Natalie Cole Run To You + I Have Nothing - Live Academy Awards - 1993

[Jaipicky]

Has anyone noticed that she sang a different lyric in I Have Nothing?

[doubleolove]

@Anaksunamen999- Whitney gave birth to Bobbi Kristina a month before the Oscars and was thus unable to make the ceremony!

[Anaksunamen999]

Why didn't Whitney sing these? Was she scheduled to sing at all?

[flix2view]

Great job. Bravo. 

[nativeroscoe64]

Beautiful. Natalie made it her own. Plus, she is hot in that red dress! She did it for Whitney RIP.

[MrB0mbdiggity]

i cant believe one of whitneys greatest inspirations is singing one of her songs <3 she nailed that !

[GiuseppeQuercia]

Actually I thought Natalie did it great.

[divvamonroe1]

Don't sleep on Ms. Natalie Cole people! She was our Whitney Houston of the 70's and she won Grammys and AMAs just like Ms. Houston! She was in no way trying to sing like Ms. Houston because She is Ms. Natalie Cole, daughter of Mr. Nat King Cole, who bulit Capitol Records! Natalie has just as much power and bottom in her voice, but it is called tact and taste when you are covering another peer's song! Please don't get it TWISTED! Natalie is a POWERHOUSE & she can belt with the BEST! DIVA

[eveville1]

@divvamonroe1 EXACTLY!  Thanks for keeping it real about Ms. Cole!

[pianistica]

her phrasing is so nice!

I do prefer these songs with Withney but! Natalie did it lgreat.

[erickpril]

Whitney was delivering her only child Bobbi Kristina in the days of the Oscars and she personally asked Natalie Cole to perform her two nominated songs. Never understand why none of the songs won the Oscar.

[Afanlynness]

how could those people want a jazz singer sing i have nothing??

[Westarist]

No one can sing these songs as well as whitney did!!

[MrBry329]

i believe whitney is probably going to get surgery to get her voice back like chris brown did and it work for him so for her it shouldn't be a problem her new cd is nice her voice is slowly coming back if she don't make the music she will right it for other singers she is still a icon regardless everybody isn't perfect we all fall sometime

[10imatt]

@MrBry329 Why did chris brown need the surgery?

[MrBry329]

i honestly believe whitney like gladys who sings very well by the way can get her voice back with work but what she was taking probably messed it up passed the point where the really high notes can't come back..i recently herd whtney on a live tour and she sounds like she getting better

[THECONNIECOLE]

@MrBry329 I am so glad to read your post about Nippy getting better. I, for one, have prayed for God's mercy, and healing for her. She still has her tone but the range is/was missing. But with hard work, and maybe surgery, she will recover. I think she may be able to recover TOTALLY. Once again, thanks for your post.

[MrBry329]

but natile cole kept her voice whitney is getting there

[soymiguelalejandro23]

@MrBry329 Yes Natalie kept her voice even through the Drugs how do some divas do it and others loose it.

And the greatest old school Diva that gives me chills with her rich timbers is the Legendary Gladys Knight who can sing me any thing to this very Day. Natalie IS giving me life.gov on this performance however! Work Ma! It took some grande huevos to do this song in that day 1993 coz Whitney was still singing the shyt out of this song at that time. Natalie is fearless and I am loving it!

[maybegoodable]

1,31 the man dancer almost drop the girl ahahha

[willardadonis]

DON'T..MAKE.. ME ..CRASH BITCH !!!!! LOL 2:58 LOLOL

[ikom35]

these songs are made for whitney alone.

[keithswordsman]

This elegant take on two of Whitney's mega hits by living legend Natalie Cole is about as classy and visually stunning as it gets. And of course, you know you're in good hands vocally with a singer like Natalie. A feast for the ears and the eyes.

