Houston began singing at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, as a child and became a background vocalist while in high school. She was one of the first black women to appear on the cover of Seventeen after becoming a teen model in 1981. With the guidance of Arista Records chairman Clive Davis, Houston signed to the label at age 19. Her first two studio albums, Whitney Houston (1985) and Whitney (1987), both peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and are among the best-selling albums of all time. Hit singles from the albums, including "How Will I Know", "Greatest Love of All" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", established her as a catalyst in the acceptance of black female artists on MTV. Her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), yielded two Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, the title track and "All the Man That I Need". Houston's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV in 1991 received widespread media coverage.
Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard (1992), which despite its mixed reviews became the tenth highest-grossing film to that date. Its soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and remains the bestselling soundtrack album of all time. It generated multiple hit singles, including "I Have Nothing", "I'm Every Woman" and "I Will Always Love You"; the latter won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, spent a then-record 14 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single by a woman in music history. Subsequently, she went on to star in the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996), and she recorded their respective soundtracks; the former scored her last Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", while the latter, produced by Houston herself, became the bestselling gospel album of all time. As a film producer, she produced multicultural movies and series such as Cinderella (1997) and The Princess Diaries and The Cheetah Girls.
Houston's first studio album in eight years, My Love Is Your Love (1998), spawned several hit singles, including the title track, "Heartbreak Hotel", "It's Not Right but It's Okay" and the Academy Award-winning Mariah Carey duet "When You Believe". Following the success, she renewed her contract with Arista for $100 million in 2001, one of the biggest recording deals of all time. However, her personal problems began to overshadow her career. Her 2002 studio album, Just Whitney, received mixed reviews, while her drug use and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown received widespread media coverage. After divorcing Brown, Houston returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart with her final studio album, I Look to You (2009). In February 2012, Houston accidentally drowned in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, with heart disease and cocaine use as contributing factors. News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards, which took place the day following her death, and was covered internationally. Her life and career were dramatized in the 2022 biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Her assets amounted to $250 million, earned over a 25-year career.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Houston
Discography
Whitney Houston (1985)
Whitney (1987)
I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990)
My Love Is Your Love (1998)
Just Whitney (2002)
One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003)
I Look to You (2009)
I Go to the Rock
Whitney Houston Lyrics
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Who do I talk to when nobody wants to listen?
Who do I lean on when there's no foundation stable?
I go to the rock
I know He's able
I go to the rock
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain and the mountain, he stands by me
When the earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ, the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
I go to the rock
Where do I go, where do I go
When the storms of life are threatening?
Who do I turn to when those winds of sorrow blow?
And is there a refuge, refuge in the time of tribulation?
I go to the rock
I know He's able
I go to the rock
I know the Lord is the rock of my salvation
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain and the mountain, He stands by me
When the Earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ, the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
I go to the rock
I know the Lord is the rock of my salvation
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I run to the mountain and the mountain, He stands by me
When the earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ, the solid rock I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
I go to the rock (I go)
I go to the rock
I go to the rock (when I need a friend)
I go to the rock (I can go to the rock)
I go to the rock (when I need shelter)
You can go to the rock (you can go to the rock)
You can go to the rock (you can go to the rock)
You can go to the rock (you can go to the rock)
You can go to the rock (oh, I can go)
I go (I go) to the rock (to the rock)
I go (I can go) to the rock (to the rock)
I go (I can go) to the rock (to the rock)
I go (I can go) to the rock (I can go)
I go (I can go) to the rock (when I need)
I go (some shelter) to the rock (when I need)
I go (I'm free) to the rock (I can go)
I go (oh) to the rock
And when the earth all around me is sinking sand
On Christ, the solid rock I stand (I can't stand)
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
I go to the rock (hey, I go to the rock)
Hey, oh yeah
Whitney Houston's song "I Go to the Rock" is a religious ballad with spiritual undertones. In this song, Houston outlines some of life's toughest moments and the feeling of desperation that comes along with facing them, but ultimately, she finds solace in her faith. The first verse begins with a series of rhetorical questions that are meant to communicate the singer's feeling of loneliness and isolation during difficult times. They feel like there's nobody they can turn to, nobody who wants to listen, and no stable foundation to rely on. However, Houston quickly finds comfort in her faith and sings, "I go to the rock. I know He's able. I go to the rock." The rock here symbolizes Jesus Christ, who is able to provide a stable foundation for those who believe in Him.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I go to the rock" several times and adds more detail regarding salvation and how Christ is the cornerstone that can provide shelter during the storms of life. The image of a "mountain" further reinforces the idea of Christ as a stable foundation, as mountains are typically seen as unmovable and steadfast. Houston then repeats the phrase "on Christ, the solid rock I stand" emphasizing the importance of faith and trust in Jesus Christ during difficult times.
The second verse expands on the theme of tribulation and suggests that there's no better refuge during hard times than Jesus Christ. Again, Houston repeats the phrase "I go to the rock" throughout the verse, underscoring the idea that she finds comfort in her faith. The chorus repeats, offering a sense of unity among those who also find solace in Christianity.
Overall, the song is about faith and how it can help individuals get through life's toughest moments. By placing trust in Jesus Christ, Houston suggests that individuals can find a stable foundation and shelter during times of tribulation.
Line by Line Meaning
Where do I go when there's nobody else to turn to?
When I have nowhere else to turn for help or guidance,
Who do I talk to when nobody wants to listen?
When I feel unheard and misunderstood,
Who do I lean on when there's no foundation stable?
When there is no reliable support or structure for me to rely on,
I go to the rock
I turn to Jesus as my source of strength and guidance,
I know he's able
I trust in Jesus' power and ability to help me,
I go to the rock for my salvation
I rely on Jesus as my savior and source of ultimate rescue,
I go to the stone that the builders rejected
I seek refuge in the one who was rejected by society,
I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me
I turn to a strong place of safety, represented by a mountain, and it supports me,
When the Earth all around me is sinking sand
When everything around me seems unstable,
On Christ, the solid rock I stand
I stand firm and secure on the foundation of Jesus Christ,
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
When I need protection and companionship,
I go to the rock
I seek comfort and aid from Jesus Christ,
When the storms of life are threatening?
When my life feels chaotic and in danger,
Who do I turn to when those winds of sorrow blow?
When I experience grief and sadness,
And is there a refuge in the time of tribulation?
Is there a place of safety during difficult times of hardship?
You can go to the rock
Others can also seek help and support from Jesus Christ,
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: Dottie Rambo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind