The USS Missouri (BB-63) was a bit late to the party. Completed in January 1944, she was the last US battleship to enter the action during the Second World War. Despite this, the vessel played an important role in American history, as she was the site of the Japanese surrender in September 1945, officially putting an end to the conflict that had taken over the world for six years.

The United States wanted to counter Japan

The 1922 Washington Naval Treaty limited the size of battleships. (Photo Credit: Unknown Author / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
While the United States was in peacetime in the 1930s, military officials felt a war with Japan was possible. In response, the Navy was tasked with creating a new battleship design. Specifically, the Americans wanted a ship that could counter Japan’s Kongō-class battlecruisers.

Following the First World War, the world’s powers signed the Washington Naval Treaty, which placed limitations on how large newly-constructed ships could be. This was followed by the Second London Naval Treaty, which Japan refused to sign. This led to further negotiations, which allowed the US to build battleships up to 45,000 tons, as opposed to the previous limit of 36,000.

Construction of the USS Missouri

The USS Missouri (BB-63) was 887 feet long and boasted .50-caliber Mk VII deck guns (Photo via Getty Images)
After plans were approved, the USS Missouri was ordered in June 1940, with construction beginning the following January. Work on the Iowa-class battleship was completed in 1944, with a crowd of 30,000 gathering to see the vessel off.

Missouri‘s turbines allowed her to reach a top speed of 32.5 knots, and she boasted nine 16-inch .50-caliber Mark VII deck guns as her main battery. The battleship’s second battery featured 20 five-inch .38-caliber dual-purpose guns, along with 20 quadruple mounts for 1.6-inch Bofors guns for anti-aircraft defense. On top of all that firepower, Missouri also featured forty-nine 0.8-inch Oerlikon light AA auto-cannons placed along the length of the ship.

The battleship had a shakedown cruise south of the Chesapeake Bay, before traveling to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, California. There, Missouri was fitted for service as a fleet flagship.

The USS Missouri was the site of the Japanese surrender

The USS Missouri (BB-63) was the victim of kamikaze attacks in April 1945. (Photo Credit: Harold “Buster” Campbell / Len Schmidt / USS Missouri Memorial Association / Naval History and Heritage Command / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
After entering service, the USS Missouri was sent overseas as part of Task Force 58, arriving near Tokyo in January 1945. The battleship immediately took part in an attack on the Japanese city, with her armaments providing anti-aircraft support. Following this, she continued to perform strikes against Japan, including during the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Not long before the Battle of Okinawa, Missouri and two other US vessels were transferred to Task Force 59, tasked with bombarding the southern part of Okinawa. This was to distract the Japanese forces from the planned invasion of the island’s west side. In April 1945, Missouri was the victim of an attack by kamikaze aircraft, but only suffered cosmetic damages. Days later, another kamikaze pilot struck the vessel, injuring two crewmen.

On September 2, 1945, Missouri became the site of the Japanese surrender. The formal ceremony was attended by Gen. Douglas McArthur and Adm. Chester Nimitz. On the Japanese side, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamoru Shigemitsu was present.

Service during later US-involved conflicts

A few years after the Second World War came to an end, the USS Missouri (BB-63) was pressed into service in Korea. (Photo Credit: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
The USS Missouri was, again, pressed into service in 1950, upon the outbreak of the Korean War. Initially part of the Pacific Fleet, the vessel was the first US battleship to arrive in Korean waters, and throughout the conflict bombarded shorelines and acted as a carrier escort.

In 1955, she was sent to Puget Sound for decommissioning, and over the next few decades was moored in Seattle, where she served as a popular tourist attraction. Approximately 250,000 guests visited Missouri each year.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan‘s administration looked to rebuild the Navy’s fleet, as a not-so-subtle threat to the USSR. Missouri was reactivated the same year and upgraded with the latest weapons and technology. This included the addition of four Mk 141 quad cell launchers for RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, a quartet of Phalanx 0.8-inch .76-caliber Close In Weapon System rotary cannons and eight Mk 143 Armored Box Launcher mounts for Tomahawk missiles.

Three years later, Missouri was sent to Kuwait as part of Operation Earnest Will, having been outfitted with 25 mm chain guns and 40 mm grenade launchers. In January 1991, she arrived in the waters off the Persian Gulf in support of America’s efforts during Operation Desert Storm, tasked with destroying sea mines and providing fire support.

The USS Missouri‘s retirement and legacy

Today, the USS Missouri (BB-63) operates as a museum and faces the USS Arizona Memorial. (Photo Credit: Julia Thurston Photography / Getty Images)
Ronald Reagan brought the USS Missouri out of retirement as a check against the Soviet Union. However, by the mid-1990s, the USSR had dissolved and Russia was no longer a threat. As such, the US military was looking to cut costs, forcing the battleship back into retirement.

At first, Missouri returned to Puget Sound, before being sent to Ford Island in 1998. That’s where she remains to this day, docked some 500 feet from the USS Arizona Memorial. Missouri faces the memorial, in a position symbolizing a permanent watch over those who lost their lives during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Reba McEntire responds to rumours she’s selling weight loss gummies

‘The Voice’ star calls out ‘clickbait’ posts suggesting she’s selling weight loss gummies

Reba McEntire has hit out at “clickbait” rumours suggesting she’s selling weight loss gummies.

In a post shared to X, formerly Twitter, the 68-year-old country singer addressed reports she’s leaving NBC’s The Voice. “Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true,” McEntire began her post. The Reba star joined the popular singing competition as a coach in May 2023.

“These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products,” she continued, before acknowledging the fake posts that she’s selling weight loss products. “This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product,” McEntire said.

The “Does He Love You” singer was previously at the centre of a fake advertisement in 2022, when scammers had created ads on Facebook that falsely claimed the country music star was associated with Natures One CBD Gummies and other keto gummy products.

According to Snopes, the misleading ads claimed to reveal some sad news about McEntire. They led users to articles that resembled FoxNews.com and other digital news outlets, making it appear as if McEntire was promoting the CBD and keto gummies products.

McEntire isn’t the only celebrity to call out false ads using her likeness to peddle weight loss gummies. In October 2022, Oprah Winfrey urged her fans not to purchase products using her name and image. “And so it happened to me again today,” she began the Instagram video. “A woman came up to me and said: ‘Can you help me get your weight loss gummies?’ And I said: ‘Ma’am, I don’t have anything to do with weight loss gummies.’”

Winfrey said that she was compelled to address the weight loss scam after she was approached about the gummies five times in one week. “Somebody’s out there misusing my name, even sending emails to people advertising weight loss gummies,” she added.

Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true. These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products. This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product.

— Reba McEntire (@reba) February 26, 2024

“I have nothing to do with weight loss gummies or diet pills and I don’t want you all taken advantage of by people misusing my name. So please know, I have no weight loss gummies,” Winfrey stressed.

She captioned her video with a warning to her followers, explaining that she hasn’t endorsed any weight loss supplement being advertised online.

“Fraud alert!” Winfrey wrote. “Please don’t buy any weight loss gummies with my picture or name on them. There have been social media ads, emails, and fake websites going out and I want you to hear it straight from me, that I have nothing to do with them. Please don’t be taken advantage of and don’t give your personal information to them.”

Despite having no connection to the weight loss gummies, McEntire has previously revealed exactly how she stays fit and healthy. “In the early ‘90s, I was on Fit for Life. That’s the slimmest I ever was,” the country singer told People in 2020. According to McEntire, the diet plan calls for cutting out sugar and “don’t mix your carbs and protein”.

“Instead of having potatoes and steak, just have steak and vegetables. If you’re going to have carbs, then have our carbs with vegetables,” she said at the time.

While McEntire doesn’t follow the strict diet these days, she maintained that “portion control works best for me now”.

“I do like to go on vacations and that’s when I really splurge,” she added. “I love Mexican food – chips, salsa and guacamole. And then chicken enchiladas and a really neat dessert. That’s my cheat day.”

Photo: Getty Images

Dolly Parton recently commended Beyoncè for being the first Black woman in history to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with her latest single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The Queen of Country took to social media to congratulate the “Halo” hitmaker, sharing that she has always been a “big Beyoncè fan.”

“I am a big fan of Beyoncè and very excited that she’s doing a country album. So, congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single.” ABC News properly referred to the sweet message as Dolly welcoming Queen B into “the country music family.”

Dolly also expressed that she cannot wait to hear Beyoncé’s country album in its entirety when it comes out next month. Slated for release on March 29th, Act II (Beyoncé’s eighth studio album) will feature the aforementioned chart-topping single, as well as “16 Carriages,” and other unreleased country tracks.

A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton)

Fans sounded off in the comment section of Dolly’s post, encouraging the two fabulous queens to collaborate in the future.

“Dolly Beyoncé collab maybe? Just a thought.”

Speaking of queens, Queen Latifah also reached out to Dolly in the comments saying, “Love You Dolly!!!” with a handful of heart emojis. Additionally, Oprah relayed support for the post commenting, “Legends supporting legends ❤”

Dolly, who knows a thing or two about breaking down genre barriers, released her rock & roll album Rockstar late last year, featuring special guests Sting, Kid Rock, Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Chris Stapleton, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Lizzo, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Lynyrd Skynyrd to name a few. To celebrate her birthday on January 19th, the “9 to 5” hitmaker released a handful of additional tracks that were not included in the original release of the album.

Fans can listed to Dolly’s latest record and the two released Act II tracks off Beyoncè’s highly-anticipated country album on iHeartRadio now!

