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)
You Were Loved
Whitney Houston Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We all want our voices to be heard
Every one wants a chance to be someone
We all have dreams we need to dream
Sweeter than any star you can reach
'cause when you reach and find, you've found someone
You'll hold this world's most priceless thing
The greatest gift this life can bring
You were loved
[Chorus]
You were loved by someone
Touched by someone
Held by someone
Meant something to someone
Loved somebody
Touched somebody's heart
Along the way
You can look back and say (mm)
You were loved (yes you were)
You can have diamonds in your hands
Have all the riches in the land
But, without love,
You don't really have a thing, no no
When somebody cares that you're alive
When somebody trusts you with their life
That's when you'll know (huh)
That you have all you need
You'll hold this world's most priceless gift
The finest treasure that there is
You can look back and know
You were loved
[Chorus]
So many roads that you can take
Whatever way you go
Don't take that road alone
It's better you should know
[Chorus]
So remember to tell that special one (yeah, mm)
You were loved
You were loved
You were loved
You were loved
Hey hey hey hey hey
In this song, Whitney Houston sings about the universal desire to be loved and recognized, and how that love is the most valuable thing in our lives. She acknowledges that we all have dreams and aspirations, and we all want to make our mark on the world. But in the end, when we look back on our lives, what really matters is the love we gave and received.
The verses emphasize the importance of human connections and relationships. Houston sings about the desire to have our voices heard and to be someone, but notes that the greatest gift in life is knowing that we were loved by someone, that we touched somebody else's heart.
The chorus reinforces this message, that being loved and touching others' lives is what truly matters in the end. The repetition of "You were loved" highlights the importance of this message and emphasizes that every one of us has the potential to be loved and to make a difference in someone else's life.
Overall, "You Were Loved" is a powerful reminder of our human need for connection and love, and how those qualities are the most valuable gifts we can give and receive.
Line by Line Meaning
We all want to make a place in this world
Everyone desires to have a sense of belonging and purpose in this life.
We all want our voices to be heard
Everyone wants to express themselves and be acknowledged by others.
Every one wants a chance to be someone
Everyone has aspirations and hopes to achieve their goals and be recognized for their accomplishments.
We all have dreams we need to dream
Everyone has their own personal goals and aspirations that they want to achieve in life.
Sweeter than any star you can reach
The feeling of achieving one's dreams and goals is more satisfying than anything else in this world.
'cause when you reach and find, you've found someone
When someone is successful in achieving their dreams, they will find someone special who loves and supports them.
You'll hold this world's most priceless thing
The most valuable thing in the world is the love and connection that we share with others.
The greatest gift this life can bring
The greatest thing that life has to offer us is the ability to love and be loved.
Is when you look back and know
The ultimate satisfaction in life comes from being able to look back on one's life and realize that they were loved by someone.
You were loved by someone
Someone important in your life cared about and loved you deeply.
Touched by someone
Someone left a lasting impression on your life and made a profound impact on you.
Held by someone
Someone was there for you when you needed them and provided support and comfort.
Meant something to someone
Your life held value and significance to someone who cared about you deeply.
Loved somebody
You cared about someone deeply and unconditionally.
Touched somebody's heart
You made a positive impact on someone's life and brought them happiness and joy.
Along the way
Throughout life's journey, many people will touch our lives in different ways and leave a lasting impression.
You can have diamonds in your hands
Material possessions are meaningless in comparison to the love and connections we share with others.
Have all the riches in the land
No amount of wealth or material possessions can compare to the value of love and human connection.
But, without love,
Without love, we have nothing.
You don't really have a thing, no no
The only thing that truly matters in life is the love and connections we share with others.
When somebody cares that you're alive
When someone cares about you deeply and values your life, it reminds you of the importance of human connection.
When somebody trusts you with their life
The trust and confidence that someone places in you is a powerful testament to the strength of your relationship.
That's when you'll know (huh)
These experiences will help you to realize the true value and importance of love and human connection.
That you have all you need
When you have love and human connection in your life, you have everything that you need.
The finest treasure that there is
The most valuable thing that we can possess is the love and connection that we have with others.
So many roads that you can take
There are countless opportunities and paths that you can take in your life.
Whatever way you go
Regardless of which path you choose to take in life, love and human connection will always be of the utmost importance.
Don't take that road alone
The support and love of others is crucial for us to be successful and fulfilled in life.
It's better you should know
It is important to understand the true importance of love and human connection in our lives.
So remember to tell that special one (yeah, mm)
Take the time to express your love and appreciation for those who mean the most to you.
Hey hey hey hey hey
Just a little upbeat outro to end the song on a positive note!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Realsongs
Written by: DIANE EVE WARREN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind