Role of the Performer - Whitney Houston

The Role of the Performer

_____________________________________________________________________________

-Whitney Houston-

August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012

* * * * * * * * *

My parents are from Mississippi, and I have always cherished stories about their upbringing. My dad would mostly talk about his dirtbike days, playing guitar, and of course, the never-ending story of how he met my mom. One memory, however, was always most exciting! He grew up in the same neighborhood, and on the same street, as Faith Hill! He would talk about how she was adopted and that her two brothers, Steve and Wesley, were his close friends. So when the song, "Mississippi Girl," by Faith Hill came out in 2005, I just instantly felt drawn to it - I would blast it every time it came on. It wasn't until years later that I discovered that she did not write that song, and for whatever reason, it made me disconnect from the song a bit. Furthermore, it was that discovery that showed me that many artists do not write their own music! It really was quite eye-opening.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you know?

Despite her one-in-a-million voice, her eloquent stage presence, her countless accolades, and her overwhelmingly successful career - Whitney Houston did not compose her own music. Mic-Drop!

"I decided long ago to never walk in anyone's shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least I'll live as I believe."

-Whitney Houston

_____________________________________________________________

Biography

An extraordinary life filled with heartache, success, addiction, beauty, and an unforgettable voice, all started on August 8, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Whitney Houston was the daughter of John Russell Houston Jr. and Emily “Cissy” Houston, and the youngest of three children. Her older brothers Gary Garland and Michael Houston, were both involved in music through singing and songwriting. Her extended family included; first cousins, Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, both singers; as well as, Aretha Franklin, an ‘Honorary Aunt,’ whom she met at a recording studio when she was eight-years-old. Whitney was surrounded by amazing talent.

Like many people, Whitney’s early days of singing came she joined the junior gospel choir at her church. Her mom, a gospel singer herself, was in a band called, The Sweet Inspirations; and continued to work with Whitney outside the church. The Sweet Inspirations had sung back up and opened, for the one and only, Elvis Presley! Her continued exposure to the music industry through her mom’s success led Whitney to sing back-up vocals for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls, at the age of fifteen. That was just the very beginning of what would be a highly accomplished and revolutionary career.

At the age of twenty-two, Whitney Houston released her debit album in February 1985, self-titled - Whitney Houston. The album was extremely successful, selling over 13 million copies in the United States, and millions more overseas. The record went down in history as the most albums sold for a debut album by a solo artist.

Whitney Houston achieved monumental success and recognition over the extent of her career:

*Only artist to have 7 consecutive #1 Billboard Hot 100 hits

*Sold over 200 million albums world-wide

*First female artist to enter the Billboard 200 album chart at #1

*Biggest selling single by a female artist of all time - "I Will Always Love you"

*Soul Train's Female Artist of the Decade

The list of awards and recognition Whitney Houston has received certainly does not stop there!

22 American Music Awards, 16 Billboard Awards and 7 Grammy's

As time went on, the rise of Whitney Houston's career would come to a standstill. Her marriage to Bobby Brown had its fair share of troubles, which unfortunately included substantial drug use. After a decade of a rocky personal life, Whitney released what would be her last album in 2009, I Look To You. Sadly, Whitney Houston would succumb to accidental drowning in a Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 12, 2012. She left behind an everlasting legacy that would pave the way for many, and a voice that will never be forgotten.

"To me, music and love are the same thing."

-Whitney Houston

=================================================

Performances

"I Will Always Love You"

Wrtten by Dolly Parton in the beautiful state of Tennessee, I Will Always Love You was released in March 1974 on Dolly's album, "Jolene." Although one may assume the lyrics are about a break-up, the story behind the song was to pay tribute and acknowledge the end of a professional relationship Dolly had with Portor Waggoner. While it wasn't the focus of why the song was written, I perceive this song to be one of the ultimate break-up songs; the lyrics are just too fitting. Whitney Houston brought attention to the song once again in 1992 when she recorded it for the soundtrack for the film, The Bodyguard. Whitney would gain great success with this song - sitting at #1 for fourteen consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and it being one of the best-selling singles of all time!

Song Structure:

Verse 1
If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I'll go but I know
I'll think of you every step of the way

Chorus
And I will always love you
I will always love you
You
My darling, you

Verse 2
Bittersweet memories
That is all I'm taking with me
So good-bye
Please don't cry
We both know I'm not what you, you need

Chorus
And I will always love you
I will always love you
You

[Saxophone Solo]

Verse 3
I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of
And I'm wishing you joy and happiness
But of all this, I wish you love

Chorus
And I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you
I will always love you

I will always love you

I, I will always love you

Outro

You

Darling, I love you

I'll always

I'll always love you

* * * * * * * * * * *

This song does a great job of presenting just how amazing Whitney Houston's voice truly was. The opening verse is unaccompanied as she sings, yet the force behind her voice, primarily the articulation and timbre, demonstrates how strong her voice was all on its own. A piano joins in at the Chorus, adding texture to the song, yet still keeping it smooth and clean. Percussions and the violin accompany Whitney as the song progresses, and the dynamics of her voice jump as she belts out the chorus. The instrumental solo from the saxophone breaks-up the song nicely, allowing for the heartache behind the lyrics to set in - it did for me anyway!

I Will Always Love You, official music video

I couldn't describe the musical elements of this song without pointing out the vibratos - They truly add an undeniable dimension to this song, making it much more memorable. Not to mention, the range of her voice in this song is a whole two octaves - wow! I tried singing along a few times while doing this part of the assignment and I was exhausted; it really shocks me that someone's voice can create that much power and emotion.

