Whitney Houston Songs on Love, Hope and Friendship

This morning we heard the sad news that Whitney Houston passed away. There are, and will be, many articles, posts and reports about the person Whitney Houston was, her life and her death.  I am not going to do that here. The truth is that, like most of us, I did not know her personally, I never met her, and most of what I knew about her personal life came from the media, which always has an agenda. I will respect her memory by commenting on that side of Whitney that she did happily, publicly, constantly share with us - her music - for that is the only part of her that I can truly claim any knowledge or connection with, and I believe that is what she wished to be remembered for.

For me, what I remember most about Whitney Houston's career is not just her amazing voice - a great loss in a time where such an incredible vocal ability seems to have become a rarity and a lower priority in the music industry - but also what the lyrics of her songs had to say about love, friendship and hope. I know we are two days away from Valentine's Day, but I do not mean just romantic love, but love as a much greater force, one that can be platonic, and that one should have for oneself and for mankind, a love that, if you are at all spiritual or religious, you may hold for a Higher Force  - be it Mother Nature, God, or the Universal Spirit.

Below I have selected some Whitney Houston's songs that were most precious to me on the topics of love, friendship and faith. I hope you remember them or, if you were never familiar with her music, that these will give you a little insight into what she did and possibly who she was. I would love to hear your memories of any of these, or your general thoughts on them. If anyone came to this page looking to find out about her life, or death, then this is as honest a depiction that I believe I can give for a woman who I did not know, but did listen to, did learn from and was influenced by. This is the way I wish to remember Whitney Houston, and I hope you will share these memories with me.

Five of my Favourite Love Poems

Few things express love more beautifully than poetry. For this reason I have dedicated this blog to a few of my favourite love poems. What I wouldn’t give to have a man compose something as beautiful as those below just for me: some things just cannot be bought. Enjoy!

My Love is Like to Ice

My Love is like to ice, and I to fire:
How comes it then that this her cold so great
Is not dissolved through my so hot desire,
But harder grows the more her I entreat?
Or how comes it that my exceeding heat
Is not allayed by her heart-frozen cold,
But that I burn much more in boiling sweat,
And feel my flames augmented manifold?
What more miraculous thing may be told,
That fire, which all things melts, should harden ice,
And ice, which is congealed with senseless cold,
Should kindle fire by wonderful device?
Such is the power of love in gentle mind,
That it can alter all the course of kind.

Edmund Spenser

Classic Songs On Love and Romance

Inspired by the season of love and romance, I have decided to share with you what I consider to be some of the most romantic, beautiful, artistic songs on love and romance. Some you will know, some you may not, some you'll adore and some you'll hate. I'm very interested to hear your opinions, so please feel free to coment. And so in no particular order here are my ten favourite love songs:

Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers

Love songs don't get much better than this; it never fails to put tingles down my spine. What a voice, what lyrics, so sad, so sweet. The song was originally produced in 1955 for as the theme for a movie called 'Unchained' about a man condemned to prison, calling for his loved one. There have been many versions since that time, it is one of the most covered songs, but this 1965 version by the Righteous Brothers is a clear cut above the rest. 

I'm Kissing You  - Des'ree

From the I saw the movie Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo di 'Caprio I have been unable to get this song out of my head. Des'ree has incredible vocals in this song. It is simultaneously one of the most tragic and beautiful songs I have heard.

All The Man That I Need - Whitney Houston

She may have gone through troublesome times, but Whitney Houston is still a legend. There are so many of her songs I could choose but this one is beautiful, a booster for the men in our lives. And the voice, let's face it, there aren't many really talented vocalists these days, let alone anyone who measures up to this.

Review – The Sage and the Scarecrow by Daniel Clausen

 It’s the early hours of the morning, around 3 a.m., and here I am all emotional writing a review of the novel that I just completed because the ending was just so incredible and it just rounded up the whole journey that the book had taken me on in a way I wasn’t expecting, so that I hadn’t noticed the journey until I reached my destination. The novel? The Sage and the Scarecrow by Daniel Clausen, an independent and highly talented author from Florida. Here is the synopsis of the book:

Six months after his father has died from cancer, Pierce Williams find himself in a deep state of ennui. The book follows the main character through a journey from his college, where everything seems dismal and empty, to a small town on the east coast of Florida to find his best friend, Jennifer, and the only person he thinks can “cure” him. Touching on themes such as the existential pain of thinking too much, love, and the politics of everyday life, Pierce’s journey takes him through the struggle and boredom of college life as he attempts to discover his place in the world, climaxing with an ending as uniquely original and unexpected as the story itself.