[OneTrillNigga07]

come on yall get off ms.cole we know whitney can only do whitney! cece winans would have been great though

[vanmeadow01]

stop comparing just listen to the song

[9ALiCeiNWOnDerLAnD3]

natalie doesnt have enough of a strong voice for this song, it sounds alright but nothing in comparison to when whitney sung it!

[harajukuphantom]

hot mess.. sorry

[IQEllis]

Umm..what the fuck is she wearing?

[phillyTne]

Good showing by Natalie but not her best.  For all you that are younger or have forgotten, Natalie incorporated some songs that gave us a taste of what she could do as far as standards and such, but she did R&B Pop and was known for her knock down live performances, belting and screaming in a league not unlike Patti Labelle and others. She has the power to sing any Whitney song; she perhaps lacked the emotional attachment to those songs at the time of the performance to carry them off.

[ohm300836]

On behalf of Houston who had given birth to a daughter the three weeks before the ceremony, Natalie Cole crooned Houston's two nominated songs including "I Have Nothing"

[darthgandalf99]

why didn't Whitney sing them? I thought she was there, and had that little the moment with Whoopi Goldberg or was that the next year?

[Micknrock]

i mean natalie cole is a awesome singer, but it just shows how un real whitney is, power n everything no one can compare to WH

[whatigot2say]

@Micknrock power is not the same as good singing. Beauty trumps "power" anyday. you're one of these ignorant youngsters who thinks "loud" is better. it's not.

[zenonbecker]

@Micknrock Agree.

[whatigottasay]

People never know how challenging a Whitney song is till you hear someone else do it! But Natalie's voice is not suit for contemporary pop records. On JAZZ & STANDARDS NO ONE CAN TOUCH NATALIE! It's in her genes, the legacy her father left her. But ONLY certain types of records can I stomach hearing her on and these weren't either of them...

[whatigottasay]

Natalie pulled out ALL the stops visually: Hair, makeup, gown TOGETHER honey bunches of oats BUT BAAAYBEEE Sonically, oooh no luv muffin NOT YO GIG!!! I remember Whitney was Über Pregnant probably near 9 months. Natalie was riding the wave of her multi platinum Unforgettable With Love CD and Whitney asked her to sing in her place. It was the right choice on paper. Not in execution. Celine Dion was still under the radar. Mariah was still pretending that she was never a Whitney fan back then and

[mcarey]

@whatigottasay The shade you're trying to throw aside, a cardinal rule of the most recent divas (mariah, whitney, celine, janet, madonna) is to never do you're contemporary's songs. had Whitney actually asked Celine might have done it since she has broken the rule by singing IWALY back in 93 but my girl Mariah would've have politely declined. Plus, these songs, especially the splendor that is "Run to You" was made for only Whitney, as Natalie painfully illustrates.

[ikeckg]

Is there any live version of Whitney's performance of Run to you????

[mcarey]

@ikeckg Allegedly she has done this song at least a handful of times in '93. There is a loch ness monster level rare/rumored recording from radio city music hall of this song.

[Chasenip]

She did a great job. A little ruffled at the beginning of 'I Have Nothing' but she still pulls it off. Every singer, now and then, forgets a line or two. Natalie is a CLASS ACT who took 2 VERY difficult songs, sung by an entertainment ICON (the female version of Michael Jackson) and interpreted them in HER way and she did it beautifully.

[primohomme]

Why didn't Whitney herself sing the songs?

[whfan007]

@primohomme Whitney was pregnant.

[TheLanard]

The only thing she did wrong was forget the lyrics at the beginning of "I Have Nothing". But she did better than most singers would do on Whitney's songs.

[brett21852020]

Natalie is no Whitney, but she sang competently. Hell, I'm impressed that she sang "Run To You," a song that even Whitney hasn't very often sung live.

There's really nothing wrong with this performance (other than the fact that Whitney was unavailable).

[redbuckatl]

this has to be the most remarkable recovery in the history of singing for a singer that completely forgot the words to a song, she pulls off what should had been a sure disaster to an ok performance.

[JumpStreet1983]

On another note, Natalie looked absolutely breathtaking in this gown. It's obviously not one you'd wear in to a real-life event, but it looks fantastic on television. And not many women would be able to pull it off because of the design, but Natalie does. From the 80's onward, she has always been a sharp dresser in her concerts and performances. She gets it from her mother!

[JumpStreet1983]

What a lot of silly little kids on this page need to realize is that only a TRUE singer can make someone else's song and put their own unique spin on it to make it their own. Natalie did a fantastic version of this in a Natalie way. One should NEVER sing a popular song the same way as the original artist: that's just boring! You don't have to like the performance, but let it be known that Whitney ASKED Natalie to do it. 'Nuff said!

[Talube101]

Natalie Cole is good in her own right. I think she did a fine job.

[lourd67]

1993? the year Charice was born,and she is now own this song.

[dastaylor]

@lourd67 She owns the song? lol or she has sung the song?

Because Charice doesn't own anything over Whitney or Natalie Cole.

[gaylolful]

@dastaylor LOL Charice fanatics...

[lourd67]

@lourd67. Thats right she now own this song.

[WONDERTRANNY1]

THIS WAS SO FUNNY

[kapuso2]

it seems that she didnt know the song that well...good thing she substitute with whitney..thats so great of her...i remember when celine substitute for barbara in oscar for the song finally found someone

[nlee035]

she kinda looks like OPRAH!

[Level5Divo]

Natalie, don't ever do that again, nor wear that dress again.. Not even comparing this to whitney it was not that great... as amatter of fact i will not wait for this to finish.. goodbye...

[manila7979]

Natalie has really improved over the years. Here she is more animated and passionate in her delivery.

[glenjamesallen]

OMG - shame Whitney could not perform this at the Oscars.

[SexyLiLLeilaniMya]

What a hot ass crack smokin' neddle poppin' mess!

[MrSoulshock4444]

that's when you realize how big whitney's voice actually was. nice renditions, but whitney's voice is from another world

[BlaxxBchr]

I like Natalie Cole and love some of her songs, however she simply does not have the chops to carry a Whitney song.  Whitney, in her prime, had perfect freedom of voice. Basically, her voice was resonant in chest, head, and falsetto. Natalie's voice is reedy and the timbre is never rich. Love songs need tone to convey emotion. Just hitting pitches on key is not great singing. Whitney was great. Natalie is just good enough, but I wouldn't pay to hear her pitchy voice for 90 minutes.

[IPTBAGM]

This is the most stupid dress i've ever seen.

[motr1990]

This could have been the only Run to You performance by Whitney....WTF why Natalie Cole?!?!

[TheMrMarilyn]

She looked elegant and brought a quiet dignity to these renditions...she's a 'trouper' for taking this very tricky assignment...but she 'pulls it off' with aplomb!!

[phinetopsc]

Natalie did this Cuz Whitney was at home pregnant..Whitney personally asked Natalie to do this...and this is in Natalies Biography..angel on my shoulder..natalie did forget some of the lyrics..and Whitney called her from home and laughed..and forgave her..and thanked her for doing the song too.

[Wendyjp6]

Love Whitney Houston's version much more...

[Tiger1983DK]

I remember this. She had to perform this at very short notice because Whitney was unable to - I think she only had a few hours to rehearse so I think it's well done :o)

[sanyrub]

Beautiful!! These were two great renditions. A real artist so respect from a Whitney fan (not to mention this is better than any Christina A. tribute with her annoying tone and out of control voice)

[MsJune54]

I remember watching this, Natalie never looked more beautiful!!! thanks so much for this gem!!

[Randalina1]

was she looking at the lyrics on the floor?

[tyavion]

yes. she got it wrong. notice she repeated the same verse twice. it should have gone:

Share my life,

Take me for what I am.

