Released: August 28, 2009

Songwriter: Whitney Houston Diane Warren

Producer: David Foster

[Intro]
Mmm, yeah

[Verse 1]
Lost touch with my soul
I had nowhere to turn, I had nowhere to go
Lost sight of my dream
Thought it would be the end of me

[Pre-Chorus]
I thought I'd never make it through
I had no hope to hold on to
I, I thought I would break

[Chorus]
I didn't know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled, but I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn't know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour, my faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up, hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn't know my own strength

[Verse 2]
Found hope in my heart
I found the light to life my way out of the dark
Found all that I need, here inside of me, oh

[Pre-Chorus]
I thought I’d never find my way
I thought I’d never lift that weight
I thought I would break

[Chorus]
I didn't know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled, but I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
I didn't know my own strength
Survived my darkest hour, my faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up, hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn't know my own strength

[Bridge]
There were so many times I wondered
How I'd get through the night
I thought I took all that I could take

[Chorus]
I didn't know my own strength
And I crashed down, and I tumbled, but I did not crumble
I got through all the pain
Oh, I didn't know my own strength
My faith kept me alive
I picked myself back up, I hold my head up high
I was not built to break
I didn't know my own strength

[Outro]
I was not built to break, no, no
I got to know my own strength

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.