Music Blog

Music Blog

Goodbye, Ms. Houston

When I arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, I had no idea that a few miles away one of the most talented female singers of the past several decades was discovered unconscious in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Whitney Houston was officially pronounced dead at 4pm on Feb. 11, 2012—the day before the Grammys—at the age of 48 (cause of death has still not been released though criminal intent has already been ruled out). At the age of 7, I remember watching the video for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and being simultaneously impressed and turned on.

I drove down from the Central Coast to spend a couple days with my brother, his wife (both Disney Imagineers and trendsetters) and my parents, who were in town briefly from the East Coast. The news first broke shortly after I had checked into my hotel and turned on the television in my room. Rightfully, the tragedy ended up overshadowing the biggest night in music, from pre-show Joan Rivers to after-show cocaine antics. Of all the award shows, the Grammys is one that I have consistently been unimpressed with for years but I made sure to catch the replay of this year's event after learning the entire show was restructured at the last minute as an impromptu dedication to Houston (this year's Grammys drew 40 million viewers marking its largest in three decades and Adele came out strong with six awards). “We’ve had a death in our family," said host LL Cool J to begin the somber night. Overall, the show was touching and while I understand commemorate and peer respect I also believe that Houston would have been pissed about some of the media's reaction. When I saw the Washington Post's thoughts, I was appalled to read the line: Bruce Springsteen opened the show with a performance of his new single “We Take Care of Our Own” (which started, a little unfortunately, with his shout-out, “America, are you alive out there?”). Who the fuck cares? You really think Springsteen is truly trying to be ironic or insensitive with lyrics like "I've been stumblin' on good hearts turned to stone/ The road of good intentions has turned dry as a bone."

Nah. Houston would have probably also thought the Post was fishing a bit for nonexistent trout. The Boss and every other musical talent that appeared at the Grammys on Sunday night—whether they mentioned Houston in an acceptance speech or not—has some kind of connection to the icon, even if it's just as simple as getting a Grammy nod (Houston had 26 nominations). The Grammys like every awards show is about the best of the best celebrating personal achievements. And if they feel moved to turn the spotlight on someone else, it’s their choice not their responsibility. Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "I Will Always Love You" was strong enough for the entire evening.

Whitney Houston was a tortured soul—she admitted in a Barbara Walters interview that she was her own worst enemy—and she will be missed. No one will ever dispute that.