So Emotional
| "So Emotional" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Whitney Houston | ||||||||||
| from the album Whitney | ||||||||||
| B-side | "For the Love of You" | |||||||||
| Released | November 12, 1987 | |||||||||
| Format | CD single, cassette single, 7" single | |||||||||
| Recorded | August 1987 | |||||||||
| Genre | Pop rock, dance-pop | |||||||||
| Length |
4:36 (album version) 4:00 (single version) | |||||||||
| Label | Arista | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Narada Michael Walden | |||||||||
| Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"So Emotional" is a song recorded by American pop/R&B singer Whitney Houston. The song was the third single from her second album Whitney, and was released on November 12, 1987.
Commercially, it also failed to achieve the success of her predecessors, peaking outside the top ten in most countries; it did however reach number five in the UK and number one in the Billboard Hot 100, where it became her sixth consecutive number one, and a dance chart hit. It would go and finish as the sixth best selling song of the year and the fourth most played in clubs; it is her sixth biggest hit on the Hot 100 chart.[1]
Composition
"So Emotional" was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who also penned Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Heart's "Alone," and The Bangles "Eternal Flame," all of which reached #1 on the charts. The song centers on Houston loving being in love, singing, "I get so emotional baby / Every time I think of you / I get so emotional baby / Ain't it shocking what love can do."
Critical reception
Allmusic editor Ron Wynn highlighted this track.[2] Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone wrote: "Walden covers all these bases, out-hopping Kashif (but not Jellybean) with "So Emotional."[3] St. Petersburg Times Eric Snider and Annelise Wamsley wrote: "`So Emotional,`` the record's token rock offering, is hollow and contrived, as if the trumped-up power guitars are supposed to give the song some guts."[4]
Chart performance
At this time Houston already had a string of five consecutive number-one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "So Emotional" went to the #1 position as well, giving her six consecutive number-one singles; putting her in a three-way tie with The Beatles and The Bee Gees. It made its debut at number forty four on November 28, 1987 and after seven weeks became the first number-one of 1988, eventually receiving gold certification. The single remained in the Top 40 for 14 weeks, and also reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. "So Emotional" was ranked sixth on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts (1988). It debuted at number forty four on the Hot 100 and seven weeks later reached number one for one week. The song has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide.
In the United Kingdom the song was remixed by Shep Pettibone when released as a single and peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1987, remaining in the chart for 11 weeks. Elsewhere the single performed moderately well reaching 21 in France, 26 in Australia and 30 in Switzerland.
Music video
The music video for "So Emotional" (directed by Wayne Isham) features Houston on tour and preparing for the night's concert. Footage is from the concert she performed at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Track listings and formats
- UK 7" single
- "So Emotional" (edited remix) – 4:20
- "For the Love of You" – 4:32
- UK CD single
- "So Emotional" (extended remix) – 7:51
- "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (live) – 6:28
- "For the Love of You" – 4:32
Personnel
- Narada Michael Walden – drums
- Walter "Baby Love" Afanasieff – keyboards, synth bass
- Corrado Rustici – guitar synth
- Bongo Bob – percussion programming, drum sampling
- Background vocals – Whitney Houston
- Produced and arranged by Narada Michael Walden
- Recorded and mixed by David Frazer
- Assistant engineer – Dana Jon Chappelle
- Additional engineers – Lincoln Clapp, Gordon Lyon, Jay Rifkin, Ken Kessie, Maureen Droney
- Additional assistant engineers – Gordon Lyon, Stuart Hirotsu, Paul "Goatee" Hamingson, Noah Baron, Bill "Sweet William" Miranda, Ross Williams, Rob Beaton
Charts and certifications
Chart positions
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Chart procession and succession
| Preceded by "Faith" by George Michael |
US Billboard Hot 100 number one single January 9, 1988 |
Succeeded by "Got My Mind Set on You" by George Harrison |
| Preceded by "Pump Up the Volume" by M|A|R|R|S |
US Hot Dance/Club-Play Songs number-one single December 26, 1987 – January 2, 1988 |
Succeeded by "I'm Beggin' You" by Supertramp |
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance singles of 1987 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1988
References
- ↑ Whitney Houston's Biggest Billboard Hits: A Look at Her Legendary Chart Career
- ↑ Whitney - Whitney Houston | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic
- ↑ Whitney | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone
- ↑ Whitney pulls out another bag of hits Series: RECORDS
- ↑ Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada
- ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 161. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
- ↑ http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=5
- ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 684. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ↑ WHITNEY HOUSTON | Artist | Official Charts
- ↑ "So Emotional - Whitney Houston". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top Pop Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top Black Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top Dance/Club-Play Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ↑ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
External links
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