The Bodyguard And Whitney.

Everyone has that film that defines their youth. The movie that we watched over and over, hitting the rewind button on the vhs player as many times as our parents would let us. We can look back and remember what movie it was that made us fall in love with each character and made us want to be an actress (or singer). Mine was The Bodyguard with the late Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. I cannot remember how old I was, but I know I was young. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember which obsession came first. The movie or Whitney. Kind of like the chicken or the egg dilemma. But The Bodyguard was it for me. I even made my mom rent it while vacationing in Germany and watched in continuously dubbed in German (as far as I can remember, I never understood German television. They speak too fast).

I adored Whitney. I wanted to be her. I used to sing I Will Always Love You to my Oma and I sung Jesus Loves Me to my great aunt who later gave me a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ (which we still have but my mom placed a picture of my dad in the frame. Sacrilegious? maybe). It's true to say I have never seen The Sound of Music but instead it was The Bodyguard and Whitney's beautiful ballads that made me love music and think I could also sing that way. My mom repeaditly reminded me that I sang like crap and to persue another dream. Henceforth, I call her the dreamkiller to this day.

And fell completely in love with Kevin Costner. I'm still obsessed with him. Like, I'd be his wife.

Are they not beautiful?

                                          

So reflecting upon Whitney Houston's career has brought a bit of nostalgia to my heart. I play many songs by her and each has brought me to tears. I won't go into the debacle that surrounds her death but instead remember her as such a beautiful voice and a key component in my childhood. She had an amazing voice that has been imitated but not duplicated and I'll still sing I Will Always Love You and think that I sound just like her.