Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You”

Legendary singer and actress Whitney Houston passed away today at the age of 48. Whitney’s golden voice and timeless delivery have made her one of my generation’s most loved and revered artists, despite the latter of part of her career having been marred by substance abuse that ravaged that once beautiful voice.

I grew up listening to the music of Whitney Houston, and have many fond memories tied in to that amazing voice. I remember riding to school to How Will I Know, and my grade school classmates and I dancing to songs like I Wanna Dance With Somebody and singing to songs like The Greatest Love of All. Her I’m Your Baby Tonight album, a long forgotten bynote in Houston’s legendary catalog, is actually one of my favorite CDs, thanks to the ebullient (and now dated) title track, which went to #1, and the sensuous All The Man That I Need, also a #1 and remade beautifully by R&B legend Luther Vandross, who went home to heaven ahead of Whitney. They would collaborate on Who Do You Love, off I’m Your Baby Tonight, which was my favorite song off that album, despite its being only an album track. Together, Luther and Whitney formed an integral and unforgettable part of my musical upbringing.

Whitney Houston may have sung I Will Always Love You to Kevin Costner, but I will always believe it was a song meant for me. Whitney always had this amazing quality that made us believe she was singing to thousands yet singing directly to a person, because Whitney didn’t sing a song, she SANG a song, and from the second she opened her mouth to the moment she closed it, she had us all eating out of the palm of her hand.

When Whitney released The Preacher’s Wife, which would go on to become the best-selling gospel album in history, she touched me a deep and personal way. I came to know Christ in the early 2000s, but the seeds planted by Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant in the early 90s came to fruit when Whitney came out in The Preacher’s Wife. To know that one of the singers I admired and loved was stepping out in her faith, despite all evidence to the contrary, was encouraging to me.

When Whitney was down, through all the drug use, through all the cracked performances, through it all, I, like many of her fans, continued to support every album, continued to cheer her on, continued to pray for her. When she launched her world tour, I prayed she would come to Manila. She never did. Nevertheless, when she released I Look To You, I bought it, and believed she was back, because Million Dollar Bill was right on the money. I believed every word she sang when she said she would Try It On Her Own. We gave her Nothing But Love, and she sang it right back to us.

I’m at a loss right now; it’s been almost 12 hours since I learned of her death, and I’m still at a loss. I was always a fan of Whitney’s. I bought every album since 1991, and her death stuns me in a way reserved for few others (including Luther). I Will Always Love You is arguably her biggest hit, a generational milestone that will always be relevant to me for as long as I live, and it is that song that I will leave here today in tribute to “The Voice,” to a woman who greatly defined the musical direction of my generation.

Rest in peace, Ms. Houston. I will always love you.

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU Lyrics
Whitney Houston

If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I’ll go, but I know
I’ll think of you ev’ry step of the way

And I will always love you
I will always love you

You
My darling you
Mmmmm

Bittersweet memories
that is all I’m taking with me
So, goodbye
Please, don’t cry
We both know I’m not what you
You need

And I will always love you
I will always love you

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you’ve dreamed of
And I wish to you, joy and happiness
But above all this, I wish you love

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

You, darling
I love you
Ooh, I’ll always
I’ll always love you