Whitney Houston

Released: November 17, 1998

Songwriter: Diane Warren

Producer: Rodney Jerkins Babyface

[Verse 1]
Tired of playing this game
And I won’t play it no more
And I won’t take it no more
Through with being your fool
And I won’t do it no more
And I won’t, I won’t keep up this act
Not for one minute
I’m going to pull, I’m going to pull this curtain down

[Chorus]
This time I won’t play this game
I made a vow to make a change
And I bow out
I won’t be hanging around, baby
I decline to take the pain
And I resign the masquerade
And I bow out
I won’t be staying around, baby
I bow out

[Verse 2]
Can’t go on with the show
You’re just a stage I went through
Now you’re just fading from view, yeah baby
It’s time for a change of scene
Guess I’ll be taking my leave
I guess I won’t, I won’t stay in this play
Not for one minute
I’m going to make, I’m going to make my exit now
Oh baby

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
When you’re left standing on that stage all alone
Maybe you will realize
You should of learned to treat me right
And when this final act is finally through
Maybe you’ll wish you’d been
The kind of man you should have been
Now watch me say goodbye
And walk right out of your life
Oh baby, all right babe

[Chorus]

Known across the pop culture spectrum as the “Queen of Pop” and “The Voice” for her mezzo-soprano octave, Whitney Elizabeth Houston left an indelible impression upon pop culture. She is one of the most successful artists of all time, with more than 200 million albums sold worldwide.

Born August 9, 1963, Houston grew up singing as part of the gospel choir at her local church. She was surrounded by powerful voices in her own family (mother Cissy Houston, cousin Dionne Warwick, godmother Darlene Love, honorary aunt Aretha Franklin). After working as a model and commercial actress in the early 1980s, Whitney was discovered during a New York City nightclub performance, which led to her signing a contract with Clive Davis at Arista Records. Whitney’s first song was a duet in 1984 with Teddy Pendergrass on “Hold Me.”

She released her self-titled début album the following year, which catapulted her into superstardom as the album topped the Billboard 200 for 14 non-consecutive weeks before becoming the top-selling album of 1986, eventually achieving diamond status in the US and selling over 22 million copies worldwide. The singles “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” and “Greatest Love of All” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved platinum status. The music video for “How Will I Know” received heavy rotation on MTV, which was uncommon for Black women at the time. She took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award for “Saving” in 1986; her performance at the Grammys of “Saving” later won her an Emmy award. She also won seven American Music Awards between 1986 and 1987.

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My Love is Your Love

From the album

My Love is Your Love (1998)

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