'Cause I'll never change

[Jawhitney123]

I love Natalie & Whitney!

Has anyone come across the clip of them singing "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" Together ???

[darthchiam]

I felt that Natalie did justice to both songs and sounded great!

[vlomond]

Natalie forgot the words to the second song but mad a great recovery. A lesser singer would have completely loss it but she held it together to give a ok performance and that is a long way from the disaster it could have been.

[atolm1]

how sad, this would have been the only time Whitney would have performed Run to You live since i dont see any live clips of it at all. wish theyd had Mariah or Celine fill in for Whitney. Natalie is a great singer but not dynamic enough for these songs. She stays too much in one tone with no dramatic ups and downs.

[jaybor1]

??? I think you need to go check out Natalie Cole's repertoire. You'd discover how dynamic her voice is.

[atolm1]

I like a lot of Natalie's songs and I think she is a great vocalist i just dont think these songs were a good fit is all. I respect her highly.

[ShrikeCult]

@atolm1 You are right the songs don't really fit her.

[skipper8257]

Sound like a cat??? What a goddam moron. This woman has one of the greatest voice ever. Shut the hell up you tone deaf idiot.

[jaybor1]

Jealous??? Of what.

[Bahia82]

only you can answer that. I mean cole sniffed cocaine, whitney smoked it, does that make natalie a better person? i mean really grow up

[jaybor1]

Well since you brought up "jealous" fans, I would think you'd know the answer. BTW, sweetheart I'm probably old enough to be your parent. Please stay in school and make sure to study your English and sentence structure.

[islezeus]

@Bahia82 lol

[Bahia82]

No one can sing like whitney houston, NO ONE!, "Run to YOu' is whitney houston toughest song to sing EVER! having said that Natalie cole showed why she is a "songstress" and true "singer" she put her own spin on it, and it sounded GREAT! Why are all the jealous natalie cole fans attacking whitney houston drug problem, natalie cole wasn't exactly drug free herself

[jaybor1]

Natalie can STILL sing songs she recorded before most of you silly kids were born. In the original key. How about Whitney??? lol

[islezeus]

@jaybor1 lol true dat... she was a mess on Dancing with the Stars

[tipofmytongue1024]

2:56 absolutely awful.

[savedperson1]

they are both great talents and they both belong to the Lord Jesus

[ssaturn]

hell, its true! shit, whitney had the BEST voice in the world and you mean to tell me that she lost it to weed laced with cocaine. YOU GOT ME FUCKED UP! id be taking so much care of my damn voice. damn natalie. aint nobody thinkin about her but whitneys ass! wow. i just cant get over having a golden voice and losing it in SUCH A STUPID WAY! hey, ssaturn you want some drugs? DO I LOOK LIKE A DAMN FOOL! I HAVE THEBEST VOICE IN THE WORLD IM NOT LOSING IT TO DRUGS! and i wouldve been done with it.

[ssaturn]

birds of a feather flock together. they were both hardcore drug addicts.

[nic197649224]

you sssoo wrong for that, LOL!! but it was true back in the day....

[snrbaires]

Many of you younger posters are obviously not aware of the huge influential Natalie Cole had on a young Whitney Houston. Natalie is one of few American singers her age that survived both disco and bubble pop 80s to remain a viable recording artist. There's something very unique about both their talents when they perform their own material. I was never convinced that Whitney could manage all of Natalie's catalog either. Natalie did well given the circumstances.

[Impulsensx]

WTF?! This is good for a laugh though because's she's grinning like she's really puttin' it down. lmao

[nic197649224]

LOL! you are too funny for that one, hahaha! when i 1st saw this, it fell over laughin'! she should be ashamed for attempting these songs..UGH!!!!

[guguinha1404]

vixe, e é 1a doida é. kkkk horrível. ja vi brasileiros cantando músicas de whitney bem melhor . nossa nem se compara a antiga whitney. realmente whitney era a melhor

[Cotownsfinest]

CHILE....

[theoneandonly2503]

How the hell was she thinking?She don't have the tone beauty to sing songs by Whitney Houston.

Why didn't they chose Whitney to sing that night?

[JayBeeThree]

Whitney was about to give birth to Bobbi Kristina and asked Natalie to sing in her stead.

[divineaglaia]

i never fully realized just how far whitney stands above the rest until I saw this video

[qevans23]

A mess total desaster

[verboespanol]

ya that note at 2:57 was horrible lol but natalie cole's still a great singer... just stay away from whitney houston ballads.

[theoneandonly2503]

LOL.Good advice!

[nic197649224]

natalie needed a serious whoopin for that note from 2:44-258! LOL she sounded like ellie mae from the beverly hillbillies!! HAHA

[kmaur21]

She mixed it that why she sounds like a cat. Whitney does it in full chest and Natalie needs to mix to hit those notes.

[laarbe]

Natalie looked great in this performance. No she did not sound like Whitney nor did she try to sound like Whitney. Natalie and Whitney are two different kinds of singers both very good if not even brilliant in their own right. This was not one of Natalie's best performances but the woman can sing anything. Rock, RNB, Pop, Country, Jazz, anything. She has enough awards and accolades to prove her worth. Everyone messes up from time to time. Thanks for the post and the memories.

[QUEENTOIYA]

chile that note was HORRIBLE at 2:58.. I would have ran off stage.

[qwerty35313]

That wasn't bad!

[diamonddonut]

if this woman wanna sing, then it's better be singing sooner or later by madonna and it MAY fits her, but not these 2 songs.

[greeklawyer2002]

Come on! Even Barbra messed the lyrics in a live performance of "Somewhere" during the "Concert" ('94). Natalie is a friend of Whitney and she had to perform songs not suitable for her voice.

[furbalzz]

ahaha she looks like a giant orange piece of popcorn

[mememe515]

the 1st 2 words werent even right. if i was Whitney, i'd be so proud that NOBODY has been able to re-create somethin i did...

[hotrodindalou]

I love me some Natalie but she does not come close to Whitney in any aspect of this performance. I respect and love you Natalie

[skye12ydaz]

Hear Charice's Run To you, the best live version.  I lie you not.

[whthevoice2009]

Even a great singer like Natalie Cole couldn't sing Whitney's songs as good as Whitney. Whitney, in contrast, can sing almost anyone's song, and make it her own - from Chaka's "I'm Every Woman", to Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" and George Benson's "Greatest Love Of All", and from Aretha's "Ain't No Way" to Jennifer Holliday's "And I Am Telling You". I'm not blaming Natalie, but this just shows how INCOMPARABLE a vocalist Whitney truly is.

[SoulSir]

Natalie sounds better then whitney. Even whitney can't sing her own songs today..her voice is dead.

[tothpictures]

Oh, how embarrassing to forget those words!

But she recovered nicely!

[tjonesmusicman]

I remember reading about this in Natalie's book. Whitney WAS supposed to do this performance but couldn't because she had just had the baby. So Whitney herself asked Natalie if she could do it. And yes Natalie did forget the words to i have nothing. I remember reading that in her book too. She ran off the stage afterwards.

[donidoni11]

WHAT A MESS !!!

yikes

[bentncrazy]

no power at all

[billybadass80]

exactly!!!

[SoulSir]

Natalie sung this tribute medley beautifully.

[bjt15]

I like her version wish whitney was able to perform that night, but she was with child and This is a classy version, nice job !!!!

[ShineHappY]

its amazing how i cant stop thinking of whitney"s voice in this songs specially i have nothig,,,the power the intensity of the song just her give that touch,,....the feeling wao,,,Whitney THE VOICE,,

[houiej]

she sounds even worse than some of the american idol contestants who did this song

[MrStyle23]

Go Natalie!