Dolly Parton is a country-music trailblazer.David Crotty/Contributor/Getty Images

Dolly Parton is an award-winning country artist, philanthropist, and actress.
Her hit songs “I Will Always Love You” and “Jolene” were inspired by real-life people.
Dollywood is a Parton-inspired theme park, but the singer says she’s never been on the rides.

Dolly Parton didn’t write “I Will Always Love You” about a romantic partner.

Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner performing together. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
“I Will Always Love You,” later popularized by Whitney Houston, is an iconic song in music history.

But contrary to popular belief, the lyrics center on the end of a professional relationship, rather than a romantic one.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Parton appeared with her mentor Porter Wagoner on his eponymous TV show. But when it came time for Parton to spearhead her own career, Wagoner was not happy, and a rift started forming.

“There was a lot of grief and heartache there, and he just wasn’t listening to my reasoning for my going,” Parton told CMT in 2011. “I thought, ‘Well, why don’t you do what you do best? Why don’t you just write this song?’”

Parton penned “I Will Always Love You” later that day and sang it to him the next.

“He started crying,” Parton told the Tennessean in 2015. “When I finished, he said, ‘Well, hell! If you feel that strong about it, just go on — providing I get to produce that record because that’s the best song you ever wrote.’”

Parton’s smash hit “Jolene” was partially inspired by a bank teller.

The song’s name was also inspired by a fan. Debra L Rothenberg/Getty Images
The country lament “Jolene,” one of Parton’s biggest hits, is a tale of flirtation slightly inspired by a bank teller who set her eyes on Parton’s husband, Carl Dean — who Parton said also loved the attention.

“It was kinda like a running joke between us — when I was saying, ‘Hell, you’re spending a lot of time at the bank. I don’t believe we’ve got that kind of money,’” Parton told NPR in 2008. “So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”

In that same interview, Parton said the song’s name came to her when she met a fan with red hair and green eyes, which she incorporated into the song’s lyrics.

“I said, ‘Well, you’re the prettiest little thing I ever saw. So what is your name?’ And she said, ‘Jolene,’” Parton recalled. ” … I said, ‘That is pretty. That sounds like a song. I’m going to write a song about that.’”

She is Miley Cyrus’ honorary godmother.

Dolly Parton performing with her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Back in the 1990s, Billy Ray Cyrus hit it big with “Achy Breaky Heart” and was the opener for some of Parton’s shows. He also appeared in her video for “Romeo.”

Parton said the two connected because of their country roots, and so he asked his longtime friend to be his daughter’s godmother.

“We never did do a big ceremony, but I’m so proud of her, love her and she’s just like one of my own,” Parton told “Good Morning America” star Robin Roberts in 2009.

In addition to staying close to the pop singer, Parton guest-starred on the Disney Channel sitcom “Hannah Montana” as the titular character’s godmother.

Parton rejected an offer from Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley wanted to cover “I Will Always Love You.” Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; AP
Before Houston shattered records with her remake of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for “The Bodyguard” (1992) soundtrack, the “King of Rock and Roll” wanted to sing it.

Parton said Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, once contacted her to discuss his client possibly covering the song, but the deal fell apart after Parton realized that she would have to relinquish 50% of the publishing royalties.

“I cried all night. I mean, it was like the worst thing. You know, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God … Elvis Presley,’” Parton told CMT in 2006. “And other people were saying, ‘You’re nuts. It’s Elvis Presley. I mean, hell, I’d give him all of it.’”

“I said, ‘I can’t do that. Something in my heart says, don’t do that,’” she added.

Parton said she eats pie instead of cake on her birthday.

Dolly Parton prefers pie to cake. Christopher Polk/ Getty Images
It’s traditional to have cake on birthdays, but according to Maggie Jones’ reporting for USA Today, Parton is partial to pie.

“I don’t eat much cake. I usually have pie on my birthday,” Parton wrote in an email. “My favorite pie is chess pie. That is ‘chess’ not CHEST pie.”

She once lost a Dolly Parton-lookalike contest.

Dolly Parton exaggerated her usual look for the competition. Getty
Parton described herself as “flashy” and “flamboyant” during a 2019 interview with Elle, adding, “Had I not been a girl, I definitely would have been a drag queen.”

But when she had the chance to embrace the glamour during a lookalike contest where she just needed to be herself, Parton lost.

“At a Halloween contest years ago on Santa Monica Boulevard where all the guys were dressed up like me, and I just overexaggerated my look and went in and just walked up on stage … I didn’t win,” she said in the 2009 interview with Roberts. “I didn’t even come in close, I don’t think.”

Parton has tattoos to cover up small scars.

Dolly Parton’s tattoos include ribbons, bows, and butterflies. Jim Cooper/AP Images
Parton’s tattoos are something of an urban legend, with fans speculating if she had any and why she’d hide them. But in a 2020 interview with People magazine, she cleared up some of the confusion.

She said she was sick for a while, and her feeding tube and other procedures left scars that she decided to cover up with ribbon, bow, and butterfly tattoos, among others.

