Video courtesy of Youtube
When art and life move together in a seemingly pre-orchestrated dance, one can't help but acknowledge the presence of some higher power working behind the scenes. Or maybe it's just whimsy. Whatever the case, I woke up today to the sad news of the untimely demise of the incomparable Whitney Houston. I wasn't her biggest fan. But I do remember learning every nuance of I Will Always Love You when I was younger. Never mind that my voice (even when I was a young boy) wasn't suited for the song.
But, Why Does It Hurt So Bad would remain my all-time favorite. Strangely, even more so than When You Believe, a duet with MC, the ingenue of my youth. Or maybe it was because of the emotion she put across in this particular performance. And, the masochistic martyr in me responded.
As I reflect on the song tonight, I can't help but respond to the song again. This time, not out of the naive yearning for love, and not just in commisseration with the loss of one of the music world's biggest icons, but out of the weary yet hopeful process of heartbreak. As I told somebody earlier today, time heals "old" wounds. Maybe in time, I will listen to this song again and not remember the day when I could relate to it so. Or maybe, just maybe, what I'm going through will add this new dimension of memories that will make the song even richer than it already is. Who knows?
RIP, Whitney. You are in better hands now.
