The Role of the Performer – Whitney Houston

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The Role of the Performer – Whitney Houston

whitney

(Photo of Whitney Houston. Ebet Roberts/Getty Images) taken from https://www.crfashionbook.com/celebrity/g33461512/young-photos-whitney-houston-singer/

I was happy (and surprised) that Whitney Houston’s name came up when I entered musicians who didn’t write their own music in to Google. Her voice has been a steady presence in my life and her songs always bring up so many memories.

Whitney Houston was surrounded by music since birth. Her mother, Sissy Houston, was a famous gospel, soul and pop music singer. Her cousin, Dionne Warwick, was also a famed soul singer. Houston grew up singing in her church and stated that she felt God had given her a voice that was infectious. If you’d like to see what she means by infectious, please click here and watch a video of her singing the Star-Spangled Banner. I always pay attention to voices that give me goosebumps and this performance did.

The person behind that voice was discovered by a photographer at 15 and was one of the first African American women to appear on the cover of Seventeen magazine. She was singing at a nightclub at 19 when she was discovered by the president of Arista Records, Clive Davis. Her debut album was released in 1985 and she became an instant hit.  Michael Masser was hired by Arista Records to produce songs for Houston’s album, and they included her singing a cover of the song Saving All my Love for You. This was her first hit and was written by Masser and Gerry Goffin in the 70s. A decade or so later, Houston’s version topped the charts in four countries and stayed on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.



This song was originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in 1978.


I thought it was interesting to listen to the same song performed by two different artists. The original version was slower and reminded me a bit of elevator music or even someone singing next to a piano in a club. When I listened to Whitney’s version, the lyrics were clearer and she belted out the chorus. Her voice was booming and the range of vocals really makes the song vibrant (low-note of F#3 to the high-note of F#5). It seemed more dramatic due to Houston’s voice. There was also more percussion in Houston’s version which brought more of a beat when higher octaves were sung. The song is in A Major and the tempo is 84 beats per minute.

Michael Masser co-wrote and produced four songs for Houston’s debut album. They were All at Once, Saving All My Love For You, and Greatest Love of All (one of my favorites!). He then wrote another for her next album titled Didn’t We Almost Have It All. Masser was a stockbroker turned songwriter who taught himself how to play the piano without being able to read music. Masser complimented Houston’s songs by writing them with words that Houston could hold long notes to, which was something she was known for. Along with writing songs for Houston, he also wrote hit songs for Diana Ross, Teddy Pendergrass, Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack and Natalie Cole, to name a few. He was instituted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

When I think about why we needed Whitney Houston and her voice in our history, all I can think of is to connect to life through music. There are so many of her songs which connected me with real life events. Due to her fame and top hit songs, I believe she did this for hundreds of thousands of people across the world. Her vocal gift truly touched my life. Although her life ended drug laden and tragically, she was an American success story. Why are singers who don’t write their own songs so important? I believe one reason is, to get the messages across that songwriters are moved to put down on paper. A lot of songs are created out of emotion (Adele and Taylor Swift come to mind), but this doesn’t mean they can sing. When someone can relay their message through song, that most likely bridges a gap that songwriters can only hope for. Their message is delivered in one of the most beautiful ways; through song. 

I’d like to end with my all-time favorite Whitney Houston songs, I Will Always Love You. This song was originally written and performed by country singer Dolly Parton in 1973. It hit #1 twice in her career.  Although it seems to be about a romantic break up, it’s about her separation from her mentor and on-screen duet partner Porter Wagoner. Whitney recorded the song for the movie The Bodyguard which she and Kevin Costner starred in. It was actually Costner who suggested it to her.

The song is in D Major and you can really hear the range in Houston’s voice in this song. She starts out low and unaccompanied then gains momentum into the chorus. The last chorus begins with a silence then a loud drumbeat. Houston then belts out the chorus with beautiful range. Finally, she ends the song with a beautiful long “you.” I was curious what this was called and after researching it, I discovered it is called an Outro. I hope you love this classic as much as I do. Rest in Peace, Whitney.



Sources:

Eames, Tom. “The Story of... 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston.” Smooth, Smooth, 30 July 2021, https://www.smoothradio.com/features/the-story-of/i-will-always-love-you-whitney-houston-facts-video/.

Eidernbach, Elizabeth. “‘I Will Always Love You’ Musical Analysis.” Musical Thoughts, 7 Feb. 2017, https://elizabethdernbach.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/i-will-always-love-you-musical-analysis/.

Finn, Heather. “Dolly Parton Wrote ‘I Will Always Love You’ about a Professional Breakup, Not a Romantic One.” Good Housekeeping, Good Housekeeping, 2 Nov. 2021, https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a30570197/dolly-parton-i-will-always-love-you-lyrics-meaning/.

Roberts, Sam. “Michael Masser, Composer Who Wrote Whitney Houston Hits, Dies at 74.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 July 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/arts/music/michael-masser-composer-who-wrote-hits-for-whitney-houston-dies-at-74.html.

“Saving All My Love for You.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Oct. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_All_My_Love_for_You.

“Whitney Houston.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 3 May 2021, https://www.biography.com/musician/whitney-houston.

Comments

  1. Emily BlackledgeNovember 4, 2021 at 12:15 PM

    I love Whitney Houston's songs. I totally agree with you on your opinions. I didn't know what an "Outro" was so I learned something by reading your post. Great job in talking about such an amazing and talented performer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amber DennisNovember 8, 2021 at 2:47 PM

    My goodness! "I Will Always Love You" has always been one I could go back and remember singing as child with my younger cousin! We actually have a silly recording of us singing it together. It also caught my surprise to find that Whitney doesn't write her own music her voice is A M A Z I N G! I enjoyed reading your blog! You have shared a lot of new information.

    ReplyDelete

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