Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans, Count On Me | Dazzling Duets

In the 28^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2026), Grammy winners Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans collaborate on “Count On Me.”

Sometimes, two is better than one! That is the case when it comes to Dazzling Duets! On Dazzling Duets, we highlight striking songs performed by two artists collaborating. These duets can be from any musical style, making Dazzling Duets a flexible, versatile column. In the 28^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2026), Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans collaborate on “Count On Me”. Let the dazzle begin!

Most of the 1990s found Grammy winner Whitney Houston (1963 – 2012) as a soundtrack queen (meant with no disrespect).  Following her 1990 album, I’m Your Baby Tonight, Houston wouldn’t release another proper studio album until 1998: My Love Is Your Love.  In between, she was front and center of three big films with three iconic soundtracks:  The Bodyguard (1992), Waiting to Exhale (1995), and The Preacher’s Wife (1996). “Count On Me”, a duet with Grammy-winning gospel legend CeCe Winans (b. 1964), is the 16^th and final track from the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack. The duet features a rarity: a Whitney Houston songwriting credit 👀.  Houston was mostly a singer, not a songwriter, so it’s always intriguing when she’s credited as a composer.  Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds, b. 1959) and Houston’s older brother,  Michael Houston (b. 1961), also wrote it, while Babyface produced it.

“Count On Me” begins with Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans singing the thoughtful and memorable chorus together, excerpted earlier.  In its entirety, it goes a little something like this:

“Count on me through thick and thin

A friendship that will never end

When you are weak, I will be strong

Helping you to carry on

Call on me, I will be there

Don’t be afraid

Please believe me when I say

Count on.”

Friendship is a key theme of Waiting to Exhale, so the lyrics of the chorus of “Count On Me” tie in perfectly to the film.  Following the first chorus, Whitney sings the first verse.  She sings expressively, encouraging and acknowledging the pain of her friend: “I can see it’s hurting you / I can feel your pain /… But you’ll get through it / Just don’t give in because you can / Count on me.” By the end of the verse, Houston shows off those signature, powerhouse pipes. After another friendship-laden chorus, led by Houston’s masterful melisma and runs, CeCe sings the brief ‘second verse’ sensationally, with incredible oomph. “I know sometimes it seems as if / We’re standing all alone,” she asserts, and concludes, “But we’ll get through it / Because love won’t let us fall.” In the third and final verse, they show off their anointed pipes as they share the verse, joining together for the final lyrics, “give in.” “Count On Me” concludes with a final, high-flying chorus and outro: “So glad I can / Count on me.” While there will never be another “Count On Me”, Whitney and CeCe captured something special and truly unforgettable. Accompanied by a refined, ultra-sophisticated adult contemporary R&B backdrop, these ladies, well, they just flat out sang their hearts out. This is how you do a duet.

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Various Artists » Waiting to Exhale » Arista Records LLC » 1995

Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans, Count On Me: Dazzling Duets No. 28 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Arista Records LLC; ANTONI SHKRABA production from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]

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