Whitney Houston, The #11 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

Whitney starred with Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, which grossed $121 million in the United States and over $410 million worldwide, and at the time secured a place in the top 100-grossing films of all-time.  But the soundtrack, with Whitney acting as co-executive producer, did even better.  Costner wanted to have Houston record a cover of a Dolly Parton song and while Whitney was on board, Costner had to convince Davis that it was the right choice.

"I said, 'This is a very important song in this movie.'  I didn't care if it was ever on the radio.  I didn't care," Costner told Country Music Television.  "I said, 'We're also going to do this a cappella at the beginning,' he continued.  "I need it to be a cappella because it shows a measure of how much she digs this guy - that she sings without music."

Houston's version "I Will Always Love You" took the world by storm.  It took off like a rocket, quickly elevating to #1.  Week after week, it remained there, until finally a record-breaking 14 weeks, also set an R&B record at the time with 11 weeks at #1, and topped the Adult Contemporary charts for 5 weeks as well.  Never before had one song dominated those three charts like Whitney did with "I Will Always Love You", The #1 Song of the Rock Era*.

The single has sold over 16 million in the U.S. alone (20 million worldwide), earning Whitney the distinction of being the first woman to reach that total in the U.S.  "I Will Always Love You" went to #1 in every major country in the world and is still the best-selling single of all time by a female solo artist.  Houston captured the Grammy Award for Record of the year for the song.

Whitney again won Favorite Female Musical Performer at the People's Choice Awards.

 Thanks to Houston, "The Bodyguard" Soundtrack also led the way on the Album chart for 20 weeks in the U.S. and went to #1 in every major country.  Whitney's cover of the Chaka Khan song "I'm Every Woman" reached #2 in Canada, #3 in The Netherlands and #4 in the United States and the U.K. and became her seventh career Platinum single.  A 14-year-old Houston sang backup on the original along with her mother Cissy and paid tribute to Khan by yelling "Chaka Khan" at the end.

 

The album has sold over 18 million in the United States and 45 million total, and Houston captured the Grammy for Album of the Year.  She also won a record eight American Music Awards including the Award of Merit, 11 Billboard Music Awards, and a record five World Music Awards.   Another great song, "I Have Nothing", is an amazing effort in its own right.  

Linda Thompson, who previously dated Elvis Presley and who was married to former Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn), married her songwriting partner David Foster in 1991.  Thompson and Foster teamed up to write this one.

The powerful, passionate performance gave Whitney her 10th #1 Adult hit that also peaked at #3 overall.  It also topped the Canadian chart, reached #3 in the United Kingdom, and sold over two million copies.

Houston won World Music Awards for World's Best-Selling Female Recording Artist of the Era, World's Best-Selling Overall Recording Artist, World's Best-Selling Pop Artist of the Year, World's Best-Selling R&B Artist of the Year and World's Best-Selling American Recording Artist of the Year.

Whitney landed American Music Awards for Favorite Pop (Rock) Female Artist, Favorite Pop (Rock) Album, Favorite Adult Contemporary Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Album, a special Award of Merit and Favorite Pop (Rock) Single and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "I Will Always Love You" while also being nominated for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.

Houston swept the top categories of Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "I Will Always Love You) while also earning Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for The #1 Song of the Rock Era* and earning a nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance for "I'm Every Woman".

Jud Friedman and Allan Rich, who also wrote "I Don't Have The Heart" for James Ingram, wrote this song inspired by a breakup Rich was going through.   It was approved by Houston, movie director Mick Jackson, and Davis.  

 However, a month later, Jackson called the songwriters to tell them he wanted to use it earlier in the movie when Houston and Costner fall in love, rather than when they're breaking up.  Jackson said he wanted Friedman and Rich to rewrite the lyrics to make it a love song rather than a breakup tune.  They wrote completely different lyrics, keeping only the title from their original composition. 

Houston achieved her 20th career hit with the great song "Run To You", though with a peak of #31, it is another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.

Houston won an incredible 15 Billboard Music Awards for her work on "The Bodyguard":  #1 World Artist, #1 World Single, Hot 100 Singles Artist, Hot 100 Singles Artist-Female, Hot R&B Singles Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top R&B Album, Top Soundtrack Album, Special Awards for the record-breaking 20 weeks at #1 for the album and a record 14 weeks at #1 for "I Will Always Love You", Hot 100 Single, Hot 100 Singles Sales,   Hot R&B Single and Hot R&B Singles Sales for "I Will Always Love You" and she was nominated for Hot Adult Contemporary Artist.  

 Whitney delivered a heart-wrenching scene when she sang "Jesus Loves Me".

Things were going gangbusters for Whitney and the sky really was the limit.  But in 1989, she met Bobby Brown and after three years of being romantically involved, they were married on July 18, 1992.  For Whitney's singing career, and her life, this was the beginning of the end.  Brown constantly got arrested for drunken driving, drugs, and battery.  

On March 4, 1993, Whitney gave birth to daughter Bobbi Brown.  She later toured the world in a blockbuster concert tour that enabled her to rank as the third highest-earning female entertainer of 1993-94 behind only Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand, according to Forbes magazine.

 

In 1994, Houston performed at a state dinner in the U.S. White House honoring newly-elected president Nelson Mandela of South Africa.  She also performed three concerts before over 200,000 people in South Africa to honor Mandela.  She recorded "Look Into Your Heart" for the album A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield.

 Whitney starred in her second movie, Waiting to Exhale, in 1995, about four women struggling with the men in their lives.  The film grossed $81 million worldwide but once again, the soundtrack (produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds) did better.  

The single "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" reached #1 and spent a record 11 weeks at #2 on the Popular chart as well as riding the wave for eight weeks on the R&B chart, went to #1 in Canada, and sold over two million copies.  Whitney earned a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance nomination at the Grammys.  

Babyface, who wrote it for Whitney, said the "Shoop Shoop" in the song happened by accident.  "It felt like it should groove there," he told Billboard.  "But I knew it couldn't groove without any vocals, so I started humming along with it and that's what happened," he continued.  "The 'shoops' came.  But they felt so good.  I thought, 'Why not?'  It doesn't have to mean anything."

 Whitney scored an American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist.  Houston's duet with CeCe Winans also reached the Top 10 (#4 AC and #8 Popular) and sold over one million copies.  Winans is best known for her songs recorded with brother BeBe.  The duo has won three Grammy Awards and nine Dove Awards for their great gospel recordings.  "Count On Me" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the Grammy Awards.

 

The album has sold over seven million copies and earned a Billboard Music Award for Soundtrack Album of the Year.  "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" reached #6 on the important Adult chart.

 Houston then teamed with superstar Denzel Washington for the movie The Preacher's Wife, a role which earned her $10 million.  Whitney recorded and co-produced the soundtrack album, which sold over six million copies.  She turned to the Four Tops for this one, which that supergroup originally recorded in 1982.  "I Believe In You And Me" was another big AC hit at #2 (#4 overall) and went Platinum.

 Houston sang "I Believe In You And Me" on Saturday Night Live on December 14, 1996.  She captured Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist at the American Music Awards for the soundtrack album.  "Step By Step" also went Gold, her 20th RIAA Gold award.

 

The soundtrack won a Billboard Music Award for Top Gospel Album and was nominated for Favorite Soundtrack at the American Music Awards while Whitney earned nominations for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("I Believe In You And Me") at the Grammy Awards.  Whitney sang "I Love The Lord" with the Georgia Mass Choir.

 Whitney recorded another great Diane Warren tune for the album--"You Were Loved".

Part Four is very much a bittersweet story.  Join us exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!