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)
Same Script
Whitney Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, hey, Deb
(Hmm-hmm)
Thank you for being woman enough to come
(Whitney, what's this about?)
I know he's leaving me for you
(Who said that, who told you?)
What is he telling you?
Could it be the same things that he told me?
(He told me that he loved me)
I heard that
(He told me I was beautiful)
Uh-huh
(How did you know? How did you know?)
Because I played the scene before
[Whitney]
This is a retake of my life
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed
And you're the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now cause it won't last
Same script, different cast
[Deborah](Whitney)
What you're saying could be true
But how can I take advice from you?
(I'm not hating)
(But I wish the one before me would have warned me too babe)
Don't say no more, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
(Uncover your ears, girl)
I'm not listening, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
(But I know you hear me)
(Maybe my reasons are wrong)
(But I know that you believe me)
[Whitney]
This is a retake of my life
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed
And you're the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now cause it won't last
Same script, different cast
[Deborah](Whitney)
It's your fault you didn't love him enough
(That's the problem, I loved him too much)
(And when you love him he becomes unattracted to you)
Oh no, he's changed and I'll prove you wrong
(No, you won't)
So go away leave us the hell alone
See, he loves me
(He'll hurt you)
He'll stay with me
(He'll leave you)
For sure, for sure, oh
[Whitney]
This is a retake of my life
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed
Now, now, now, now, now, no, no
Now the roles have changed
Have changed, and I'm the leading lady in his life.
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now, because it won't last
No, same script, different cast
[Deborah]
This is a retake of my life
You were his star for many nights
But now the roles have changed
I'm the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now, cause this will last
I'm the future, you're his past
[Both]
This is a retake of my life
I was his star for many nights
But now the roles have changed
And you're the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now
Enjoy this now
It won't last
I know it will last
Same script, different cast, oh
The song "Same Script, Different Cast" by Whitney Houston is a conversation between Whitney and Deborah, who is the new girlfriend of a man who left Whitney for her. Whitney tells Deborah that she has been in the same situation before and warns her that the same thing will happen to her in the end. Whitney laments that she was once the star in her ex's life, but now Deborah has taken her place. She advises Deborah to enjoy her time with him while it lasts because it won't last forever. Deborah responds by not wanting to take advice from someone who couldn't keep her man, but Whitney insists that she knows what she's talking about because she's been there.
The song addresses the universal theme of heartbreak and the insecurities that come with losing a loved one to someone else. Whitney Houston's powerful vocals add depth to the lyrics, emphasizing the emotions behind them. The song warns listeners to be careful in matters of the heart and to protect themselves from the pain of betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, hey, Deb
Whitney thanks Deborah for coming and addressing an important topic.
I know he's leaving me for you
Whitney reveals that the man they both have been intimate with is leaving her for Deborah.
That is true
What is he telling you?
Could it be the same things that he told me?
Whitney confirms the truth of the matter and inquires if he's telling Deborah the same things he told her
This is a retake of my life
I was his star for many nights
Now the roles have changed
And you're the leading lady in his life
Lights, camera, now you're on
Just remember you've been warned
Enjoy it now cause it won't last
Same script, different cast
Whitney warns Deborah that she's repeating the same mistakes she made and is now living her life with someone else playing her old role.
But how can I take advice from you?
Deborah is not ready to take any advice from Whitney, citing reasons of Whitney being equally in the same predicament.
Enjoy it now cause it won't last
Same script, different cast
Whitney reiterates to Deborah that she should enjoy the moment but should be warned that history is repeating itself with a different cast.
He loves me
He'll stay with me
Deborah asserts that the man in question loves her and she's confident he will remain and won't hurt her like he did Whitney.
But now the roles have changed
I'm the leading lady in his life
Deborah understands that their roles have changed and she's now the new love in the man's life.
Enjoy it now, cause this will last
I'm the future, you're his past
Deborah is confident that she is the future and her relationship with the man will last way longer than what Whitney had with him in the past.
Same script, different cast
Whitney and Deborah agree that history is repeating itself with a different cast in the man's life.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MONTELL JORDAN, ANTHONY SCHAPELL CRAWFORD, STACY DOVE DANIELS, SHAE JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind