LOS ANGELES—A remix of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” selfishly but perfectly entitled “I Will Always Love Me,” is now No. 1 atop the contemporary adult music charts and has even crashed some music websites as millions of narcissists, a previously overlooked and now rapidly growing market, download the single as a perfect virtual stocking stuffer for themselves.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest love songs of all time, Houston’s rendition of “I Will Always Love You” spent a then-record 14 weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1992. Originally written and performed by country music legend Dolly Parton, it had already been a successful, though smaller, hit before Houston remade it as the title song for the movie “Bodyguard,” which she also starred in with Kevin Costner.
Music industry veteran Simon P. Jackson says that with social and traditional media creating or at least supporting the largest population of narcissists in human history, there’s now an enormous demand for what some are calling “me love songs.” He says he wouldn’t be surprised if other top songs are revised for the previously underestimated audience. Among the hits that he thinks could do well remixed for narcissists are Fleetwood Mac’s “You I Make Loving Fun,” Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You Me,” Adele’s “Make You Me Feel My Love,” Elton John’s “Your My Love,” Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your My Face,” and Shania Twain’s “You’re I’m Still the One.” He even sees a compilation down the road, adding, “Narcissists think they’re the greatest, so a ‘greatest hits’ would have even more meaning to them.”