“I do have some tattoos, that’s true. But they’re tasteful. I’m not a tattoo girl,” Parton said. “My tattoos are pretty, they’re artful and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement.”

She can play a lot of musical instruments.

Dolly Parton can play more than just the guitar. Gems/Getty Images
The country legend is a talented multi-instrumentalist who plays the dulcimer, banjo, guitar, piano, recorder, and saxophone, among others.

In a 2016 interview with Vogue, Parton said she plays “some of everything.”

“My family’s very musical, and everybody played musical instruments, so we just grabbed up anything and tried to play,” she said. “Like I said, I ain’t all that good at it, but I can play enough to make a show!”

Parton may have a wig for every day of the year.

Dolly Parton is also known for her impressive hairstyles. LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters
Parton is known for her signature blonde tresses, and the superstar has an impressive collection of wigs to ensure that she never has a bad hair day.

And in the same Vogue interview, Parton struggled to give an accurate count of her collection.

“Oh, heavens, I have no idea. I can’t really count them all,” she said. “I always make a joke and say, ‘I wear one almost every day, so I must have at least 365!’”

Parton has her own theme park but has never been on any of the rides.

Dollywood is a Dolly Parton-inspired amusement park. Ron Davis/Getty Images
Dollywood, which opened in 1961, is a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, fashioned after Parton’s childhood fantasies. It boasts an array of roller-coasters and water rides, but Parton has never experienced them herself.

“I don’t ride the rides,” she told The New York Times in 2019. “I never have. I have a tendency to get motion sickness. Also, I’m a little bit chicken.”

“With all my hair I got so much to lose, like my wig or my shoes. I don’t like to get messed up,” she added. “I’m gonna have some handsome man mess it up, I don’t want some ride doing it.”

Parton said she sleeps in her makeup.

Dolly Parton and Katy Perry. CBS
Most beauty gurus will tell you that a critical step in skin care is washing your makeup off before bed, but Parton’s beauty routine flies in the face of conventional wisdom.

“You never know if you’re going to wreck the bus, you never know if you’re going to be somewhere in a hotel and there’s going to be a fire,” Parton told The New York Times in her 2019 interview. “So I leave my makeup on at night and clean my face in the morning.”

Her parents paid for her birth with a sack of oatmeal.

Dolly Parton grew up in Sevierville, Tennessee. Paul Natkin/Getty Images
According to Michael Williams’ book “Eastern Sevier County,” Parton grew up “dirt poor” in a two-room cabin with her 11 siblings and parents in Sevierville, Tennessee.

Their circumstances were so dire that her father, a tobacco farmer, paid for her birth with a sack of oatmeal.

But Parton told Entertainment Tonight in 2015 that she’s never been ashamed of her upbringing or family.

“I’ve always loved being from where I am. I think my childhood made me everything I am today,” she said. “I would trade nothing for being brought up in the Great Smoky Mountains.”

Parton has earned two Guinness World Records.

Dolly Parton on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” NBC/Getty Images
In January 2018, Parton won two Guinness World Records: the most decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and the most hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist for her six consecutive decades and 107 trending tracks.

“To receive these two Guinness World Records is so great,” Parton said while collecting her awards. “Joining so many wonderful singers and songwriters who have been honored this way feels so special to me.”

She added, “You never know when you start out with your work how it’s going to turn out, but to have these two world records makes me feel very humbled and blessed!”

Parton’s first crush was Johnny Cash.

Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash at the Country Music Association Awards in 1978. ASSOCIATED PRESS/AP
As a teenager, Parton performed at the renowned Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, where she laid eyes on the “Man in Black” himself.

“I was sitting in the audience and that’s when I first knew about sex appeal,” Parton told Nightline in 2012. “He had this tick when he moved his shoulder … and it was still sexy. It still got to me.”

She said she wakes up at 3 a.m. to meditate.

Dolly Parton said she gets work done between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
In her classic song “9 to 5,” Parton famously sings, “Tumble outta bed and stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition.” We can only assume all this takes place after she wakes up at 3 a.m.

In 2018, Parton told the “Today” show that she wakes up early to do her “little meditations” and “little spiritual work” before getting ahead of her day by checking her mail and making calls.

“I do more work between three and seven than most people all day, because it’s quiet and the energy’s all low-key, except mine,” she said. “I just love the wee hours.”

She has spoken about following a low-carb diet.

Dolly Parton said she’s been more conscious of her diet as she gets older. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Parton has named banana pudding, chicken and dumplings, and roast pork among her favorite foods, the latter of which she prefers a bit fatty. And she told The New York Times in 1992, “The greasier the food, the better.”

But in recent years, she’s spoken about being a bit more mindful of her diet.

“I’m a short little thing with a big, country girl appetite so I have to really watch it,” Parton told Fox News in 2016. “… I’d be big as a house if I ate everything I wanted so I’m a big eater.”

“My best bet is to stay on low carb because on a low carb you can actually eat quite a bit of food of the things you’re allowed,” she added.

Parton and her husband Dean have been married for over 50 years.

Dolly Parton and Carl Dean got married in 1966. Mark Humphrey/AP Images
Parton launched a successful music career and found love in Nashville, Tennessee.

In the capital of country music, Parton met Carl Dean outside the Wishy Washy Laundromat, and they married two years later in 1966.

“We’ve been together most of our lives,” Parton told People in 2018. “I always joke and laugh when people ask me what’s the key to my long marriage and lasting love. I always say ‘Stay gone!’ and there’s a lot of truth to that.”

“I travel a lot, but we really enjoy each other when we’re together and the little things we do,” she added.

Parton and her bestie have been friends since childhood.

Dolly Parton and Judy Ogle have been best friends for over six decades. Ron Galella/Getty Images
Parton’s marriage is not her only enduring relationship — Judy Ogle has been Parton’s closest friend for over six decades.

“Our ­parents knew each other, we grew up together, we were like ­sisters, became best friends,” she told The Sun in 2019. “She was very quiet, I was very outgoing. So we made perfect friends. We went all through school together.”

Parton created a library to promote literacy.

Dolly Parton speaking about Dolly’s Imagination Library. Andrew Harnik/AP
In 1995, Parton was inspired by her father’s illiteracy and opened Dolly’s Imagination Library in Sevier County, Tennessee, to provide an avenue for kids to learn to read.

The organization has since sent over 120 million free books to children worldwide.

“My daddy just loved it when all the little kids would call me ‘The Book Lady,’” she wrote on the website. “That meant more to him than the fact that I had become a star and worked my butt off.”

Dolly, the cloned sheep, was named after Parton.

Dolly the Sheep was named after Dolly Parton. Matthew Polak/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images
In 1996, another Dolly made waves — but this one was a female sheep and the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

Dr. Ian Wilmut, who led the team of scientists in Scotland behind the creation of Dolly, told BBC, “Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn’t think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton’s.”

And in a 2014 interview on the Scottish radio show SSE Hydro, Parton said she was flattered by the decision.

“I was told she was called after me because she had big mammary glands. She gave me a lot of competition …” Parton said. “I never met her but I always said there’s no such thing as baaad publicity.”

She saved her 9-year-old costar on the set of her 2020 Netflix film.

Dolly Parton plays an angel in “Christmas on the Square.” Netflix
Parton appeared in the Netflix holiday film “Christmas on the Square” as an angel, which was fitting, since she saved her 9-year-old costar Talia Hill.

In a 2020 interview with Inside Edition, Hill said she was nearly hit by an oncoming vehicle on set but Parton pulled her out of the way.

Parton then reportedly told her, “Well, I am an angel, you know.”

“And I was in shock. She hugged me and shook me and said, ‘I saved your life!’” Hill said. “And my mom was crying, and she said, ‘Yes, you did, Dolly Parton. Yes, you did.’”

Dolly Parton grew up dirt-poor to a loving family in the mountains of Tennessee in a place called Locust Ridge. Whitney Houston grew up well-to-do in New Jersey’s biggest city, Newark, the child of musical royalty. Her mother, Cissy, was a Grammy-winning gospel artist, her first cousin was Dionne Warwick, and her distant cousin was opera legend Leontyne Price.

The two could not have come from more different backgrounds, but one of pop music’s greatest love songs, “I Will Always Love You,” brought them together. How that happened, and how the song came to be, is a remarkable story, one that includes Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker; actor Kevin Costner; and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The song, written and recorded by Parton in 1973, was not about the loss of a romantic love. It was instead written about the end of a long-standing professional relationship. Porter Wagoner, a country star well-known for his gaudy attire and coiffed hair, gave Parton her big break in show businesses, signing her to a long-term deal on his nationally syndicated musical variety show. The two enjoyed great success performing and singing together, creating a succession of country hits.

But as time passed, Parton wanted her freedom, creatively and financially. She wanted to leave the man who’d done so much for her career, but how could she do it with grace and gratitude?

“We were going around and around with that,” Parton told The Tennessean in 2015 about ending her partnership with Wagoner. “So, finally, I thought, How am I gonna make him understand how much I appreciate everything, but that I have to go? He won’t listen to me. He’s not listening to the reason why I want to go!

“So I went home and I thought, Well, what do you do best? You write songs. So I sat down, and out of a very emotional place I wrote this song.”

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How did Wagoner react? “He said, ‘It’s the best thing you ever wrote,’” Parton recalled in Ken Burns’ documentary Country Music. “‘OK, you can go, but only if I can produce that record.’ And he did and the rest is history.”

“I Will Always Love You” made its way to No. 1 on the country charts in 1974 along with another song Parton penned on the same day she wrote her farewell to her former boss, “Jolene.” The songs established her as one of country music’s best performing artists and one of Nashville’s finest songwriters too.

