"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Dolly Parton's hit song I Will Always Love You is nearly 50 years old, but the country icon still has some surprises about one of her most famous tunes.

In an interview with BBC Radio, Dolly opened up about the song and its connection to Elvis Presley. Dolly shared that Elvis wanted to record the song himself, but that she turned down the offer. At the time, Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that they would need to own at least half of the publishing rights to the song, and Dolly was "heartbroken" but explained it was the "most important copyright in her whole publishing company."

Nevertheless, the "Don't Be Cruel" singer had a powerful connection to Dolly's song. She told BBC Radio, "Elvis loved the song. In fact, I talked to Priscilla not very long ago. She said to me, 'You know, Elvis sang that song to me when we walked down the courthouse steps when we got divorced. He was singing to me I Will Always Love You.'" You can see the clip here.

Now, 46 years after Elvis's death, Dolly is paying tribute to him and this moment in musical history with a song on her album Rockstar. The album, due to be released on November 17, includes a previously unreleased track called I Dreamed About Elvis. Dolly explained that she wrote the song, which features Ronnie McDowell and the Jordanaires, 20 years ago. She has performed it live but it has never been released. The song features Ronnie (who, Dolly says "sounds just like" Elvis) and Dolly finally singing the heralded song together.

Rockstar also includes collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Nicks, Pink, Brandy Carlisle, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and more. After more than six decades in the music industry, Dolly still has some surprises up her sequined sleeves.

You Might Also Like

• Oprah’s Favorite Things Of 2022 Is Here—Gift These 20 Amazing Finds This Year

• 40 Best Sentimental Gift Ideas for Loved Ones

• Jennifer Aniston‘s Secret to Glowy Skin On-Screen