are untouchable, and one of them is Dolly Parton’s classic, I Will Always Love You.
So, when she was invited to pay tribute to Parton at the 57th annual ACM Awards in 2022, she had to set aside her reservations. Despite believing that some songs shouldn’t be covered, Clarkson couldn’t pass up the chance to honor the Queen of Country Music. And when she took the stage, she delivered a rendition so powerful, it gave the audience chills.
Kelly Clarkson on Why the Song Feels “Untouchable”
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Clarkson reflected on the performance and why she was initially hesitant to sing I Will Always Love You.
“You did ‘I Will Always Love You,’ which, to me, seems like an impossible task because Whitney Houston absolutely nailed it,” Stern said.
Clarkson agreed. “I would usually never say yes to singing that song,” she admitted. “But when they asked me to do a tribute to Dolly on the ACMs, I couldn’t say no. I’m a huge Dolly fan.”
She went on to explain why many singers shy away from covering the song.
“Whitney did it perfectly. And Dolly. I love both versions—I grew up on both. But some songs become bigger than the song itself. The Bodyguard soundtrack was massive. That moment in music history was so huge that it’s almost impossible to recreate.”
Still, despite her initial doubts, Clarkson knew this tribute wasn’t about proving anything—it was about celebrating a legend. “I wanted to be part of that moment. You can’t let your ego get in the way,” she said.
And with that mindset, she delivered a breathtaking tribute that left fans and fellow artists in awe.
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