I Will Always Love You

Dolly didn’t need fireworks here. “I Will Always Love You” gets its power from saying goodbye with tenderness instead of anger, which somehow makes the whole thing hurt more. It’s the heavyweight ballad in this bracket and gives voters a brutal choice whenever it meets something louder or more playful. Does that emotional punch beat the nervous energy of “Jolene”? Can it get past the personal storytelling of “Coat of Many Colors”? If heartbreak is where Dolly was at her best, this is the song to defend.