Pages

Monday, February 13, 2012

Remember Whitney Houston For Her Music Legacy

I find myself struggling to write this blog post, given the sudden and shocking circumstances surrounding the untimely death of one of the greatest recording artists of all time.

Whitney Houston was only 48 years old but was one of the best voices that I have ever heard. She was such a staple at the top of the charts in the 80's and 90's, with a series of consecutive #1 hits that include "Greatest Love of All", "Saving All My Love For You" and "How Will I Know". Her vocal range was incomparable and she was such an inspiration to so many other artists that I love. Not only was she one of the best-selling artists of all time, selling hundreds of millions of records, but she was an actress whose movies were few but classic, such as The Bodyguard, The Preacher's Wife, and my personal favorite, Waiting to Exhale. That movie is part of my collection & I was hoping that they could get the orignal four women back together for the sequel :-(

I first heard the news when it popped up on my iPhone's screen via the CNN app and my jaw immediately dropped. There was no news of an illness or that she was even rushed to the hospital. Nothing leading up to her death & nothing to prepare the music world for such a loss, just one day before the 2012 Grammy Awards, of which Houston had won 6.

Despite her personal problems and bouts with drug & alcohol addiction, I always rooted for her and prayed that she could make a comeback. She recently finished the remake of Sparkle, which would have served as the "sparkle" of such a resurgence. I have always said in my blog posts that I don't get concerned with celebrities' personal lives and the same can be said about Whitney Houston. Yes, she had a tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown which may have led to her drug problems. However, what I do know is that her career is one of the greatest in history and that is what we should remember her by.

We all probably have a memory of Whitney and her music. I remember watching The Bodyguard  and then being a fanatic of the soundtrack, which included my JAMS "Queen of the Night", "I'm Every Woman" and the epic hit "I Will Always Love You". The impact of such a loss as this outweighs the circumstances, because there will NEVER be a voice like Whitney's. Not Mariah, Beyonce', Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson...NOBODY. Yes, they all come close but the fact that they were all inspired by her makes her legacy that much greater.

Rest in Peace Ms. Whitney Houston
August 9, 1963-February 11, 2012

Below are the videos for my 3 favorite Whitney Houston songs, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" & "All The Man That I Need" and "I'm Every Woman". The first one is a song that I can play at ANY time & has been on repeat in the past 48 hours. The second is the song that I want to sing to my husband at our wedding ("sing" used LOOSELY lol). The last one features my ALL-TIME favorite group TLC.

No comments: