20 Days of Chill 2020 - Bring me to you

Photo by Ravi Pinisetti on Unsplash

Welcome back to 20 Days of Chill. Today's prompt is 

Bring me to you

This is probably the hardest prompt of this entire challenge for me. The only thing that comes to mind is Whitney Houston's Bodyguard movie soundtrack. One of the songs was called run to you. 

Bring me to you - run to you, close enough, let's roll with that.

I like to believe that among my fellow Swiss teenagers I discovered Withney Houston.

How so?

It was in fall of 1985. I was on vacation in the Italian part of Switzerland with my parents and my brother. 

I had brought my walkman and a few of my favorite tapes, but I didn't have to use it a lot because the house that we rented came with a portable radio and tape player that my brother and I immediately moved to our room. 

We had discovered an Italian pop channel that we both liked. In general I think I remember this being the first vacation I didn't mind my little brother tagging along.

One night there was a thunderstorm, and the reception was super bad.

A song came on that literally struck me. Even though I could barely hear because there was so much crackling and static noise going on. 

At that point in time I had only attended about 18 months of English classes, 

Wishing you'd come back to me, it hurts me more than you know, she took your smile away, I can't forget you...

That's about how much I could memorize. Plus I was pretty sure the song must have been called all at once. 

Just as it was fading out, there was a giant thunder exploding above our house, and all I could hear was that the radio guy said "Houston".

So, as I was saying, it was 1985. No internet, no google, no nothing. 

I wrote down the partial lyrics and tried to play the melody over and over in my head so I wouldn't forget. 

The next day we went to a department store, and I visited the entertainment floor. Do you remember headphone bars? You would pick a vinyl album and ask the clerk to play it for you, and you'd stand there, headphones on, listening to the music?

Photo by Jace & Afsoon on Unsplash

Well, I couldn't find any artist called Houston, so I asked the clerk. Remember it was the Italian part of Switzerland. I had to ask about an English song in Italian. Not only did I ask, I sang. I don't know if I did so badly or if the guy really had not heard of that fantastic singer. 

Either way he couldn't help me. 

When we were back home, I - unsuccessfully - kept looking for this Houston lady, asking all my music aficionado friends, until, shorty before Christmas, there she was in the Swiss singles charts with saving all my love for you. It was unmistakably her! Such a great voice!

At a school festival I lip synched how will I know, (I even had my hair done in Houston-like curls) and I purchased and sang each and everyone of her songs, I will always love you,  when you believe and greatest love of all being some of my favorites. 

Whitney recorded one moment in time for the Summer Olympics 1988, performed Star spangled Banner for the Super Bowl 1991, she won multiple American Music Awards, World Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Emmys, Grammys, you name it, she won it.

The day before this post went live, we even got news that Whitney will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

On February 11, 2012, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, the brilliant Whitney Houston died, at only 48 years old. She drowned in a hotel bathtub, under the influence of cocaine. 

Her daughter Bobbi Kristina was 19 years old at that time.

Less than three years later, Bobbi Kristina, too, was found (near) dead in a bathtub. Even though she was alive when they transported her to the hospital, Bobbi was placed in an induced coma and never recovered from her irreversible brain damage. She officially died July 26, 2015, only 22 years old.

What a shame.

She had it all, now everything's gone.

Well, that's not fair. We have the wonderful music that'll always be around.

I guess as regular people we can never imagine what it means to be under constant pressure and have no privacy.

Do you like Whitney's music? Do you have a favorite song?

Let me know in the comments below.

Hope you'll be back tomorrow for one more days of chill! In the meantime why don't you visit my fellow bloggers' posts over here.

Thursday, January 2: A new decade

Friday, January 3: Beautiful places

Monday, January 6: Is that chicken?

Tuesday, January 7: Show me the way

Wednesday, January 8: Naps

Thursday, January 9: Snow

Friday, January 10: Fri-Yay

Monday, January 13: Social Media

Tuesday, January 14: Cheddar

Wednesday, January 15: Dream on

Thursday, January 16: Popcorn

Friday, January 17: Snapshot

Monday, January 20: Last Meal

Tuesday, January 21: Battle of the Phones

Wednesday, January 22: Sign it in ink

Thursday, January 23: Spam

Friday, January 24: May I take your order?

Monday, January 27: A cocktail, if you will

Tuesday, January 28: Bring me to you

Wednesday, January 29: Oh, thank goodness!