NASHVILLE: Country Music Television (CMT) has come up with its own list of can’t-miss 100 greatest love songs, topped by Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You”, a song she took to No 1 on the country chart in 1974. The tune got a rebirth 18 years later when Whitney Houston made it a No 1 pop hit and it was featured in the movie ‘The Bodyguard’. Parton wasn’t immediately available for comment, but in 1998 she told CMT about a woman who stopped her in an airport and thanked her for writing the lyrics. “The lady’s father was dying of cancer, and he had never been able to tell his family how much he loved them.” “When he heard the song, he went out and bought the cassette and brought each of his children in individually and played the song for them. He said, “These are the words I want you to know are in my heart.”’ Parton called the encounter “one of the proudest moments of my life.”

Rounding out the top 12 love songs: Willie Nelson’s “You Were Always On My Mind”; Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams”; Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen”; Conway Twitty’s “Hello Darlin”’; Garth Brooks’ “Unanswered Prayers”; Lonestar’s “Amazed”; Kenny Rogers’ “She Believes in Me”; George Strait’s “I Cross My Heart”; George Jones and Tammy Wynette’s “Golden Ring”; Merle Haggard’s “That’s The Way Love Goes”; and “When You Say Nothing At All,” a hit for Keith Whitley and later Alison Krauss & Union Station. —AP