Line #15 Music/WhitneyHouston


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whitney_houston_1991_4.jpg]]
2	[floatboxright:Influences:
3	+ Music/RobertaFlack, Music/ArethaFranklin, Cissy Houston, Music/DionneWarwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Music/ChakaKhan, Music/GladysKnight, Music/DarleneLove, Music/MinnieRiperton, Music/StevieWonder, Music/CurtisMayfield, Music/DianaRoss]
4	[floatboxright:Influenced:
5	+ Music/AnitaBaker, Music/JanetJackson, Music/{{Brandy}}, Music/DestinysChild, Music/{{Monica}}, Music/{{Beyonce}}, Music/ChristinaAguilera, Music/LadyGaga, Music/JenniferHudson, Music/MariahCarey, Music/AliciaKeys, Music/CelineDion, Music/{{Ashanti}}, Music/ArianaGrande, Music/JessieJ, Music/KellyClarkson, Music/LaurynHill, Music/MaryJBlige, Music/EnVogue, Music/{{Aaliyah}}, Music/FaithHill, Music/DeborahCox, Music/VanessaWilliams and countless others]
6
7	->''"We all know what this woman can do."''
8	-->-- '''Music/MariahCarey'''
9
10	Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 -- February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and a former model. In her prime, Houston -- the cousin of pop singer Music/DionneWarwick -- was known as the "Queen of Pop" and "The Voice". Houston was the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records. Her list of awards includes 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among a total of 415 career awards as of 2010.
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12	Her early peak came in the mid-to-late 1980s when she had a record seven No. 1 hits in a row -- in order, "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional", and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go."
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14	In the early 1990s, Whitney branched out into acting, starring in the acclaimed film ''Film/TheBodyguard'' (1992) alongside Creator/KevinCostner. The movie's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single "I Will Always Love You" (yes, that one, written by Music/DollyParton) became pop music's best-selling single by a female vocalist. This massive success launched a short career as a movie actress and producer.
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16	As successful as Houston was, drug and alcohol use, in part fueled by her marriage to troubled [=R&B=] singer Music/BobbyBrown from 1992-2006, took its toll on Houston's voice, career, and health. She attempted a few comebacks in the 2000s, but she continued to be the subject of many tabloid stories suggesting drug binges and other escapades. She died on February 11, 2012, the night before the 54th Grammy Awards, drowning in her bathtub due to heart disease and cocaine use.
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18	''I Wanna Dance with Somebody'', a {{biopic}} starring Creator/NaomiAckie as Houston, was released in December 2022.
19	----
20	!!Discography
21	* ''[[Music/WhitneyHoustonAlbum Whitney Houston]]'' (1985)
22	* ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Whitney]]'' (1987)
23	* ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' (1990)
24	* ''[[NewSoundAlbum My Love Is Your Love]]'' (1998)
25	* ''Just Whitney'' (2002)
26	* ''One Wish: The Holiday Album'' (2003)
27	* ''I Look to You'' (2009)
28
29	!!Filmography
30	* ''Film/TheBodyguard'' (1992)
31	* ''Film/WaitingToExhale'' (1995)
32	* ''The Preacher's Wife'' (1996)
33	* ''[[Film/Cinderella1997 Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella]]'' (1997)
34	* ''Film/{{Sparkle}}'' (2012)
35	----
36	!!I will always trope you...
37	* CoverVersion: Many of her most famous songs, most notably "I'm Every Woman", "I Will Always Love You", and "The Greatest Love of All", are covers of songs by Chaka Khan (to whom she gives a shout-out during the song's FadeOut), Music/DollyParton, and George Benson, respectively. Less obvious cover versions among her hits include "Saving All My Love for You" (Marilyn [=McCoo=] and Billy Davis Jr.), "I Believe in You and Me" (The Four Tops), "Step by Step" (Music/AnnieLennox), and "All the Man That I Need" (originally by Linda Clifford, later a minor R&B hit for Sister Sledge).
38	* CultSoundtrack: She was involved in two. ''The Bodyguard'' soundtrack is the bestselling film soundtrack of all time, in no small part due to her cover of "I Will Always Love You" as well as "I Have Nothing" and "I'm Every Woman". ''The Preacher's Wife'' soundtrack is also this, being the bestselling ''GospelMusic'' album of all time.
39	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Her 1991 hit, "Miracle," is widely believed to be an anti-abortion song, although Whitney herself denied it specifically referred to abortion.
40	* IncrediblyLongNote: She was noted for this. The most (in?)famous is "And IIIIIIIII-ee-IIII will always love yoooooooouuuuuuuuu...."
41	* IsntItIronic: "I Will Always Love You." See LyricalDissonance below.
42	* LyricalDissonance: "I Will Always Love You" is not a silly love song or an "I'm happy I found you" song; it's a sad, lost break-up song. Try telling that to the ''many'' people who make it their wedding/relationship song due to its connection to the romance of ''The Bodyguard'' and Houston's soaring vocals, including the many who requested it over the years as a Long Distance Dedication on [[Creator/CaseyKasem Casey Kasem's]] "[[Radio/AmericanTop40 American Top 40"]] or on love-song request radio programs.
43	* LyricalShoehorn: The chorus of "Shoop shoop shoo-be-doo" in Houston's #1 hit "[[Film/WaitingToExhale Exhale (Shoop Shoop)]]" was originally intended by songwriter Music/{{Babyface}} as a placeholder until he was able to write actual lyrics. In the end, he gave up trying to write something more profound and decided to leave the song as it was. Whitney still made it sound special.
44	* MelismaticVocals: A crowning example.
45	* NationalAnthem: Her [[https://youtu.be/N_lCmBvYMRs?t=72 1991 SuperBowl performance]] of the Star-Spangled Banner is widely considered one of the greatest renditions of the song ever performed.
46	* PrettyInMink: Wore a full-length white mink coat for the video of "Heartbreak Hotel" (not a cover of the Music/ElvisPresley song).
47	* TheRival: Music/MariahCarey. However, this was mostly made up, and after her death, Mariah was one of the first to respond with her condolences. They also collaborated on the song "When You Believe" for ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt'' soundtrack.
48	** Not that they didn't have a little fun with this. During the 1998 VMA's, they were scheduled to present an award together, and walked out from opposite sides of the stage... ''[[DressesTheSame in the same dress]]''. Rather than get upset (since the whole thing was staged), they both [[TakeAThirdOption Took a Third Option]], both ripping the dresses to make them different.
49	** To a lesser extent, Music/CelineDion, although Celine has never been anything other than complimentary of Whitney's talents and even stated Whitney was an inspiration for her when she began to record in English.
50	* SelfTitledAlbum: Two, ''Whitney Houston'' and follow-up ''Whitney''. She also released an album titled ''Just Whitney''.
51	* SofterAndSlowerCover: Inverted for "I Will Always Love You", which was originally a plaintive, intimate folk-style country song. Whitney turned it into one of the best-known powerhouse soaring ballads ever recorded.
52	* TextlessAlbumCover: ''My Love Is Your Love'' on its original release.
53	* TruckDriversGearChange: In some of her songs. "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing" are some examples.
54	* VocalEvolution: Well, "evolution" is not exactly the word here, but the drugs changed her voice drastically in the 2000s.
55	** In a straightforward example, Whitney's voice notably deepened between ''The Bodyguard'' and ''My Love Is Your Love''. Her voice changed from her early soprano to a warmer mezzo-soprano, high notes still very much intact.

Context Music / WhitneyHouston