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)
It's Not Right But It's Okay
Whitney Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then they hung out, but you came home around three, yes, you did
If six of y'all went out, uh, then four of you were really cheap, yeah
'Cause only two of you had dinner, I found your credit card receipt
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Close the door behind you, leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah, uh
I'm packin' bags so you can leave town for a week, yes, I am
The phone rings, and then you look at me (why'd you turn and look at me?)
You said it was one of your friends down on 54th Street, boy
So why did 213 show up on your caller ID? Oh
(I've been through all of this before) I've been through all this before
(So how could you think) don't think about it, don't think about it
(That I would stand around and take some more) get gone, get gone
(Things are gonna change) things are gonna change, baby
('Cause I won't be your fool anymore) you don't stand no chance, boy
(That's why you have to leave) I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
(So don't turn around to see my face) don't you turn around
There's no more tears left here for you to see
Was it really worth you goin' out like that? Tell me, boy
See, I'm movin' on, and I refuse to turn back, yeah
See, all of this time, I thought I had somebody down for Whitney
It turns out, you were makin' a fool of me, oh
It's not right, but it's okay (sure enough, okay, ha)
I'm gonna make it anyway (make it anyway)
Pack your bags up and leave (pack your bags, get out and leave)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (don't you dare, back to me, boy)
It's not right, but it's okay (it's not right, it's okay)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna, I'm gonna, ah)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (close the door and leave your key)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (rather be alone than unhappy, oh)
It's not right, but it's okay (it's not right, it's okay, baby)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I can pay my own rent)
Pack your bags up and leave (pay my light bill, take care of my babies)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (oh, oh, oh-whoa)
It's not right, but it's okay (oh, Lord, oh, ooh)
I'm gonna make it anyway (get up and leave)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (I'd rather be alone than unhappy)
It's not right, but it's okay (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
Pack your bags up and leave (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me (things are gonna change)
It's not right, but it's okay (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'm gonna make it anyway (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
Close the door behind you, leave your key (I'm gonna be okay, I'm gonna be alright)
I'd rather be alone than unhappy (there's no more tears left here for you to see)
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Pack your bags up and leave
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me
It's not right, but it's okay
I'm gonna make it anyway
Close the door behind you, leave your key
I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah
The lyrics of Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right But It's Okay" describe the aftermath of a late-night dinner that her partner had with their friends, where only two of them paid for dinner. She later finds the credit card receipt and confronts him. He denies any wrongdoing and accuses her of not trusting him. She packs his bags and kicks him out, asserting that she is better off alone than with someone who's unfaithful. The chorus delivers an empowering message, where Whitney declares that she's going to make it through without him and that he shouldn't come running back to her.
The song's themes center on self-empowerment, strength, and independence. The powerful chorus makes use of Whitney's powerful vocals to convey a message of empowerment to her female audience, urging them to stand up for themselves and take control of their lives.
The song was a massive commercial success, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts, and topping the US Dance Club Songs, Hot Dance Singles Sales, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Friday night, you and your boys went out to eat, uh
You went out to eat with your friends last Friday night.
Then they hung out, but you came home around three, yes, you did
You stayed out late and returned home at 3am, but your friends stayed out longer.
If six of y'all went out, uh, then four of you were really cheap, yeah
Out of the six of you who went out, only two paid for dinner, and the other four were cheap.
'Cause only two of you had dinner, I found your credit card receipt
I found your credit card receipt, which shows that only two people paid for dinner.
It's not right, but it's okay
I know what you did was wrong, but I will still make it through without you.
I'm gonna make it anyway
I don't need you to be happy or to live my life. I will find a way on my own.
Pack your bags up and leave
You need to leave and take your things with you.
And don't you dare come runnin' back to me
Don't you ever come back to me again, even if you want to.
Close the door behind you, leave your key
Leave the key and close the door tightly, so you can never come back again.
I'd rather be alone than unhappy, yeah, uh
I don't need you to make me happy; I'd rather be alone than unhappy with you.
I'm packin' bags so you can leave town for a week, yes, I am
I'm helping you pack your bags so you can leave town for a week.
The phone rings, and then you look at me (why'd you turn and look at me?)
The phone rings, and you turn to look at me, which makes me suspicious.
You said it was one of your friends down on 54th Street, boy
You claim that it was one of your friends on 54th Street who called you.
So why did 213 show up on your caller ID? Oh
Your caller ID shows the number 213, not the friend you claimed called you. Your story doesn't add up.
(I've been through all of this before) I've been through all this before
I've been through similar situations before where my trust was broken.
(So how could you think) don't think about it, don't think about it
Don't try to justify or argue with me about it. Whatever you say won't change my mind.
(That I would stand around and take some more) get gone, get gone
I won't tolerate or put up with your behavior anymore. You need to go away.
(Things are gonna change) things are gonna change, baby
Things are going to change around here, whether you like it or not.
('Cause I won't be your fool anymore) you don't stand no chance, boy
I won't let you take advantage of me or deceive me again. You don't have a chance with me anymore.
(That's why you have to leave) I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
You need to leave because I won't allow you to disrespect and deceive me again.
(So don't turn around to see my face) don't you turn around
Don't even bother looking back at me when you leave because I don't want to see you again.
There's no more tears left here for you to see
I have no more tears to cry over you. I'm done with you.
Was it really worth you goin' out like that? Tell me, boy
Was it worth betraying me and going out with your friends like that? Tell me the truth.
See, I'm movin' on, and I refuse to turn back, yeah
I'm moving on from this relationship and I won't let myself be held back or turn back.
See, all of this time, I thought I had somebody down for Whitney
I thought that you were someone who would always be loyal and faithful to me.
It turns out, you were makin' a fool of me, oh
But it turns out that you were just deceiving and betraying me like a fool.
Sure enough, okay, ha
Despite the hurt and betrayal, I will be okay and I will move on.
(I can pay my own rent) pay my light bill, take care of my babies
I can take care of myself, my bills, and my children without you. I don't need you.
(oh, Lord, oh, ooh) get up and leave
You need to leave and get out of my life, for good.
Things are gonna change
From now on, things will be different and you won't be a part of it.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Fred III Jerkins, Lashawn Ameen Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Isaac J. Phillips, Toni J. Estes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lohanthony
"if six of y'all went outΒ
then four of you were really cheapΒ
cause only two of you had dinnerΒ
i found your credit card receipts" LMAO SERVE THOSE RECIEPTS KWEEN. #SHOWMETHERECIEPTS
@ninapao1671
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@hilarygutierrez3447
Lol I came here cause I saw your story and I was like oooo yeah this song!
@longbranch11207
THE SHADE THO RIGHT? GOTTA LOVE WHITNEYΒ
@realjamilla
IM SCREAMING shes so fierce in the beginning i literally feel empowered... i wanna fight somebody :/
@apewrathful
jamillaΒ lol. Just flip a table over. RAAAARRRGH. *punches random stranger in the face.
@mogznwaz
This era of Whitney was representative of someone who was older, wiser and had been through hard times - everything about it says growth and rebirth and resilience.
@Swahili14
Why does this sound so true πβ₯οΈ
@Lovetolivetruely
Art is amazing.
@thundercloud2.0
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