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 Have Nothing
Whitney Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't let him take me
Don't let him handle me
And drive me mad
If you can keep me
I wanna stay here with you forever
And I'll be glad
He's gonna handle me and hold me so
It's gonna be like dyin', Porgy
Deep inside me
But when he calls
I know I have to go
Porgy, I's yo' woman now
I is, I is
And I ain't never goin' nowhere 'less you shares the fun, ooh
And I am telling you
I'm not going
See, you're the best man I'll ever know
There's no way I can ever go
No, no, no, no way
No, no, no, no way I'm living without you
I'm not living without you
I don't wanna be free
See, I'm staying, I am staying
And you, and you, and you
You're gonna love me, ohh, ooh
You're gonna love me, ohh, yes
Ohh
And I am telling you I'm not going
Even though the rough times are showing
See, there is just no way, there's no way
Tear down the mountains
Yell, scream and shout
Well, you can say what you want
I'm not walking out
Hold back the rivers
Push, strike and kill
I'm not gonna leave you
There's no way I will
I am telling you I'm not going
See, you're the best man I'll ever know
See, there's no way I cand ever, ever go
No, no, no, no way
No, no, no, no way I'm living without you, au
I'm not living without you, not living without you
Hey, I don't wanna be free
That's why I'm staying, I'm staying
I'm staying, I'm staying
And you, and you, and you
You're gonna love me
Oh, yes, oh, yes, you are
Oh, yes, you are, hey, hey
You're gonna love me
Ooh, love me
Ooh, love me
Love me, love me
Share my love
Take me for what I am
I'll never change all my colors for you, mmh
I said, take my love
I'll never ask for too much
Just all that you are, everything that you do, ooh
And I don't really need to look very much further
I don't want to have to go where you don't follow
I won't hold it back again, this passion inside
I can't run from myself
There's nowhere to hide
So, don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Must I imagine you there?
Don't walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don't have you
Ooh, ohh, yeah, yeah
You see through, right to the heart of me
You break down my walls with the strength of your love, ooh
I never knew love like I've known it with you
Will a memory survive, oh, one I can hold onto? Ohh
Ay, I don't really need to look very much further
I don't want to have to go where you don't follow
I won't hold it back again, this passion inside
Can't run from myself
There's nowhere to hide
But your love I'll remember forever
Don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Must I imagine you there?
Don't walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
Don't make me close one more door
I don't wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Must I imagine you there?
Don't walk away from me, no
Don't walk away from me, no
Do not walk away from me, no, hey
I, I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don't have you
Ooh, you
I don't have you
Ooh, hey, hey, hey
If I don't have you
The song I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston is an emotionally charged ballad that captures the desperation and unwavering love of the singer. The lyrics speak of a woman who is hopelessly devoted to her lover, and her fears of losing him to another woman. She pleads with him to keep her and never let her go, promising to stay with him forever. She also expresses her pain at the thought of being with someone else, as she believes that he is the best man she will ever know.
The song then takes a somewhat different turn, as the singer proclaims that she will not walk away from her lover, no matter the circumstances. She encourages him to stay with her and promises that she will love him forever. The final verses of the song describe the way that her lover sees through her defenses and breaks down the barriers around her heart. She declares that she cannot imagine life without him and begs him not to walk away from her.
Line by Line Meaning
I loves you, Porgy
I love you, Porgy.
Don't let him take me
Don't let him take me away from you.
Don't let him handle me
Don't let him touch me or control me.
And drive me mad
And make me lose my mind with his treatment.
If you can keep me
If you can keep me by your side.
I wanna stay here with you forever
I want to spend my life with you.
And I'll be glad
And I will be happy.
Someday I know hes' coming back to call me
One day, he will come back to take me away from you.
He's gonna handle me and hold me so
He will touch me and hold me in his arms.
It's gonna be like dyin', Porgy
It will feel like I am dying inside.
Deep inside me
In my heart and soul.
But when he calls
But when he calls for me to come with him.
I know I have to go
I know I must leave with him.
Porgy, I's yo' woman now
Porgy, I am your woman now.
And I ain't never goin' nowhere 'less you shares the fun, ooh
And I will never leave you unless you want me to.
And I am telling you
I am being honest with you.
I'm not going
I will not leave you.
See, you're the best man I'll ever know
You are the best man I have ever known.
There's no way I can ever go
I cannot imagine leaving you.
No, no, no, no way
Not at all.
No, no, no, no way I'm living without you
There is no way I can live without you.
I'm not living without you
I cannot live without you.
I don't wanna be free
I do not want to be free from you.
See, I'm staying, I am staying
I am staying with you forever.
And you, and you, and you
And you, and you, and you alone.
You're gonna love me, ohh, ooh
You will love me.
And I am telling you I'm not going
I am being truthful when I say I will not leave you.
Even though the rough times are showing
Even though we are going through tough times.
Tear down the mountains
Even if the obstacles seem insurmountable.
Yell, scream and shout
Even if we have to shout and fight.
Well, you can say what you want
You can say whatever you want.
I'm not walking out
I am not leaving you.
Hold back the rivers
Even if we have to hold back the floods of life.
Push, strike and kill
Even if we have to fight, even to the death.
There's no way I will
I will never leave your side.
Hey, I don't really need to look very much further
I do not need to search further for love.
I don't want to have to go where you don't follow
I do not want to be without you.
I won't hold it back again, this passion inside
I will not suppress my feelings for you anymore.
I can't run from myself
I cannot escape what I feel deep down.
There's nowhere to hide
There is no way to conceal my true feelings.
So, don't make me close one more door
Please do not shut me out.
I don't wanna hurt anymore
I do not want to suffer anymore.
Stay in my arms if you dare
Stay with me if you are brave enough.
Must I imagine you there?
Do I have to picture you with me in my mind?
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
I have nothing without you.
If I don't have you
If I do not have your love.
You see through, right to the heart of me
You understand me completely.
You break down my walls with the strength of your love
You break down all my defenses with your love.
I never knew love like I've known it with you
I have never felt love like this before.
Will a memory survive, oh, one I can hold onto?
Will I have any memories of us that I can cherish forever?
But your love I'll remember forever
But I will always remember your love.
Don't walk away from me, no
Please do not leave me alone.
Do not walk away from me, no, hey
Please do not abandon me.
Ooh, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey.
If I don't have you
If I do not have your love.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Du Bose Heyward, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind