You Give Good Love
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| “You Give Good Love” | |||||
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| Single by Whitney Houston from the album Whitney Houston |
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| Released | April 1985 | ||||
| Format | — | ||||
| Genre | R&B/Pop | ||||
| Length | 4:37 | ||||
| Label | Arista | ||||
| Writer(s) | LaLa | ||||
| Producer | Kashif | ||||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | |||||
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"You Give Good Love" is a song written and produced for Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album. It was released as the album's second single in 1985 (see 1985 in music). However, it was the first released in the United States, where it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart later that year, becoming Houston's breakthrough hit.
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[edit] Writing and recording
Arista Records President Clive Davis signed Houston to a contract in 1983 after hearing her sing at a showcase gig. Davis groomed Houston for stardom over the following two years by gathering together talented songwriters and producers to work on the album. Songwriter and producer Kashif was among those whom Clive Davis wanted to work on Houston's album and he invited the producer to a showcase gig to see her sing.
At first, Kashif was reluctant to work with Houston as he was more dance-oriented while she was primarily a ballad singer. However, this changed when LaLa, a songwriter for Kashif's publishing company, sent him a copy of "You Give Good Love", a ballad she had written. Originally, LaLa had sent it to Roberta Flack, but Flack's assistant had turned it down. Kashif heard the song and thought that it would be a hit for Houston; he called Davis and told him that he was interested in recording the song with Houston.
[edit] Chart performance
The Whitney Houston album was released in early 1985. Its first single, "Someone for Me" (written by Raymond Jones and Freddie Washington), failed to chart on either the U.S. or UK pop charts or the R&B charts. However, "You Give Good Love" proved to be a breakthrough success for Houston, topping the Billboard R&B chart, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and the top five of the Billboard adult contemporary chart. It only reached #93 on the UK charts.
"You Give Good Love" began its forays into the top tier of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in June 1985, eventually peaking at #3, the week of July 27, 1985.
The album Whitney Houston eventually topped the Billboard album chart, selling thirteen million copies, which was then a record for a debut album by a female singer. The three singles following the release of "You Give Good Love" went on to top the charts in the U.S., building on the momentum of the success of the song.2
The video for "You Give Good Love" featured a man entering a club to film Houston singing the song. Houston would later comment that she liked the simplicity of the video.3
[edit] References
- "Whitney Houston" article in Ashyia Henderson Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 28, Gale Group 2001 reproduced on Biography Resource Center Thomson Gale 2005
- "Whitney Houston" article in Contemporary Newsmakers 1986, Gale Research 1987 published on Biography Resource Center Thomson Gale 2005
- Allmusic.com article on "You Give Good Love"
- Whitney Houston singles discography and chart placings
[edit] Footnotes
- Note 1: Chart positions from Allmusic.com [1] and from Whitney-Houston.com [2].
- Note 2: Chart positions from Allmusic.com and sales figures from Contemporary Black Biography.
- Note 3: Washington Post June 28, 1985 cited in Contemporary Newsmakers 1986.
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