And that’s where Presley comes into the story. Parton’s hit song had come to the rock legend’s attention through his manager, Parker. “[Elvis] loved the song and wanted to do it,” Parton told BBC Radio. “Had it worked up. They’d already called me to come down to the studio and to hear part of the song.”

But the Presley cover of Parton’s love song would never come to be. The night before the recording was to take place, Parker told Parton that he didn’t allow Presley to record anything without half of the publishing rights.

“I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t give you the publishing,’” Parton told W magazine. “I wanted to hear Elvis sing it, and it broke my heart—I cried all night. But I had to keep that copyright in my pocket. You have to take care of your business.”

Parton, it turned out, wasn’t just a great singer and songwriter; she was also a shrewd businesswoman. She understood the value of her intellectual property and wasn’t about to give it away, even to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

How did one of R&B’s greatest divas come to perform Parton’s country ballad? It turns out that Costner, one of America’s most famous actors at the time, loved the song and happened to be producing a 1992 movie called The Bodyguard, in which he co-starred with Houston. He called Parton and asked if he could use the song in the movie’s soundtrack. She quickly said yes but never heard back about how it would be used in the movie—or if it would be used.

“I didn’t know if they had it, I didn’t know if they had done it,” she told Kelly Clarkson on Clarkson’s syndicated TV show.

Parton first heard the song the way millions of Americans did—while driving in her car around town. “I was just driving along, and I had the radio on,” she said. “When I heard it, I just freaked out. I had to pull over to the side because I honestly thought that I was gonna wreck. It was the most overwhelming feeling.”

America—and the world—was overwhelmed too. The song catapulted to the top of the Billboard charts and stayed there for an astonishing 14 weeks, a record at the time. The song stayed on the top of the U.K. charts for 10 weeks and would go on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.

Parton’s decision to keep her publishing rights and say no to Parker and Presley was one of the best business decisions of her life. “I made enough money to buy Graceland,” Parton told a reporter about the royalties she earned from Houston’s cover.

Houston’s version of “I Will Always Love You” became—and still is—the bestselling single ever recorded by a female artist. Parton still holds the record for the bestselling single ever written by a female artist.

It’s a quintessentially American story, the story of “I Will Always Love You.” A talented white woman from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee wrote a song that a brilliant black female singer from urban New Jersey brought to the world in ways no one could plan, let alone imagine.

There was no talk of cultural appropriation, by Parton or Houston or anyone else. The two women were doing what musical artists in America have done from the beginning of time: borrow any and all forms of music and make it their own. Thanks to the miracle of free enterprise and intellectual property rights, musical artists in America are not merely protected against the theft of their work but also incentivized to share their work—their songs—with others, across race, class, culture, geography and time.

Many artists would go on to cover the song, including Linda Ronstadt and LeAnn Rimes. One Middle East dictator loved the song so much he commissioned Syrian pop star Mayyada Bselees to cover it in Arabic and used it as his official campaign song in 2022. That was Saddam Hussein, who won the Iraqi “election” in typical dictatorial style with 100 percent of the votes but didn’t live to the end of his seven-year term.

Which version of the song is the best? That’s not for this writer to answer. But one thing is certain: the Houston cover of “I Will Always Love You” changed the life of the writer—and the singer—forever, making both of them a small fortune. And the world a better and more beautiful place.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Reba McEntire Begs Fans to Not Believe “False” Stories in Urgent Instagram Post

Reba McEntire Begs Fans to Not Believe “False” Stories in Urgent Instagram Post

You can always count on Reba McEntire to keep it real. The 68-year-old country music icon took to Instagram to clear the air on a recent rumor and warn her fans about a potential scam using her name.

Recently, fans of The Voice may have noticed reports swirling online about Reba leaving her position as a coach on the popular singing competition show. The “Fancy” singer shut it down in no uncertain terms.

The article in question claims, “Reba McEntire Confirms She Is ‘LEAVING’ The Voice After her Accidental ‘Live’ Confession On Air.” Reba covered the text with a bold red “FALSE.”

She wrote in the caption, “Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true. These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products. This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product. Please report these posts if you see them on Facebook or Instagram.”

Fans left comments like, “You tell em Reba” and “Don’t let them get you mama 👏👏👏 love you.” Kristin Chenoweth chimed in with, “Ridiculous! ❤❤❤” and Lance Bass joked, “Craaaaap. I already bought them!”

Reba is far from the first celebrity whose name has been linked to fake gummy claims. Ben Napier, Trisha Yearwood, Lainey Wilson, and Dolly Parton have all warned fans about similar scams.

The good news is The Voice returns for its 25th season on February 26, and Reba will be there! She’ll be joined by returning judges Chance the Rapper and John Legend, plus new additions Dan + Shay, who are the first duo to share judging duties.

Reba McEntire responds to rumors she’s leaving The Voice: ‘This is not true’

She put rumors of her departure to rest just a day before the new season arrives.

