"I Look To You..."
To underStand how great Whitney's voice is, try singing at her pitch. When your voice begins to strain, imagine that is where hers begins and beyond... (yes, is is is IS). Try singing the song beLow withOut pause or break as she did and you might underStand:
Whitney is not dead. Her body is dead, but the most important part of her remains ALIVE in all of us. In fond memories filled with self expression. She has the sort of voice that penetrates deep inTo the human part of you beCause she sang from a pure place in her core. She practically screeeamed the entire song above at the top of her lungs with such clarity and purity of pitch, it is ethereal. A spiritual experience.
Whitney...
There will never be another. Yes, there is sadness that she has passed. Sadness at the waste, the loss, the self destructiveness which ruined her at the end. You see, the interesting thing is no one totally hated her. They ridiculed her, mocked the openly co-dependent and incredibly toxic relationship with Bobby. BUT, they did not disrespect her beCause the talent was REAL; a gift from the Supernova Intelligent. And deep down, there was the pain and the hope that she gets better and come back on the world stage for the right reason, where she belongs.
Everyone blamed Bobby for Whitney's issues. This is understandAble. Someone had to take the fall and bad boy Bobby was the ideal candidate. The fact of the matter is that Bobby LOVED Whitney with every fibre of his being and would have done ANYTHING for her. Unfortunately, in the world of two iconic superstars; one shone consistently brighter... and we know who that is. Bobby on his own was legendary. I mean, who can forGet his "Running Man" dance moves and his amazing songs which beCame instant cult classics:
"Humping around", "My Prerogative" and so much more. Do not forGet, we are talking BOBBY BROWN here, the crazy kid from New Edition(an extremely successful pop group, by the way) who also went on to have an extremely successful career. He was NOT a noBody. On his own, he was a BIG deal and he was super talented. He could sing, he could dance, had MAJOR swag, incredible stage presence, girls loved him, boys wanted to be him to the point that he started a hairstyle trend - The Bobby Brown.
Almost every boy in my neighbourHood at that the was carrying different versions of "The Bobby Brown". They all wanted to look like Bobby, dress like Bobby, be like Bobby. He was a source of inspiration to many. He was the King of Cool.
Even in his New Edition days, he stood out among his mates with his extremely passionate(remember these two words, we shall return to them later) ways, dance moves, dramatisation and general antics.
He was NOT a noBody.
OVERVIEW
All that being said, let us look at Booby and Whitney for a bit:
Two EXTREMELY PASSIONATE people. Each, an individual force of nature coming together. When a tornado and a hurricane merge inTo each other, what do you think think the result will be? Two passionate, sensual, expressive and extremely sexual creatives prone to hedonistic excesses decided to make a life together. Where is the limit? Who is going to put a check on the other? They each needed looking after individually. The sort of partners they should have had were partners who would help curb their excesses. Whitney and Bobby were like two kids left to their own devices with zero parental supervision.
BOBBY BROWN
Bobby is not a bad guy, and in this instance; he is not the bad guy. He was simply a man in love. And when a man is in love, he will grant his woman anyThing. Women who have been loved passionately and unashamedly by the men in their lives and in their past will underStand this. Also, he did not introduce Whitney to drugs. She knew her way well beFore Bobby came on the scene. Whitney was no angel (bless her), but she sang like one. This distinction was what a lot of folks could not make. Bobby was a crazy, passionate, expressive guy with a super high libido(as was Whitney sans the "guy" bit) but he was no devil. This distinction was what a lot of folks could not make.
This was in the initial stage of the relationship. The first few years and then it gradually morphed inTo an extremely toxic and co-dependent relationsShip. Bobby's once thriving career was in the gutter. He was loathed by all and sundry and being around Whitney sunk him deep inTo oblivion. The great and proud Bobby Brown had beCome nothing more than the laughing stock of the entire world. He was simply the drug addicted, jail bird, has-been husband of Whitney. That must have crushed his soul. He must have felt completely emasculated and insignificant and most definitely, he would have resented Whitney 100%. He could not leave her. He did not want to stay. He could not watch her soar, yet he wanted her to. He could not love her. He could not hate her. He wanted the best for her. He wanted her to fail. I think at the end of the day, he compromised his soul to the point that he no longer recognised himSelf. From being an uber successful superstar at the foreFront of pop culture to being a.... nothing. A mere backGround shadow that everyOne spat on. He was now simply Bobby, Whitney's husband. It must have been awful. I do not think he loved Whitney in the last few years of their tumultuous marriage, it was more about controlling her by any means necessary so as to retain a hold on her and this included using her greatest weakness to his advantage.
A man divided. A man trapped.
At the same time, he wanted to get better. Did you know he checked inTo rehab to get help? He asked Whitney to accompany him so that they get clean together, she reFused and was waiting for him with more drugs when he got home? How do you resist the love of your life bearing drugs? Being faced with your two greatest weaknesses. What is a man to do?
Today, the woman he loved is dead and the daughter they had is no more - all in a short space of time. It is such a tragic tale of loss, pain, regret and disappointment.
WHITNEY
What can I say? Passionate free spirit who flew too close to the sun. With a gift as GREAT as Whitney's, there had to be a downSide.
CONCLUSION
Whitney cut across ALL demographics. Female, male, old young, Black, white, Asian, conservative, liberal, good, bad. Everyone. Bobby on the other hand was more youth oriented and the young at heart. A lot of conservatives, etc would have hated him and seen him as irresponsible beCause of his bad boy repuation. But, he was not. He was simply... misunderstood
FINAL NOTE
Whitney and Bobby were proof that in a relationShip, someTimes love is not always enough; balance is crucial as well. The words beLow reflect Whitney's state of mind and how far she had come in having some semblance of control over her demons:
As I lay me down,
Heaven hear me now.
I'm lost without a cause
After giving it my all.
Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun.
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to?
I look to you.
I look to you.
After all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you.
About to lose my breath,
There's no more fighting left,
Sinking to rise no more,
Searching for that open door.
And every road that I've taken
Led to my regret.
And I don't know if I'm going to make it.
Nothing to do but lift my head
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you.
My levees are broken
My walls have come
Tumbling down on me
The rain is falling.
Defeat is calling.
I need you to set me free.
Take me far away from the battle.
I need you.
Shine on me.
I look to you.
I look to you.
After all my strength is gone,
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
I look to you.
And when melodies are gone,
In you I hear a song.
I look to you...
I do not know who she was looking to. I do not know if it was GOD or the fans. I like to think it was both...
We love you Whitney. Rest in Peace and GOD bless you.
Comments
Post a Comment