Listen HERE for the speech given by her - The Bodyguard Co-Star, Kevin Costner, at her funeral.

___________________________________________________

“My heart just started to beat so fast and then when she got into ‘I Will Always Love You,’ when that opened up, and I realized that was my song, it was the most overwhelming thing,”

-Dolly Parton

* * * * * * *

"I Wanna Dance With Somebody"

Known as one of the 'ultimate feel-good songs ever released,' I wanna dance with somebody, was released by Whitney Houston in May 1987 on her second album, Whitney. I Wanna Dance With Somebody was written by members of the band “Boy Meets Girl”, Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill out of Seattle, Washington; the pair also wrote another number one hit song performed by Whitney, “How Will I Know.” Not sure if this song would reach the same amount of success as How Will I Know, and worried that it may be "too country and western" for Whitney, her producers were hesitant.

Shannon Rubicam on the idea behind the song:

"I pictured somebody single wishing that they could find that special person for themselves. It wasn't, 'I wanna go down the disco and dance,' really. It was, 'I wanna do that dance of life with somebody.' That was the thought behind the song. So we sent our demo version off to Clive Davis and he loved it."

This is the side of Whitney that I am not as familiar with, but I enjoy it, especially because of the darkness that would later shadow her liveliness. I Wanna Dance With Somebody was a platform for Whitney to further show her carefree and upbeat self. In the music video, you can see she is dressed in vibrant colors, dancing around, and wearing dramatic make-up; not the typical Whitney Houston we are used to seeing - not me anyways! By the time I was old enough to really understand who she was, she was already living a life of despair and defeat.

Played at celebrations around the world, this song produces a harmonic feel that is hard to miss, especially during the chorus. However, the overall melody is extremely catchy and makes this song what it is. The excitement that is felt from listening to this song is due to many components. She spices up the line “I wanna feel the heeeeat,” by holding the ‘e’ in heat, the back-up singers add nice texture, and the meter is a 4/4 and with about 127 BPM. The back-up singers also add what feels like a slight bridge between the second and third chorus, with the “Somebody Whoooo?”

Throughout the day I have found myself singing the chorus to this song numerous times!

__________________________________________________

"I just wanted to let her sing and let her have a good time, because then we'd get that magic in the sound that would convince you, 'Wow, she really believes this. It's not made up. She's truly happy."

-Narada Michael Walden, Producer

* * * * * *

Contributions

While her accomplishments as an entertainer are widely known as being a performer with a magical voice, Whitney Houston found success on multiple levels. She starred in her first film, The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner, while also providing the majority of the songs for the soundtrack – An absolute box office hit, and some say it was thanks to Whitney. She later played roles in Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher’s Wife, also assisting in the production of the soundtracks. Whitney made $10 million dollars for her role in The Preacher’s Wife, and at that time that was, “…a landmark fee for an African American actress that opened doors for other successful actresses, both black and white, to start earning more like their male counterparts.” Her efforts didn't stop there, she later executive-produced the remake of Disney's Cinderella, starring herself and Brandy. Some say it was meant to be that her last great role was that of a Fairy-God Mother.

Whitney felt the tensions of not being "black enough," when she was boo'd off stage at the 1989 Soul Train's Awards - after already being a renowned artist. She pushed forward, however. Matt Melis, Author of, Whitney Houston’s Legacy of Breaking Down Barriers in the Entertainment Industry, described Whitney perfectly: "Thanks to her talent, determination, and success at a time when black women were rarely seen as leading ladies or producers, an entire generation of black and female artists have been granted new opportunities and possibilities.”

My Thoughts

We all serve a purpose in this world for very different reasons. Whitney Houston was meant for the entertainment industry, but maybe it was not to write songs. Nonetheless, she provided so much more and paved the way for not only black and female artists, but every little girl looking up to her in that time. The world lost her at a young age. It is unknown where her talents would have taken her next, or who she would have influenced next, but Whitney Houston made her mark and we have progressed because of her.

I applaud Whitney Houston in that her struggles held her back significantly, yet she made her way back to produce another album before her death 3 short years later. I think that shows an incredible amount of strength, resilience, and passion - and we have seen that in many performers today!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I don't know how to sing black- and I don't know how to sing white, either. I know how to sing. Music is not a color to me."

-Whitney Houston

Please check out Whitney's infamous rendition of the National Anthem - It's amazing!

_________________________________________________________________________________

|Sources|

Biography. (2020, November 06). Retrieved from https://www.whitneyhouston.com/biography/

Eidernbach, ~. (2017, February 07). "I Will Always Love You" Musical Analysis. Retrieved from https://elizabethdernbach.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/i-will-always-love-you-musical-analysis/

I Wanna Dance With Somebody ● Whitney Houston. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.notediscover.com/song/whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody

Quartin, E. (2012, February 15). The legacy of Whitney Houston. Retrieved from https://www.cuindependent.com/2012/02/15/the-legacy-of-whitney-houston/

Rose, S. (2018, July 07). 'Not black enough': The identity crisis that haunted Whitney Houston. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/07/not-black-enough-the-identity-crisis-that-haunted-whitney-houston

Unterberger, A. (2017, May 02). 10 Reasons Why Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' Is One of the Greatest Songs of All Time. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7778738/whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-greatest-song-all-time

Whitney Houston's Legacy of Breaking Down Barriers in the Entertainment Industry. (2020, December 11). Retrieved from https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/06/whitney-houstons-legacy-of-breaking-down-barriers-in-the-entertainment-industry/

Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://genius.com/Whitney-houston-i-will-always-love-you-lyrics#:~:text=I%