Whitney Houston (album)

Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Studio album by Whitney Houston
Released	February 14, 1985
Recorded	1984
Genre	Dance-pop; soul; R&B;
Length	47:23
Label	Arista
Producer	Jermaine Jackson; Kashif; Michael Masser; Narada Michael Walden;
Whitney Houston chronology
Singles from Whitney Houston
	"Hold Me"; Released: May 24, 1984; "Thinking About You"; Released: January 11, 1985; "You Give Good Love"; Released: January 29, 1985; "All at Once"; Released: February 5, 1985; "Saving All My Love for You"; Released: August 13, 1985; "How Will I Know"; Released: February 15, 1986; "Greatest Love of All"; Released: March 18, 1986;

Whitney Houston is the self titled debut album of American recording artist Whitney Houston, released February 14, 1985 on Arista Records.

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Entertainment Weekly	A-
Los Angeles Times
PopMatters	7/10
Q
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Village Voice	C

Whitney Houston received positive reviews.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"You Give Good Love"	LaLa	Kashif	4:36
2.	"Thinking About You"	Kashif Lala	Kashif	5:24
3.	"Someone for Me"	Raymond Jones Freddie Washington	Jermaine Jackson	4:58
4.	"Saving All My Love for You"	Gerry Goffin Michael Masser Whitney Houston*	Masser	3:58
5.	"Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" (duet with Jermaine Jackson)	James P. Dunne Pamela Phillips	Jackson	3:47
6.	"How Will I Know"	George Merrill Shannon Rubicam Narada Michael Walden	Walden	4:34
7.	"All at Once"	Jeffrey Osborne Masser	Masser	4:27
8.	"Take Good Care of My Heart" (duet with Jermaine Jackson)	Peter McCann Steve Dorff	Jackson	4:14
9.	"Greatest Love of All"	Masser	Masser	4:57
10.	"Hold Me" (duet with Teddy Pendergrass)	Creed Masser	Masser	6:02
Total length:				47:23

Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition (Bonus tracks)
No.	Title	Remixer(s)	Length
11.	"Thinking About You" (12" dance remix)	Bruce Forest	7:16
12.	"Someone for Me" (12" dance remix)	Alan "The Judge" Coulthard	7:24
13.	"How Will I Know" (a cappella)	—	3:59
14.	"How Will I Know" (12" dance remix)	John "Jellybean" Benitez	6:32
15.	"Greatest Love of All" (Recorded live at Radio City Music Hall, New York, on March 9, 1990, during a gala concert celebrating the 15th anniversary of Arista Records)		7:06

Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition (Bonus DVD)
No.	Title	Note	Length
1.	"Conversations with Whitney Houston and Clive Davis"	—	9:30
2.	"Home"	Houston's premiere TV performance from The Merv Griffin Show on June 23, 1983	4:45
3.	"I Am Changing"	Live from the Arista Records 10th Anniversary celebration on December 1, 1984	4:52
4.	"You Give Good Love"	Live from the 1st Annual Soul Train Music Awards on March 23, 1987	4:17
5.	"You Give Good Love"	Promo music video	4:07
6.	"Saving All My Love for You"	Promo music video	3:56
7.	"How Will I Know"	Promo music video	4:31
8.	"Greatest Love of All"	Promo music video	4:52

Personnel

Musicians

Lead vocal – Whitney Houston
Duet vocals – Jermaine Jackson, Teddy Pendergrass
Clarinet – John Barnes
Keyboards – Robbie Buchanan, Randy Kerber, Yvonne Lewis, