Whitney Houston - Step By Step

〈intro〉
Yeah yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah yeah
Oh oh oh
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah

〈verse 1〉
Well, there's a bridge and there's a river
That i still must cross
As i'm going on my journey
Oh, i might be lost
And there's a road i have to follow
A place i have to go
Well, no-one told me just how to get there
But when i get there i'll know
'cause i'm taking it

〈chorus〉
Step by step
Bit by bit
Stone by stone, yeah
Brick by brick (oh yeah)
Step by step
Day by day
Mile by mile, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh

〈verse 2〉
And this old road is rough and ruined
So many dangers along the way
So many burdens might fall upon me
So many troubles that i have to face
Oh, but i won't let my spirit fail me
Oh, i won't let my spirit go
Until i get to my destination
I'm gonna take it slowly 'cause i'm making it now

〈chorus〉
Step by step (you know i'm taking it)
Bit by bit (bit by bit, come move)
Stone by stone, yeah
Brick by brick (brick by brick by brick by brick, mmm)
Step by step (step by step, uh-huh)
Day by day (day by day)
Mile by mile, ooh
Go your own way, go your own way

〈bridge〉
Say baby, don't give up
You've got to hold on to what you got
Oh baby, don't give up
You've got to keep on moving, don't stop, yeah yeah
I know you're hurting (i know you're hurting)
And i know you're blue (i know you're blue)
I know you're hurting (i know you're hurting)
But don't let the bad things get to you
(don't let the bad things get to you, you, you)
I'm taking it

〈chorus〉
Step by step (oh oh oh oh)
Bit by bit (bit by bit, come move)
Stone by stone, yeah (stone by stone, yeah)
Brick by brick (brick by brick by brick by brick)
Step by step (i'm gonna take it now)
Day by day (day by day)
Mile by mile, ooh
Go your own way (go your own way), go your own way

〈bridge〉
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(i'm taking it step by step)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(bit by bit)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(i'm taking it)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(stone by stone, yeah)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(stone by stone)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(brick by brick)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(brick by brick by brick by brick)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(step by step)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(step by step, oh ooh)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(day by day)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(day by day)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(mile by mile)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(mile by mile by mile by mile)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(go your own way)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(go your own way) (go your own way)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby
Say baby, don't give up
You've got to hold on to what you got
Oh baby, don't give up
You've got to keep on moving, don't stop, yeah yeah
I know you're hurting (i know you're hurting)
And i know you're blue (i know you're blue)
I know you're hurting (i know you're hurting)
But don't let the bad things get to you

〈chorus〉
Step by step
Day by day
Mile by mile, ooh
Go your own way, go your own way

〈bridge〉
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(bit by bit)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(stone by stone, yeah)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(brick by brick)
Come on, baby
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(step by step)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(day by day)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(mile by mile, ooh)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(go your own way)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
(go your own way)
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby, got to keep moving
Come on, baby

〈outro〉
Go your own way
Go your own way
Keep moving on
Just keep holding on
Step by step
(i won't let my spirit fail me)
Bit by bit, stone by stone
(i won't let my spirit go)
Brick by brick, step by step
(until i get to my destination)
Day by day, mile by mile
Then go on your own way

Whitney Houston - Biography

Known across the pop culture spectrum as the “Queen of Pop” and “The Voice” for her mezzo-soprano octave, Whitney Elizabeth Houston left an indelible impression upon pop culture. She is one of the most successful artists of all time with more than 200 million albums sold worldwide.

Born August 9, 1963, Houston grew up singing as part of the gospel choir at her local church and she was surrounded by powerful voices in her own family (mother Cissy Houston, cousin Dionne Warwick, godmother Darlene Love, honorary aunt Aretha Franklin). After working as a model and commercial actress in the early 1980s, Whitney was discovered during a New York City nightclub performance, which led to her signing a contract with Clive Davis at Arista Records. Whitney’s first song was a duet in 1984 with Teddy Pendergrass on “Hold Me.”

She released her self-titled début album the following year, which catapulted her into superstardom as the album topped the Billboard 200 for 14 non-consecutive weeks before becoming the top-selling album of 1986, eventually achieving diamond status in the US and selling over 22 million copies worldwide. The singles “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know,” and “Greatest Love of All” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and achieved platinum status. The music video for “How Will I Know” received heavy rotation on MTV, which was uncommon for Black women at the time. She took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Award for “Saving” in 1986; her performance at the Grammys of “Saving” later won her an Emmy award. She also won seven American Music Awards between 1986 and 1987.

1987’s Whitney only furthered her initial success. The album produced four more consecutive #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100–“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”–giving her a record seven consecutive #1 pop singles. She won another Grammy Award in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” which was an international hit, topping the pop charts in several countries as the album sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

While gaining the status as a “pop princess,” Whitney faced some criticism from the Black community, so she decided to work with producers L.A. Reid and Babyface on her third album, I’m Your Baby Tonight, which yielded two more #1 pop hits: “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and “All the Man That I Need.” In 1991, at Super Bowl XXV, Houston delivered arguably the greatest performance of the Star Spangled Banner. The performance was sentimental as it occurred in the midst of the Persian Gulf War and a commercial single of the performance was produced, which reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the single’s proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund.

In 1992, Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown and gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina the following year. Whitney also pushed into the film industry in 1992 with her film The Bodyguard, which co-starred Kevin Costner. The film was a resounding success at the box office and its soundtrack–which featured Whitney’s signature song “I Will Always Love You”–sold 44 million units worldwide and brought Houston three Grammy awards, including Album of the Year.

In 1995, Houston starred in the film Waiting to Exhale with three other prominent black women, opening doors in the film industry for women of color. The Babyface-produced soundtrack was highly successful, giving her another #1 pop hit with the single “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”. She also appeared in the movies The Preacher’s Wife and a revised version of Cinderella with singer Brandy.

Houston’s fourth album, My Love Is Your Love, was released in 1998 after an eight-year break from her previous studio album. In 1999, Whitney won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for her duet with Mariah Carey on the song “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. Whitney would go on to release three more albums: Just Whitney (2002), One Wish: The Holiday Album (2003), and I Look to You (2009).

On February 11, 2012, Houston tragically passed away at the Beverly Hills Hotel days before the Grammy Awards ceremony, sending shockwaves through the general public and music community. She is one of the most celebrated artists in music history, winning over 400 awards, and she is acknowledged as a major influence on many R&B and pop singers who followed her.