Reba McEntire is dealing with rumors the same way she previously dealt with Graboids. She’s shooting them down.

McEntire took to social media on Sunday — just a day before the season 25 premiere of The Voice — to dispel rumors that behind-the-scenes tensions are prompting her to leave the show.

“Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true,” McEntire wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products. This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product.”

Please do not click on any articles that say I am leaving The Voice. This is not true. These are fake websites to lure people in with clickbait where they claim I have a company to sell weight loss gummy products. This is false. I do not sell or promote any type of gummy product.

— Reba McEntire (@reba) February 26, 2024

McEntire joined The Voice as a coach in May 2023, replacing the departing Blake Shelton. Prior to that, she’d appeared on the show as both a Mega Mentor and a Battle Advisor.

Rumors about her dissatisfaction circulated in the fall with uncited claims and unnamed sources. McEntire addressed the rumor mill with Extra during a charity event in October. Asked if she was leaving the show, she replied, “Well, not right yet. We’re not through.”

Reba McEntire.Art Streiber/NBC

McEntire went on to say she’d become “best friends” with fellow judge Gwen Stefani. “At first, she was so intimidating and I thought she was being mean to me, and then she said, ‘I just want you to like me,’ and I said, ‘Well, that’s all you had to say.’”

She also praised the show, the contestants, and the crew. However, the vague “yet” in her reply may have fueled the fire for some.

The new season of The Voice debuts on Monday, Feb. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

‘Harry Styles doesn’t need a One Direction reunion – he’s bigger than the band ever were’

Louis Walsh remembers bringing One Direction up in The X Factor, where he recalled Harry Styles was always a “star in his own right” – and as a result, doesn’t need a reunion.

Piers Morgan and Louis Walsh clash over Eurovision

One Direction fans have been begging for some kind of reunion since they split up back in 2016.

The band, who sold more than 70 million records worldwide, became an almost overnight phenomenon when they first appeared on The X Factor back in 2010.

But, after their split, the members all began solo careers, with Harry Styles catapulting himself to the top of the charts with three number-one albums.

He has since headlined Wembley Stadium, and countless other stadiums around the globe. As a result, Louis Walsh believes Harry “does not need” any kind of One Direction reunion in the coming years.

Speaking exclusively to Alex Apati of Ladbrokes LIVE, Walsh said: “Harry was always going to be this pop star. He doesn’t need a reunion. He’s a star in his own right.”

Louis went on to condemn One Direction, saying: “He’s bigger than the band ever were … I wouldn’t recommend [a reunion], actually. Harry Styles doesn’t need it. It’s like how George Michael didn’t need Wham!, Robbie [Williams] didn’t need Take That. They might just do it for a TV show or a charity event, or something like that. But that’ll be it.”

The former X Factor judge went on to speak about Zayn Malik and his solo music, as well.

Zayn was the first member of the boy band to release his own music but has since gone quiet in recent years.

“I’m surprised Zayn [Malik] hasn’t brought out more music,” Louis confessed. “Because I thought he was very talented. Maybe in time, we’ll see them get back together, but I don’t see it.”

Looking back on their relationship, Louis confessed he doesn’t speak to the band anymore.

“I don’t keep in touch with any of the guys from One Direction,” he admitted. “They were great for the show, and Simon [Cowell] very much made them what they were. They were very raw at the start, but he made them good, and he gave them great songs. He gave them a lot of time, and then he signed them to his label.”

He went on to add: “It’s all about the songs, and they had great sons after the show. It’s the same reason why Take That and Westlife are still as big as they are today; it’s the songs.”

Zayn Malik Says He Never Wanted to Be the “Mysterious One” in One Direction

And he finally opened up about why he decided to leave the band back in 2015.

Every Directioner remembers where they were (and how long they cried for) when news first broke that Zayn Malik was leaving One Direction back in 2015. The main question on everyone’s mind? Why, Zayn, why? Well, now, over eight years later, the former boybander is ready to give fans a bit of closure by sharing his side of the story in detail for the first time — and he’s not holding back.

On Wednesday’s episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Malik opened up about the split when chatting with host Alex Cooper during his first interview in more than six years. When prompted by Cooper to reflect on the moment he knew that it was “time to leave” One Direction, the singer shared that it partially had to do with group “politics” and his “competitive” nature.

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“I think I’d known for a minute, but there was a lot of politics going on,” he began. “Certain people were doing certain things, certain people didn’t want to sign contracts, so I knew something was happening so I just got ahead of the curve. I was just like, ‘I’m just gonna get out of here. I think this is done.’”

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He continued, “I, completely selfishly, wanted to be the first person to go and make my own record. I was like, ‘I’m gonna jump the gun here for the first time.’ I’m a passive dude, but when it comes to my music and my business, I’m serious about it and I’m competitive. I wanted to be the first to go do my own thing.”

