Whitney Houston

Released: November 26, 1996

Featuring: Georgia Mass Choir

Songwriter: Kirk Franklin

Producer: Whitney Houston Mervyn Warren

[Verse 1]
Listen to the music
The sound of the angels
Come and see the child
Who can make you whole
Lying in a manger
Away from harm and danger

[Chorus]
Oh joy in my soul
Oh joy, joy down in my soul
Sweet beautiful soul saving joy
Oh joy, joy, joy in my soul
Joy, joy, joy in my soul oh

[Verse 2]
He sent from up above
This special gift of love
More precious than silver or gold
He was sent this holiday
To take our pain away

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Go tell it on the mountain
Shout it from a valley
Tell about the baby in swaddling clothes
Men in every nation
Join the celebration

[Outro]
Way down deep joy
Joy, joy, joy
I've got joy
Way down deep inside my soul joy
Unspeakable joy
Joy in my soul

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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