Whitney Houston was the talent of a generation. With the final songs she recorded before her death set to be included in the film Sparkle, which opened yesterday, we decided to reach back into the memory banks and search around for our favourite entries in her impressive catalogue.
So, with no further ado, in any particular order (namely because this writer was a big wuss and couldn’t make the hard decisions) here are FemaleFirst’s top Whitney Houston tracks.
I Will Always Love You
The easy, easy choice to be on this list, this is the Whitney track that everyone knows and loves. Taken from the soundtrack of her film The Bodyguard, the song went on to become an instant classic, spending 14 weeks at the top of the American charts, a new record at the time.
The song became an international smash, with it spending 10 weeks at the top of the U.K chart (a new record for a sole female artist) and hitting the top spot in Australia, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Holland, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden and Ireland.
Interestingly, it was only when the film’s star Kevin Costner introduced Whitney to a Linda Ronstadt version of the Dolly Parton original did she find out about the song. Winning her 15 awards along the way, the song was easily Whitney’s biggest hit.
My Love Is Your Love
Another classic Whitney ballad, this was a part of the late nineties resurgence of Whitney, and is easily the best of the three singles she released during 1999.
Written by Fugees star Wyclef Jean, it’s a gorgeous mid-tempo tune that incorporates the finest points of Whitney’s inbuilt brilliance with ballads and a new, contemporary beat that made it eminently listenable to.
It might not have lit up the charts initially, but My Love Is Your Love became in time the third highest selling single of Whitney’s career, selling over 3 million copies worldwide.
How Will I Know
While Whitney was known for her ballads and soaring, huge notes, this up-tempo number is an absolutely joyous entry in Whitney’s repertoire of pure, unadulterated pop.
The song still made the most out of Whitney’s voice though, with its massive chorus letting Houston really stretch her wings and belt out her signature tones.
The single’s massive success pushed her pushed her first, self-titled album up to the top of the charts and helped make Whitney one of the defining singers of the 1980s.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
Whitney’s first ever multi-platinum single, I Wanna Dance With Somebody was a massive hit for Whitney back in 1987 and became the first of her U.S. number ones, and her second U.K chart topper, along with another 11 countries.
A tremendously catchy dance record, this was the song that established Whitney as a true global superstar, with her not only establishing herself as the new Queen of ballads, but a genuine pop juggernaut.
Saving All My Love For You
This was the moment that Whitney became a household name, with this gorgeous, timeless ballad the singer’s first number one both in the U.K and in the States.
A cover of a little known Marilyn McCoo and Billy David Jr song from eight years earlier, this quickly became a Whitney classic of doomed love and set a mighty benchmark for the rest of the competition to try and live with.
With the song winning her a Grammy and an American Music Award at the end of the 1986, it was a career defining moment for Whitney, as it signalled the start of a run that would see her become one of the most decorated musicians in recent American history.
Missed your favourite Whitney song? Or just have something to say about the tragic talent? Let us know in the comments section.
Sparkle is in cinemas now.
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
Tagged in Whitney Houston