Role of the Performer

 Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston grew up in a musically talented family that always supported her passion for gospel music when she was young. When Whitney entered her teenage years, she began performing in New York. Soon after, she was featured on albums by artists such as Chaka Khan, the Neville Brothers, and Michael Zager. In 1983, she signed with Clive Davis after he heard her performance at a nightclub in New York. They began focusing on her first album when, finally, two years later, it was ready for release. 
    The album titled Whitney Houston made its debut in February of 1985. This album was a massive success, earning Whitney three #1 singles and even a Grammy in the category for Best Pop Vocal Performance for the song Saving All My Love For You. Overall, the album established Whitney as a prominent new recording artist in the industry. It sold over 13 million copies in the United States alone and was even heard globally. The album set a record as the biggest-selling debut album by a solo artist. From then on, Whitney's career only skyrocketed. She'd go on to break more records, star in movies, and even win six more Grammys. 
Whitney Houston with her first Grammy win in 1986
    
    Although Whitney wasn't an artist who wrote her own music, she sang insanely well, so it didn't even matter. On top of that, she was always open about this fact and always gave credit where credit was due. It's important to have musicians who only interpret the compositions of others because of artists like Whitney Houston. She sang the songs she was given beautifully, songs that were written for her and even songs she decided to cover. In fact, her biggest hit, I Will Always Love You, was a cover. The song was written by Dolly Parton, who also had her own version of the song on her iconic 1974 album Jolene. Although Dolly's version is greatly composed, I think it's obvious that Whitney turned it out with her cover of the song, making it known by millions worldwide. It's arguably the first song most people think of when they hear the household name, Whitney Houston. Two performances I chose to feature from Whitney are two of my personal favorites, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Higher Love. 

    I Wanna Dance With Somebody came out in the Spring of 1987 in the United States and took over the nation, let alone the world. This top-charting song was composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam specifically for Whitney. "The track served as the lead single from her blockbuster sophomore album — Whitney, which spawned four consecutive Hot 100 No. 1 singles and helped Houston become the first female artist to debut atop the Billboard 200. Topping charts in virtually every country that had them, the song was the beginning of a new phase of Houston’s career"(Denis). 

Whitney Houston at the 2004 World Music Awards 
    Along with the powerful voice of Whitney Houston on this track, the beat and tempo are likely why this song was and still is so well-loved. The beat has a fast-paced tempo, like any dance song should. With a tempo like this, it's almost impossible not to dance when this song comes on. It also has amazing lyrics that fit Whitney's voice perfectly. The song holds a story that every listener can follow and likely relate to. I think the lyrics obviously represent wanting to dance with somebody, but at its core, the song is about loneliness, wanting to have somebody who's there for you, specifically a romantic partner. On top of these relatable lyrics, the song in unbelieveably cathcy. In fact, I'm pretty sure this song has lived in my head since 2005, and I'm not mad about it, as for me, it never gets old.

    Although I do very much enjoy the original version of Whitney's song, Higher Love, I chose to feature the version by the popular DJ, Kygo. He really did it for me with this remix, and apparently for others too, as his remix brought the song back into the top charts all over again, literally coming in at #1 back in 2019. Kygo gave the song a new life while still honoring the late Whitney Houston. The song was originally composed by Will Jennings, Louis Biancaniello, Steve Winwood, and Narada Michael Walden in the United States. Whitney's original version was released in 1990, while the version with Kygo was more recently released in January of 2019 from Norway. 

    Two elements of the song that really stick out to me are the crescendo and the rhythm. Firstly, the crescendo makes the song intense and bold in the best way possible. The crescendo makes the song more enticing and exciting to listen to. It's another song of Whitney's that makes the listener want to burst out in song or get up and dance, possibly even both. Then, the rhythm in the song holds enough familiarity for the older generation to recognize it and reenjoy the song while still catering to the newer sounds of music for the younger generation to enjoy. Lastly, I wanted to mention the echoing within this song. I think it adds so much to the piece, making it euphoric and super dynamic, two words I'd use to describe the late and great Whitney Houston herself. 




Houston, Pat. “Biography.” Whitney Houston Official Site, 2 May 2023, www.whitneyhouston.com/biography/.

Denis, Kyle. “The Story of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody,’ the Billboard Staff’s No. 1 Pop Song.” Billboard, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2023, www.billboard.com/music/features/whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-greatest-pop-song-all-time-1235445511/.

Murray, Gordon. “Kygo & Whitney Houston’s ‘Higher Love’ Hits No. 1 on Dance Club Songs Chart.” Billboard, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2019, www.billboard.com/pro/kygo-whitney-houston-higher-love-no-1-dance-club-songs/.

“Whitney Houston Worldwide Fans: Picture of Whitney Houston with Her First Grammy Win in 1986 for the Song ‘Saving All My Love for You’, She Also Took Home "Best Female Pop Vocal Perf...” Facebook, 16AD, www.facebook.com/groups/418496495365216/posts/1863709234177261/.

Gardner, Elysa. “SiriusXM to Salute Whitney Houston on 50th Birthday.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 7 Aug. 2013, www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/08/07/sirius-to-air-whitney-houston-tribute/2625453/.
























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