From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Whitney Houston is the self-titled debut album by American pop/R&B singer Whitney Houston, released on February 14, 1985. The album had a slow start, but exploded during 1986 with the help of three number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. It is Houston's best-selling studio album, with sales of over 25 million worldwide to date, and one of the best selling albums of all time in the U.S. and worldwide.
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] The album
Whitney Houston debuted on the Billboard 200 the week of March 20, 1985 at #120. It lingered on the charts for a year until finally reaching number one in March 1986, where it remained for fourteen non-consecutive weeks and became the best-selling album of the year. The album exhibited massive staying power, remaining on the Billboard 200 for 162 weeks. It became the best-selling album of 1986 in the US (and the fifth best-selling album of that year in the UK too). It eventually sold over 13 million copies in America,[1] the best-selling female debut album in the country. The album was also critically successful, often being named Houston's best work. For critical reception, the album won a Grammy Award and was named Rolling Stone's Best Album of 1986. In 2003, the album was ranked number 254 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Internationally, the album became a huge hit due to one single (often "Saving All My Love for You" or "Greatest Love of All") reaching #1 status in Australia, and coming up at #2 in both the United Kingdom and Germany.
[edit] The singles
- "Hold Me" received airplay on Urban AC stations in 1984, leading to an early interest of Whitney.
- "Someone For Me" was the lead single from the album, released only in the UK, where it failed to chart.
- "You Give Good Love" was the first single released in the United States. It went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number five in Australia and number one on the R&B chart, becoming Houston's first major hit. However, it was a minor hit elsewhere.
- "Saving All My Love for You" became Houston's first number one single in both the United States and UK but only reached top 20 status in Germany and Australia.
- "Thinking About You" was released only to R&B Radio. It peaked at #10 on the R&B Singles Chart,and at #24 on the Dance Chart.
- "How Will I Know" was Houston's fourth single and second number one single in the United States. It was less well received in other areas of the world, managing to crack the top 5 in both the UK and Australia, but still didn't become a hit for Houston in Germany.
- "Greatest Love of All" was the fifth single from the album, and became Houston's 3rd straight number one from the album on the Hot 100, a record for a solo female artist duplicating the feat in Australia. It once again placed in the UK Top 10 but only managed to reach twenty-one in Germany, the same as "How Will I Know".
- "All At Once" was released only to Adult Contemporary and Urban AC stations as a radio airplay-only single in 1986. It received heavy airplay and can still be heard on AC stations, and is a favorite among fans. This song is also featured on Whitney's Whitney: The Greatest Hits and Love, Whitney compilation albums.
- Both "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" have alternate mixes (as on the videos and single releases). Copies of this album, regardless of format, may contain these mixes instead of the original ones.
[edit] Track listing
- "You Give Good Love" (La La) – 4:37
- "Thinking About You" (Kashif, LaLa) – 5:26
- "Someone For Me" (Raymond Jones, Freddie Washington) – 5:01
- "Saving All My Love for You" (Gerry Goffin, Michael Masser) – 3:58
- "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (James Patrick Dunne, Pamela Phillips-Oland) – 3:49
- "How Will I Know" (George Merrill, Shannon Rubicam) – 4:36
- "All At Once" (Masser, Jeffrey Osborne) – 4:29
- "Take Good Care Of My Heart" (Steve Dorff, Pete McCann) – 4:16
- "Greatest Love of All" (Linda Creed, Masser) – 4:51
- "Hold Me" (Creed, Masser) – 6:00
[edit] Personnel
- Gene Page Jr. - Arranger Rhythm / Strings
- Teddy Pendergrass - vocals
- Greg Phillinganes
- John "J.R." Robinson - drums
- Steve Rucker
- Corrado Rustici
- Tom Scott - saxophone
- Louie Shelton
- Ira Siegel - guitar
- Deborah Thomas
- Premik Russell Tubbs
- Freddie Washington
- Julia Tillman Waters - vocals
- Maxine Willard Waters - vocals
- Oren Waters - vocals
- Ernie Watts - saxophone
- David Williams - guitar
[edit] Production
- Producers: Jermaine Jackson, Kashif, Michael Masser, Narada Michael Walden
- Executive producer: Clive Davis
- Engineers: Michael Barbiero, Michael Mancini, Michael O'Reilly, Russell Schmitt
- Mixing: Michael Barbiero, Michael O'Reilly, Bill Schnee
- Arranger: Gene Page Jr., Kashif, Narada Michael Walden
- Art direction: Donn Davenport
- Stylist: Tiagi Lambert
- Hair stylist: Jeffrey Woodly
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (U.S.)
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1985 |
The Billboard 200 |
1 |
| 1985 |
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |
1 |
Singles - Billboard (U.S.)
| Year |
Single |
Chart |
Position |
| 1985 |
"How Will I Know" |
Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| 1985 |
"How Will I Know" |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
1 |
| 1985 |
"How Will I Know" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
1 |
| 1985 |
"Saving All My Love for You" |
Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| 1985 |
"Saving All My Love for You" |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
1 |
| 1985 |
"Saving All My Love for You" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
1 |
| 1985 |
"Thinking About You" |
Hot Dance Music/Club Play |
24 |
| 1985 |
"Thinking About You" |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
10 |
| 1985 |
"You Give Good Love" |
Adult Contemporary |
4 |
| 1985 |
"You Give Good Love" |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
1 |
| 1985 |
"You Give Good Love" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
3 |
| 1986 |
"Greatest Love of All" |
Adult Contemporary |
1 |
| 1986 |
"Greatest Love of All" |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks |
3 |
| 1986 |
"Greatest Love of All" |
The Billboard Hot 100 |
1 |
| 1986 |
"How Will I Know" |
Hot Dance Music/Club Play |
3 |
| 1986 |
"How Will I Know" |
Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales |
2 |
[edit] Awards
Grammy Awards
American Music Awards
| Year |
Winner |
Category |
| 1986 |
"You Give Good Love" |
Favorite Soul/R&B Single |
| 1986 |
"Saving All My Love for You" |
Favorite Soul/R&B Video |
| 1987 |
Whitney Houston |
Favorite Soul/R&B Album |
| 1987 |
Whitney Houston |
Favorite Pop/Rock Album |
| 1987 |
"Greatest Love of All" |
Favorite Soul/R&B Video |
Billboard Music Awards
| Year |
Winner |
Category |
| 1986 |
Whitney Houston |
Top Pop Album |
Rolling Stone Readers/Critics Picks
| Year |
Winner |
Category |
| 1986 |
Whitney Houston |
Best Album of the Year |
[edit] Footnotes
