Definition of a Comeback

I have noticed that some people, especially in the media, don't know the real meaning of the word comeback. According to the American Heritage dictionary a comeback is 'a return to a formally enjoyed state of prosperity.' So if that's the definition, why do people not know how to use the word? My thoughts are this, when it comes to someones career any one can do a "do over" or start it again. Although people can do that this does not mean they have made a comeback because they might not be back to where they were before.

Recently singer Whitney Houston is started promoting her new album I Look to You which is coming out later this month. The press is saying that this album is her comeback and that she is going to be back to the way she was in the 1990s. Even though she has a new album out and she has left Bobby Brown, will Houston be the same singer that she use to be?

Let me say first that I’m not trying to talk down Houston or her upcoming album; it could be a comeback album and restart her career. I’m just using her as an example. I personally like her music and what she did in the 90’s when she was doing Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife.

My point is that people need to use the word comeback in the context of what the word means. If someone is getting back to work then they are getting back to work, that does not mean that they are going to start where they left off; look at Britney Spears. So best wishes to Houston and her new album, I wish her the very best.

photo via bing.com/images