Heartbreak Hotel (Whitney Houston song)

"Heartbreak Hotel"
Single by Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price
from the album My Love Is Your Love
Released December 15, 1998
Format CD single, 12", 7", Video single
Recorded September 1998[1]
Genre R&B
Length 4:40 (single & album versions), 4:03 (radio mix & video version)
Label Arista
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Soulshock & Karlin
Certification Platinum
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"When You Believe"
(1998)		 "Heartbreak Hotel"
(1998)		 "It's Not Right but It's Okay"
(1999)
Faith Evans singles chronology
"Love Like This"
(1998)		 "Heartbreak Hotel"
(1998)		 "All Night Long"
(1999)
Music video
"Heartbreak Hotel" on YouTube

"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the second single from her 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. The song prominently features R&B singers Faith Evans and Kelly Price during the choruses and bridge.

"Heartbreak Hotel" reached the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 on January 26, 1999 and peaked at number two on March 9 and number one on Billboard‍ '​s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs on February 2, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was a hit in several countries worldwide. The song also received two nominations at the 2000 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo, though it did not win. The video was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.

Release

It is the second single released from her My Love Is Your Love album. "Heartbreak Hotel" was not initially released in the United Kingdom at the time of the My Love Is Your Love album release. It was released as the third single from Houston's Whitney: The Greatest Hits album in December 2000 and peaked at #25. It holds the distinction as being one of only three songs to be on both discs for Houston's 2000 Greatest Hits collection, in its original and remixed formats. It is absent on both 2007's The Ultimate Collection, and the standard edition of 2012's I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston, though some regions were given a deluxe edition of the latter album, in which the song is included.

Reception

Critical reception

Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably saying, "[It's] a highly effective setting for Houston, who wears her emotions on her sleeve and serves up one of the most effective performances on the album. Price and Evans sell themselves grandly as empathetic sisters alongside their pained friend, soaring with emotion and helping keep the timeless artist identifiable to a new generation of R&B fans. Of course, R&B radio will give this a hug in an instant. It's nice to see Houston on track, leaning away from the syrup and juicing up for the real deal here."[2] NME also reviewed the song positively: "Although the appeal of this oddly-paced mid-tempo relies heavily on the 'girls united in rejection' ethos, it works because the guest vocalists appearing with Houston - Faith Evans and Kelly Price - are two enormously talented singers who have carved out careers specialising in soulful balladry. Their respective abilities to wring emotion out of the written word means that anything they sing is seen as sincere. [...] But the risk of having three individually successful singers collaborate on one track is that the song could drown in the weight of competitive vocal acrobatics. But Houston, Evans and Price are secure in their gifts[.] Confident without being cocky, emotive without being melodramatic, they've made a tidy meal of this track[.]"[3]

Commercial performances

"Heartbreak Hotel," which features Faith Evans and Kelly Price, was released as the second single from My Love Is Your Love. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 84 without a retail single, the issue date of December 26, 1998.[4] On its first week that retail release impacted the song's chart position; it leaped from number 55 to 29, and after six weeks peaked at number two for three weeks behind "Believe" by Cher on the Hot 100, the issue date of March 20, 1999, making it the first Houston single to peak in the runner-up spot, and the last Houston single to make the Top 3.[5][6][7] Additionally, the song entered the revamped Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart at number 23 with the mark of its seventh week on the chart, the issue date of January 9, 1999.[8] In its first week on retail release, the song reached the number six and the following week topped the chart, becoming her eighth number-one single on the Hot R&B chart.[9][10] The single stayed on the summit for seven consecutive weeks from February 13 to March 27, 1999, which was her third longest stay atop the Hot R&B chart behind "I Will Always Love You" for 11 weeks in 1992-1993 and "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for eight weeks in 1995-1996, and was on the chart for a total of 31 weeks.[11][12] It placed at number four and number three, on the Billboard year-end Hot 100 Singles and Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, respectively.[13][14] It was certified Platinum for shipments of 1,000,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America on March 2, 1999.[15] According to Nielson SoundScan, the single sold over 1,300,000 copies in the U.S. alone, becoming the third best-selling single of 1999.[16]

Track listings and formats

  • U.S. CD Maxi-Single[17]
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
  2. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Mix) - 4:20
  3. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Club Mix) - 8:44
  4. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Thunderpuss 2000 Radio Mix) - 4:11
  5. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Thunderpuss 2000 Club Mix) - 9:14
  6. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Thunderpuss 2000 Dub) - 8:19
  7. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Johnny Vicious Radio Mix) - 4:14
  8. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Johnny Vicious Momentous Mix) - 13:03
  9. It's Not Right But It's Okay (Johnny Vicious Dub) - 8:31
  • U.K. CD Single
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Edit) - 3:42
  2. Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
  3. Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
  4. Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Club Rub Pt.1] - 5:55
  • U.S. Remixes Vinyl
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Club Mix) - 8:44
  2. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector NYC Rough Mix) - 9:14
  3. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Mix) - 4:20
  • European 12" Promo
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Edit) - 3:42
  2. Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
  3. Love To Infinity Megamix - 9:22
  • U.K. CD Maxi
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Mix) - 3:40
  2. Love To Infinity Megamix (Edit) - 5:17
  3. Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
  4. Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Club Rub Part 2) - 4:30
  5. Love To Infinity (Extended)
  • German Enhanced CD Maxi
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Edit) - 3:42
  2. Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
  3. Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:38
  4. Megamix (Love To Infinity Edit) - 5:17
  5. I Will Always Love You - 4:23
  6. Heartbreak Hotel (Music Video) - 4:03
  7. Love to Infinity (Music Video) - 5:17
  • UK VHS promo single
  1. Heartbreak Hotel (Music Video) - 4:02

Awards and nominations

"Heartbreak Hotel" was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards.[18] The song was also nominated for "R&B Single of the Year" at the 10th Billboard Music Awards on December 8, 1999,[19][20] and for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best R&B Song at the 42nd Grammy Awards on February 23, 2000.[21] Houston was honored with a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist for the song at its 31st ceremony on April 6, 2000.[22] It was nominated for "Favorite Single" at the 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards on May 9, 2000.[23] On May 16, 2000, the song won the Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Pop Award at its 48th ceremony.[24]

Live performances

Houston performing "Heartbreak Hotel" with Faith Evans and Kelly Price on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 23, 1998

The fist live performance of "Heartbreak Hotel" was at The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 23, 1998. Houston performed the edited version of the song with Faith Evans and Kelly Price on the show, appeared to promote her then-new album My Love Is Your Love.[25][26] Houston, Evans and Price performed together once more at the 9th Billboard Music Awards on December 7, 1998.[27][28] During her European promotion in February 1999, the song was performed live by Houston alone at French TV Show, Les Annees Tube, broadcast on TF1, March 5, 1999. Houston made a surprise appearance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance and performed dance remix version of the song along with "It's Not Right But It's Okay" at the event on June 27, 1999.[29][30] The short video clip of the performance was broadcast on MTV All Access, premiered on July 21, 1999.[31]

In My Love Is Your Love World Tour in 1999, the song was performed as the second song of the tour setlist. One performance on the tour was broadcast live on Polish TV channel, TVP1, on August 22, 1999.[32] "Heartbreak Hotel" was included in the setlist of Soul Divas Tour in 2004 and performed at Live & Loud Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 1, 2007.[33]

Charts and certifications

Chart positions

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[34] 17
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[35] 12
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[36] 33
Canada (RPM)[37] 12
France (SNEP)[38] 7
Germany (Media Control Charts)[39] 61
Illegal chart entered DutchTop40|35
New Zealand (RIANZ)[40][A] 33
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[41] 77
US Billboard Hot 100[42] 2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[43] 1
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[44] 1
Chart (2000) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[45] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (1999) Position
Australian Singles Chart[46] 94
French Singles Chart[47] 65
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 4
US Dance/Club Play Songs[48] 23
US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[14] 3

Certifications

Country (Provider) Certification Shipments
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,500,000

Note: A^ In New Zealand, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released as a double A-Side single with "It's Not Right But It's Okay" in April 1999.

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
"Jackie's Strength" by Tori Amos		 U.S Dance/Club Play Songs number-one single
April 3, 1999 		Succeeded by
"I Still Believe" by Mariah Carey
Preceded by
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" by Deborah Cox		 U.S R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one single
February 13, 1999 (Seven weeks) 		Succeeded by
"What's It Gonna Be?!" by Busta Rhymes feat. Janet

See also

References

  1. ↑ Baker, Soren (October 11, 1998). "POP MUSIC; The Spotlight Becomes Her; Faith Evans is moving on with her life as an R&B singer and mother after the death of her husband, the Notorious B.I.G., last year".
  2. ↑ Singles Reviews & Previews: "Heartbreak Hotel" by Whitney Houston Feat. Faith Evans and Kelly Price. Billboard. January 9, 1999. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  3. ↑ Jacqueline Springer (December 8, 2000). "NME Track Reviews - Whitney Houston: Heartbreak Hotel". NME Magazine. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 chart listing for the week of December 26, 1998". Billboard. December 26, 1998. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 chart listing for the week of February 6, 1999". Billboard. February 6, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 chart listing for the week of March 20, 1999". Billboard. March 20, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  7. ↑ Fred Bronson (March 27, 1999). "Chart Beat: From Zero To Hero Fro Busta & Janet". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart listing for the week of January 9, 1999". Billboard. January 9, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart listing for the week of February 6, 1999". Billboard. February 6, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart listing for the week of February 13, 1999". Billboard. February 13, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart listing for the week of March 27, 1999". Billboard. March 27, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the week of March 27, 1999". Billboard.com. March 27, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "1999 Year End Charts – Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "1999 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "RIAA Certification for Heartbreak Hotel Single". March 2, 1999. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Best-selling Records of 1999". Billboard. December 31, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  17. ↑ Whitney Houston-Heartbreak Hotel/It's Not Right But It's Okay CD Maxi-Single.Discogs.com
  18. ↑ "1999 MTV Video Music Awards". MTV. September 9, 1999. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  19. ↑ "1999 Billboard Music Awards Nominees & Winners". digitalhit.com. December 9, 1999. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  20. ↑ "Spears Is Finalist In Six Billboard Awards Categories". billboard.com. November 19, 1999. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  21. ↑ "2000 The 42nd Grammy Award Winners & Nominees". rockonthenet.com. February 23, 2000. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  22. ↑ The 31st Image Awards Winners. The Crisis. Mar–Apr 2000. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  23. ↑ Scott Hettrick (February 9, 2000). "B'buster Noms: Stars Vs. Selves". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  24. ↑ Jill Pesselnick (May 27, 2000). BMI's Film, TV, Pop Awards: Twain, Cherry Picked. Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Rosie's 3rd Season (1998-1999) Guests". acmewebpages.com. November 23, 1999. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  26. ↑ ""Heartbreak Hotel" live performance at The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 23, 1998". YouTube. March 5, 2011.
  27. ↑ Artists & Music: Billboard Music Awards Gathers Industry, Artists In Las Vegas. Billboard. December 26, 1998. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  28. ↑ ""Heartbreak Hotel" live performance at the 1998 Billboard Music Awards". YouTube. June 7, 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Whitney Houston Surprises Crowd At Gay-Lesbian Pride Event". MTV. June 28, 1999. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  30. ↑ Michael Paoletta (July 10, 1999). Whitney's Gay Pride Show Shares The Love. Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Whitney Houston: MTV All Access 1999 (part 1)". YouTube. April 16, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  32. ↑ ""Heartbreak Hotel" live performance in Sopot, Poland on August 22, 1999". May 1, 2010. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Live & Loud 07 Kuala Lumpur: Performing artists". lnlkl.com. December 1, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  34. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Whitney Houston Featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price – Heartbreak Hotel". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Whitney Houston Featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price – Heartbreak Hotel" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  36. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Whitney Houston Featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price – Heartbreak Hotel" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  37. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/my-love-is-your-love-r383028/charts-awards
  38. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Whitney Houston Featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price – Heartbreak Hotel" (in French). Les classement single.
  39. ↑ "Chartverfulgong > Whitney Houston > Heartbreak Hotel – musicline.de" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  40. ↑ "It's Not Right But It's Okay - Chart positions". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  41. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Whitney Houston Featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price – Heartbreak Hotel". Swiss Singles Chart.
  42. ↑ "Whitney Houston Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Whitney Houston.
  43. ↑ "Whitney Houston Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Whitney Houston.
  44. ↑ "Whitney Houston Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Whitney Houston.
  45. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2000-12-30" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  46. ↑ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Classement Singles – année 1999". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Retrieved June 4, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Decade End Charts – Hot Dance/Club-Play Singles". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1999. Retrieved July 21, 2011.

External links

Heartbreak Hotel at Discogs