Whitney Houston

It was too late to post anything about Whitney Houston's passing when I awoke on Sunday morning as I had already published something. Yesterday was also booked out so today is the first opportunity I have to comment.

When I first heard, I wasn't shocked. I guess when you hear about these stars and the demons they fight, news of them being found deceased should never be shocking.

It doesn't make it any less sad.

A number of years ago, I dedicated a post on this blog to songs that have a place in my memory and I could have sworn I had written about Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Looking back at the post in question, I noticed that I hadn't. Instead - I found that I had written about her troubles and noted how that song was one of the most played songs on the TV and radio during my second year of junior school.

I wrote about how one of my best friends from school would  break out and sing the song in the classroom. Without detracting from what I am doing today, I also mentioned that Mark had been in a lot of trouble due to his own addictions and, unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have overcome his demons. It seems every few months I read about him being sentenced to prison time for stealing things to help his habit.

The good I can get out of the song is that it reminds me of my summer holiday of that year.

1987 - Hahn Air Force Base, Germany.

The song was on all the time on the radios over there and whenever I hear it, I am taken back to that time.

It also brings me back to when I was reacquainted with it, too.

I don't recall how long it had been when I had last heard it but I was sitting at the bar of the Grosvenor Casino in December of 2002 and it was playing on the PA.

Years had gone by since I heard it and - as I waited alone for my friends to arrive - it dragged me back to 1987 in Mrs. Davies' standard two class (God, she was strict but very, very fair - that's a story for another day!) and going down the autobahns of Germany with the radio on in the large station wagon my American relatives owned.

I downloaded it as soon as I was back at the computer.

I've just looked at the Wikipedia entry on the song and it appears that it was released on my eighth birthday so there is even more reason for it to be my favourite Whitney Houston tune.

I think I'll listen to it now.

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I guess a lot of people will remember her more for I Will Always Love You and it's ironic that the timing of her death was so close to Valentine's Day. I'm typing this at 10:34am on Sunday morning so, by the time this gets published, I think that song would have been downloaded a lot and could be on its way to being number one in this Sunday's charts.