Try It On My Own

Album

Just Whitney...

Label

Arista Records

Genre

Contemporary R&B

Media Type

DD

Duration

4:39

Composer(s)

Babyface;Jason Edmonds;Carole Bayer Sager;Aleese Simmons;Nathan Walton

Entered Chart

Apr 26, 2003

Peak Date

May 17, 2003

Released

February 11, 2003

Recorded

2002

Catalog #

Arista 82876-50971-7

"Try It on My Own" (titled "On My Own" for its single release) is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston. It was written by Babyface, Jason Edmonds, Carole Bayer Sager, Aleese Simmons, and Nathan Walton for her fifth studio album Just Whitney (2002), with production handled by the former. A pop ballad, the song is about overcoming doubts or fears so a person can reach the point in their life where they can "try it on [their] own". The song became the project's third single and was released on February 11, 2003 by Arista Records. It received acclaim from critics as well as fans; most of them who named it as the album's highlight. Like "Whatchulookinat" and "One of Those Days" before it, "On My Own" was a modest success, topping the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and reaching the top ten on the US Adult Contemporary charts. A music video, directed by David LaChapelle, was released to promote the single. Houston performed "Try It on My Own" on an episode of the television series Boston Public ("Chapter 66"), which first aired in May 2003, and on the 2003 VH1 Divas Duets: An Honors Concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

I'm wiser now
I'm not the foolish girl you used to know
So long ago
I'm stronger now
I've learned from my mistakes which way to go
And I should know
I put myself aside to do it your way
But now I need to do it all alone

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'll keep it real, you know
Time for me to do it on my own
Yeah yeah, mmm, yeah yeah

It's over now
I can't go back to living through your eyes
Too many lines
And if you don't know by now
I can't go back to being someone else
Not anymore
I never had a chance to do things my way
So now it's time for me to take control

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'm gonna keep it real you know
Time for me to do it

Oh, I start again go back to one
I'm running things in my way
Can't stop me now, I've just begun
Don't even think about it
There ain't no way about it
I'm taking names, the ones of mine
Yes I'm gonna take my turn
It's time for me to finally stand alone, stand alone

I am not afraid to try it on my own
And I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'm gonna keep it real, you know
It's time for me to do it
See I'm not afraid to try it on my own
And I don't care if I'm right or wrong
I'll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I'm gonna keep it real, you know
It's time for me to do it on my own, hey, on my own