[masculine31]

I didnt like it either...stay away Natalie

[WH012]

i didnt like it... i dont know, didnt do nothing for me

[abaluga]

Natalie did a good job. She did it her way no two singers should be compared they are two different people and Nataliedi it in her own way. Both Natalie & Whitney are great. roy Ayers Jr

[michaelj1959]

Very well said

[maszlagma]

@abaluga Amen to that!!

[soulshock4444]

that's how great and inspirational whitney's songs are!! Natalie sang those before Whitney even started to promote them! and BTW, she did a good job

[Chasenip]

I keep coming back watching this. If Whitney couldn't do this I'm glad Natalie did it. She really is a class act. I'm so happy she got the operation she needed. No she's not Whit, but she did this version her way and pulled it off well. Don't even mind the total flub at the beginning of IHN, it's those little mistakes that make the performance real....

[mthoshushine1]

i think this was terrible!! honestly! why wud she try and sing a whitney song which sounds soo heavy 4 her!! that's not right she messed both songs frm the lowest notes to the highest notes! that's not right!

[DEMISS99]

I thought Nathalie did a very good job here, she sings in her way of singin' and not in Whitney' s style, but Whitney versions are more impressive... more drama... more power... and more beauty... Whitney should have been here, she'd probably blown away the audience and had a standing ovation, Whitney lost the oscar cause she's a black female, and black ladies never won back then, if Barbra would have sang that song, she'd probably won

[Chimier]

Whitney was never nominated for an Oscar. It was the songs, not her, and unless she was one of the songwriters, she wouldn't have won regardless of if the song did.

[LANORDA9]

You are right Whitney was not nominated. It was the song.....but you are aware that the singer plays a huge role in the delivery and interpretation of that song. When considering the song for the award, I assure you that they are NOT just looking at the words and the instrumental part of the song. So know that if the song wins.....much credit goes to the artist who sang it if only indirectly.

[Chimier]

But if only the singer could get the award too. Ah well, they have the Grammys for that.

[minnelli21]

Natalie started the "Fabolous over 40" trend.....here at 43 and she's still sexy today at 59.

[DivasForeverChannel]

Lovely Performance!!!

[atmybest4]

I believe she was recovering from giving birth to Bobbi Christina. That's why she wasn't there. Natalie talks about this performance and that in her autobiography, "Angel on My Shoulder".

[2THEBLUEANGEL8]

oh no, not interpretive dance!

oh well this was still dangerously close to the 80s

nice job Natalie

[duhferrell]

Chimier, thank's for information

ps: I don't speak english my friends sorry! ^^ i'm Brazilian

[Chimier]

My pleasure

[Chimier]

She got the words wrong at the beginning of I Have Nothing. She didn't sing," Share my life, take me for what I am, 'cos I'll never change all my colors for you."

[Chimier]

This was actually at the 1993 Oscars, not in 1994.

[Chasenip]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here...The two singers' styles are complete 180's from one another and FOR SURE IHN and it's 'dramatic' style are better suited to an interperative singer like Whitney...she BRINGS the drama with that song. That said, Natalie did a nice job here. A classy lady who brought the 'elegance' to the number. I had not seen this since the original telecast. BUT I'm still pissed it wasn't Nippy sangin'!!!!

[remamamama]

Now we've heard "legends" like Natalie, Patti, Dionne and Aretha sing Whitney's songs, and little "divas" like Monica, Christina and Jennifer sing Whitney's songs. AND NOT ONE OF THEM CAN SURPASS HER. And I don't mean just vocally. Whitney instills so much soul, power and emotion in her songs. There will never be another Whitney Houston.

[nippyme]

I concur!!(:

[ohwhitney]

amen to that. there willl NEVER be another Whitney.

[TheTennis10]

Natalie give it up sister gurl

[ohwhitney]

nice but not whitney. she is the greatest and not even a great singer like natalie cole can do it better than Whitney.