When Kevin Costner dropped by The Kelly Clarkson Show to promote his new Western “Horizon: An American Saga –- Chapter 1,” he told the pop-singer host that, back in 1992, Arista, the label created by music industry king/queenmaker Clive Davis, was cool to Houston’s initial recording of “I Would Always Love You.”
Arista’s biggest issue with Houston’s rendition was the a cappella opening verse, which they thought would keep record stations from playing it. Fortunately, Costner, who also produced “The Bodyguard,” pushed back on behalf of his co-star. “They weren’t that wild about it on the record side of things,” said Costner. “I said, ‘Well you guys need to get over that. Don’t be too sure they won’t do it on the radio.'”
Costner may not be a music man, but the “Field of Dreams” star knows a thing or two about moving an audience to tears, and his instincts here were totally on point. As he noted to Clarkson:
“Whitney was doing almost an apology moment at that point. And what better way to let someone know they really mean what they’re singing to you than when they say, ‘I don’t even need the music behind it. Let me sing to you what I feel about you.’ The band kicks in, and we know when it does the hair on your arm stands up.'”
The record sales don’t lie, nor does the fact that you can’t hit up a karaoke night without hearing someone drunkenly mangle it. As for Parton, that the country music legend considers hearing Houston’s rendition of her “little old song” to be one of the proudest moments of her life says it all.
So thanks, Mr. Costner, for talking Arista out of making a colossal mistake (and costing itself untold millions of dollars in the process)!
