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 Love the Lord
Whitney Houston Lyrics
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Whitney Houston
I love the, the Lord
He heard my cry
And pitied every groan
Long as I, I live
And troubles rise
(Great John on the beat, by the way)
Oh, I love the Lord (I love the Lord)
I sure do, surely do love the Lord
He heard, he heard my cry (he heard my cry)
And pitied every groan, yes he did (and pitied every groan)
Every, every groan
Long as I live, long as I, I live (long as I live)
And troubles rise, troubles rise (and troubles rise)
(To, to, to, to) one of my
(To, to, to, to) one of my favorite things
(To, to, to, to)
(To, to, to, to) one of my favorite things
Was when Whitney would call me or I would call Whitney
She would simply sing her "Hello"
"Hello, Bebe, my brother"
And I would just simply return
"Hello, Whitney, my sister"
"Hello, Bebe, my brother"
And I would just simply return
"Hello, Whitney, my sister"
And so I, I, I miss those phone calls
No matter what we talked about
The fact that we sung it to each other is what I miss the most
Yes, I miss you, Whitney Houston
The song "I Love The Lord" by Whitney Houston is a reflection of her faith and spiritual connection with God. The lyrics express Houston's love for God, how she feels God listens to her prayers and helps her overcome challenges. She sings about how God has pitied her groans and cry for help, and how she will always hasten to Him whenever troubles arise.
The song's chorus repeats the phrase "I love the Lord" several times, highlighting the depth of Houston's love for God. She also includes a tribute to her friend, Bebe Winans, in the bridge of the song, where she reminisces about the times they used to call each other and sing greetings to each other. Houston's emotional performance adds to the depth of the song and portrays her deep devotion to God.
"I Love The Lord" is a powerful gospel song that showcases Houston's passion for music and her faith. The lyrics express her gratitude towards God for always being there for her and her appreciation for the gift of song. The song also serves as a reminder to listeners that they should turn to God in times of trouble and rely on Him for guidance and strength.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I miss you
The singer is expressing her longing for someone she is missing
I love the, the Lord
The singer loves God and is grateful for his presence in her life
He heard my cry
God listened to her prayers and answered them
And pitied every groan
God felt compassion for her pain and suffering
Long as I, I live
For as long as she lives, the singer will continue to love and praise God
And troubles rise
Even when she faces difficulties or challenges, the singer will turn to God for help and guidance
Oh, I love the Lord (I love the Lord)
The singer reiterates her love for God
I sure do, surely do love the Lord
The singer emphatically affirms her love for God
He heard, he heard my cry (he heard my cry)
The singer repeats the idea that God listened to her prayers
And pitied every groan, yes he did (and pitied every groan)
The singer re-emphasizes that God felt compassion for her pain and suffering
Every, every groan
God was aware of every sound of pain and distress she made
Long as I live, long as I, I live (long as I live)
The singer reiterates that her love and devotion to God will endure throughout her life
And troubles rise, troubles rise (and troubles rise)
The singer acknowledges that challenges and difficulties will continue to happen in life
I love the Lord (I love the Lord)
The singer states once again that she loves God
To, to, to, to) one of my favorite things
The singer recalls a favorite memory or experience
(To, to, to, to) one of my favorite things
She repeats this idea again
(To, to, to, to)
This is a transition to the next part of the song
Was when Whitney would call me or I would call Whitney
The singer reminisces about a time when she would talk on the phone with Whitney Houston
She would simply sing her "Hello"
Whitney Houston would greet her with a song
"Hello, Bebe, my brother"
Whitney would refer to the singer as her brother
And I would just simply return
The singer would respond in kind
"Hello, Whitney, my sister"
The singer would address Whitney Houston as her sister
"Hello, Bebe, my brother"
Whitney would repeat this greeting to the singer
And I would just simply return
The singer would reply again
"Hello, Whitney, my sister"
She would address Whitney Houston once more
And so I, I, I miss those phone calls
The singer expresses her sadness at not being able to have those phone conversations with Whitney anymore
No matter what we talked about
The content of their conversations was not as important as the fact that they sang greetings to each other
The fact that we sung it to each other is what I miss the most
The singer laments the loss of this special way of greeting each other
Yes, I miss you, Whitney Houston
The singer ends the song by directly addressing Whitney Houston and expressing her longing for her.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Richard Lee Smallwood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind