Pop Culture contains an abundance of queens. Queens of Soul, Queens of Rock, Queens of Pop, Queens of the Stone Age . . . but at ShotgunReviews.com, our Queen is Oseye. As noted in previous posts, Oseye worked with me and a number of other early Shotgun writers. She and Jonathan Birdsong put together the Lyrical Lounge section, and between themselves and the crew they built, they did terrific work covering hip-hop and related genres. Oseye went on to work elsewhere in journalism, and she's as regal today as she was in the day. Hail to the Queen as she hails another . . .
I’m Oseye, better known as The Queen, and I used to write hip hop music reviews in the Lyrical Lounge section of Shotgun Reviews. When Troy asked me to write something for this re-launch, I couldn't think of what I wanted to write about. Should I write about one of my favorite albums? The best album of the last decade? Or even the best new artist or groundbreaking artist? I couldn't decide. Eventually, it was decided for me. The untimely death of Whitney Houston could not be ignored. I had to write about her. She, like Michael Jackson, died way too soon. She, like Michael Jackson, was an 80s icon, her music touching the souls of many, often the backdrop of life’s most memorable moments. Her career, much like Michael Jackson’s, had seen better days. The new millennium hadn’t been good to either; their star power somewhat dimmed, but never totally extinguished. While she may have struggled in recent years, it can’t erase all that she accomplished.
My first introduction to Whitney Houston was the “You Give Good Love” video on Friday Night Videos. It was 1985 and I was 11 or 12, depending on the month the album was released. There wasn’t much to the video. A singer rehearsing in a club. That singer, Whitney, was on the microphone. A guy at the bar is messing his camera and then focuses in on Whitney. Pretty simple, concept, but it allowed the song and Whitney to shine. I remember my sister and I singing our hearts out to this song, and thinking the singer was so pretty. Who is Whitney Houston? We would soon find out.
Whitney could sing ballads. She could sing fun songs, i.e. “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)”. She could sing the torch songs like “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” She could sing inspirational songs like “Greatest Love of All.” She could do it all and make it look so effortless. Some singers have a difficult time hitting notes. Not Whitney. Probably no song showed this more than “I Will Always Love You,” a song written and first recorded by Dolly Parton. Whitney knocked her version out of the park. That song became Whitney’s. While I do like Dolly’s version, Whitney Houston's version is now the standard.
That’s another thing Whitney did so well. She took songs, recorded by others and did them so well that the original version is but a distant memory. Who remembers that “Greatest Love of All” was first done by George Benson? What about “I’m Every Woman” first sung by Chaka Khan, a legend in her own right? In fact, Whitney sang background on the original version. Whitney’s version has a special meaning in my life. Sure, I loved the Chaka Khan version, but I began to understand what the words meant. It was definitely an empowering anthem for me. I was 20-something, growing into a woman, learning who I am. I remember playing it over and over, the words becoming a mantra. Plus, the Whitney version was so fun; the video featured TLC, Chaka Khan and Valerie Simpson, who co-wrote the song with her husband Nick Ashford.
You expect death to come to everyone, even 80s icons. But when that death comes unexpectedly and before your icons reach old age, it’s surreal. Whitney Houston’s music, just like Michael Jackson’s, is part of the soundtrack of my life. Important events in my life are forever tied to their music. For these reasons and more, I’m so thankful that she shared her amazing gift with me — and you.
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