Unless you’re a deeply committed fan of either, you might not be aware that Whitney Houston’s “Step By Step,” as featured on The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack, is actually a cover of a song that Annie Lennox wrote and released four years earlier.

“Step By Step” first appeared as the B-side to Lennox’s single, “Precious,” from her 1992 debut solo album, Diva. Her producer, Stephen Lipson, also produced Houston’s take, on which Lennox contributes backing vocals. Side by side, however, they’re nearly two different songs.

Lennox’s original verses were replaced with new ones for Houston’s recording, sharing just the chorus and some other small bits. Because both Lennox and Lipson were involved, I assume she rewrote the song for Houston’s use, but I haven’t found any confirmation.

Plus, Houston is credited with the vocal arrangement for her Preacher’s Wife revamp, appropriately taking “Step By Step” to church, so she most certainly had a hand in the proceedings. And therein lies the magic of Houston’s version. She rarely let so loose on record, making “Step By Step” one of my favorite singles she ever released. It’s a great performance among many, many great performances from her career.

In light of Houston’s death yesterday at 48, the lyrics in her version of “Step By Step” retrospectively read as a prescient cautionary tale: “This old road is rough and ruined / So many dangers along the way / So many burdens might fall upon me / So many troubles I have to face / But I won’t let my spirit fail me / But I won’t let my spirit go / Until I get to my destination / I’m gonna take it slow.”

If only Houston could have taken what she’d sung in “Step By Step” to heart and never let go of it in the 15 years that followed. Certainly today wouldn’t be so hard on her family and the millions of fans she left behind much too soon, now hurting and so very blue. Annie Lennox offered her thoughts this morning.

Purchase Whitney Houston – “Step By Step” (Annie Lennox cover) via iTunes, Amazon MP3.