Released: November 17, 1992

Songwriter: Jud Friedman Allan Rich

Producer: David Foster

[Verse 1]
I know that when you look at me
There's so much that you just don't see
But if you would only take the time
I know in my heart you'd find
Oh, a girl who's scared sometimes
Who isn't always strong
Can't you see the hurt in me?
I feel so all alone

[Chorus]
I wanna run to you
I wanna run to you
Won't you hold me in your arms
And keep me safe from harm?
I wanna run to you
But if I come to you
Tell me, will you stay or will you run away?

[Verse 2]
Each day, each day I play the role
Of someone always in control
But at night, I come home and turn the key
There's nobody there, no one cares for me
Oh, what's the sense
Of trying hard to find your dreams
Without someone to share it with?
Tell me, what does it mean?

[Chorus]
I wanna run to you
I wanna run to you
Won't you hold me in your arms
And keep me safe from harm?
I wanna run to you
But if I come to you
Tell me, will you stay or will you run away?

Run away

[Bridge]
I need you here
I need you here to wipe away my tears
To kiss away my fears, no
If you only knew
How much I wanna run...

[Chorus]
...to you
I wanna run to you
Won't you hold me in your arms
And keep me safe from harm?
I'll run to you
But if I come to you
Tell me, will you stay or will you run away?

Whitney Houston

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.