A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston

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I too believe this book was Robyn’s honest account of her life with Whitney. But there was also an underlying indictment of the Houston family and how they utterly failed their sister, daughter, niece, cousin friend! It also showed how, when one doesn’t live in their truth or indulge in self care, you wilt away mentally, physically and emotionally. So my role was: "I've got to protect her and let her know what's happening." I would get to the next spot on her itinerary 15 minutes ahead of time to get a vibe for the energy in the room so that when she got there, I could tell her what to expect.

After decades of silence, Robyn Crawford, close friend, collaborator, and confidante of Whitney Houston, shares her story. Whitney Houston is as big a superstar as the music business has ever known. She exploded on the scene in 1985 with her debut album and spent the next two decades dominating the charts and capturing the hearts of fans around the world. One person was there by her side through it all–her best friend, Robyn Crawford.Since Whitney’s death in 2012, Robyn has stayed out of the limelight and held the great joys, wild adventures, and hard truths of her life with Whitney close to her heart. Now, for the first time ever, Crawford opens up in her new memoir, A Song for You.With warmth, candor, and an impressive recall of detail, Robyn describes the two meeting as teenagers in the 1980s, and how their lives and friendship evolved as Whitney recorded her first album and Robyn pursued her promising Division I basketball career. Together during countless sold-out world tours, behind the scenes as hit after hit was recorded, through Whitney’s marriage and the birth of her daughter, the two navigated often challenging families, great loves, and painful losses, always supporting each other with laughter and friendship.Deeply personal and heartfelt, A Song for You is the vital, honest, and previously untold story that provides an understanding of the complex life of Whitney Houston. Finally, the person who knew her best sets the record straight. A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston by Robyn Crawford – eBook Details I didn’t write about this book immediately after reading it because I honestly didn’t know what I thought about it. After giving it time to sink in, I realize the reason I was so conflicted was because this book is not so much about Whitney Houston, as it is about Robyn Crawford. As I began to process it from that perspective, it all became clear. Not at all. I really wanted this to work for my friend. I wanted whatever vision she dreamed for herself—I wanted her to be happy. Look, I heard the rumors about Bobby just like she did. I didn't know anything else about him beyond what everyone else knew. That he was a womanizer, that he was over here with this one, that one. But he was obsessed with Whitney. Later on, though, I realized that Bobby never knew Nip. He never got to be her friend.

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Robyn Crawford came across dozens of boxes of memorabilia from her time working with Houston while writing her book A Song For You. Courtesy of Robyn Crawford, Photographed by Allie Holloway

There was something intoxicating about being with someone wholly herself. Whitney Elizabeth Houston was something else. A Song For You: My Life with Whitney Houston So when you found out she was marrying Bobby, how was that for you? Were you like, "Okay, how's this going to affect us? Do I got to deal with this dude?" I remember in the documentary Can I Be Me, there’s footage of him trying to pal around with you. And you seem a little annoyed with him. Houston became mega-famous when she signed with Arista Records: with a string of number one hit records and sold out concert tours world wide-- her relationship with Crawford was constantly scrutinized by the press. Instead of giving interviews, which may have improved her social standing somewhat, Houston made harsh and derogatory statements against homosexuality and defined herself rigidly as a "man's woman". Behind closed doors, Houston often said that she couldn't be herself, as she made plans to go through with her marriage to Brown. Immediately following the wedding the couple became tabloid fodder with their very public fights and drama, and Houston's use of substance escalated. Since Whitney's death in 2012, Robyn has stayed out of the limelight and held the great joys, wild adventures, and hard truths of her life with Whitney close to her heart. Now, for the first time ever, Crawford opens up in her new memoir, A Song for You. Whitney was surrounded by a lot of family but they ultimately used and abused her instead of keeping her grounded in a great foundation. She had the voice of an angel with demons all around her.

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A superb teaching, novel-like book about love that protects but does not possess. We may think we’re not ready for this, but we are. . . . I so admire the dignity of this woman. And her beauty.” Robyn also endured tremendous Chiiiiilllleeeeee, the TEA was served piping hot and the most disturbing thing I took from the book was Whitney’s family... what a disgustingly dysfunctional group of people!!! And to learn that Gary wasn’t even a whole — whew LAWD! I didn’t know that she and her mother were so disjointed, I mean— parents are how WE GET THROUGH LIFE, forrealz! Waithe arrives an hour early for this interview; a lifelong, diehard Whitney Houston fan, she devoured A Song For You in three days and is eager to let Crawford know the impact she's had on her. "I don't exist in this world without you being as authentic as you were," Waithe tells her when they first meet. "Because yes, I grew up watching Whitney Houston on TV, but I would always zero in on you. You've got to be special for somebody to look past Whitney Houston and go 'Who's that?'" Robyns and Whitneys early relationship came as a surprise to me and I was genuinly happy to understand that they were as close to each other as I heard Robyn speak of in her book. Often, having an open mind on how humans love and can love each other seems to be reserved for intelligent people. Equally moving and heart breaking as the story of the artist, is the authors own losses, to mental illness and terminal disease in her own family. I cried on many occasions during this listen.