Zayn Malik Opened Up About His “Really Good” Co-Parenting Relationship With Gigi Hadid In Rare Interview

Zayn then explained that being around his bandmates, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan, 24/7 during their five years of touring also contributed to his departure.

“There were obviously underlying issues within our friendships, too,” Malik revealed. “We’d been together every day for 5 years, and we got sick of each other if I’m being completely honest. We were close, you know, we’d done crazy things with each other that nobody else in the world will ever understand. I look back on it now in a much fonder light than I would have as I’d just left.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the singer also touched on what he thought of his “bad boy” persona throughout his time in the band, adding, “They just said, ‘Oh yeah, you can be the mysterious one. That wasn’t necessarily my personality, I’m just chill. I know that a lot of people have high-energy personalities, and it’s just not the way I am.”

But while fans may have had to wait several years to hear from Malik in an interview, he later assured fans that they won’t have to wait nearly as long for new music as his next single, “Love Like This,” is set to drop on July 21. “It’s just a summer jam. It’s a good vibe. It just feels like summer,” he shared.

What made The Beatles global stars?

From the British Invasion, to innovative recording techniques and embracing Eastern sounds, here’s how the Beatles got so big.

In 1998 viewers of Britain’s Channel 4 television voted for the Beatles as the ultimate music of the millennium. They are perhaps the most obvious example of music having achieved international appeal, providing an enduring symbol of global culture. They were by no means the first popular musicians to achieve international celebrity. Composers such as Händel and Mozart, and virtuoso performers such as Paganini and Liszt, were known throughout Europe. However genuinely international musical celebrity (as we now think of it) only became possible after the onset of the mass media, especially recording and radio.

Before the Beatles a number of US musicians had become famous around the world and adored by their many fans. Perhaps the most famous of these were the singer Frank Sinatra in the 1940s and the ‘King of Rock ‘n Roll’, Elvis Presley, in the 1950s. In the early 1960s the Beatles became the first rock band to achieve global appeal and the first to make their place of origin a key part of that appeal.

On 9 February 1964, 70 million Americans (60 percent of the US television audience) watched the band on the Ed Sullivan show. That one event not only opened the eyes and hearts of another nation to the four Liverpool musicians, it also triggered a phenomenon now referred to as the British invasion. Before the Beatles few British records reached the US charts. In 1963 just one song out of 114 was a British hit. By 1965 the British invasion had reached its peak and 36 out of 110 songs were by British acts. By 1967 however US tastes had begun to change and the first wave of the British invasion had begun to ebb.

1962: 2 UK artists, 96 US artists, 98 total
1963: 1 UK artists, 113 US artists, 114 total
1964: 32 UK artists, 68 US artists, 100 total
1965: 36 UK artists, 74 US artists, 110 total
1966: 30 UK artists, 97 US artists, 127 total
1967: 22 UK artists, 90 US artists, 112 total

By achieving this kind of success in the US and then across Europe and the rest of the Americas, the Beatles opened the way for other British bands to follow. US tours and hits were achieved by bands like the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Dave Clark Five, The Kinks, the Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers and the Searchers.

How can the Beatles’ global appeal be explained? Popular theories have usually pointed to the genius of the individual members of the band and to fate, luck and destiny. But more critical and scholarly explanations have also emerged.

Some musicologists, for example, argue that the Beatles’ global success had a lot to do with how they incorporated the sounds of many different traditions, religions and cultures into their music whilst still making these sounds accessible to popular music fans. George Harrison’s use of the sitar on songs like Norwegian Wood, for example, belied his more sophisticated understanding of Indian raga music.

Others have sought explanations for the social and cultural impact of the Beatles, including their impact on Western popular culture. The band’s films, for instance, revived film musicals, and their songs helped popular music of the 1960s to become the soundtrack for political, social and cultural upheaval, particularly in the US.

The Beatles were also innovative in business and strategy, having a huge impact on global music industries. They were one of the first rock groups to have their own production company, Apple, and to attempt to manage their own career after the death of their manager Brian Epstein. They also pioneered new recording techniques and ideas, forgoing live tours and performances to develop a new, more sophisticated studio sound. Today, Beatles collectables and original albums are amongst the most profitable sectors of the antique and memorabilia industries.

Of course, a band is nothing without its fans and while, US audiences especially, had screamed at major stars such as Frank Sinatra since the 1940s, Beatles’ fandom reached a new level of intensity. For the first time a term was coined by the mass media to describe this reaction, as ‘Beatlemania’ swept across the States. On occasion the shouts and sobs of teenage girls drowned out the performance and even made it difficult for the group to hear their own music. Even after the Beatles stopped touring ardent crowds stood for hours outside the gates of London’s Abbey Road recording studios waiting to catch a glimpse of the band. In a tribute to their devotion George Harrison included a song about them, ‘Apple Scruffs’, on his first solo album ‘All Things Must Pass’ (1970).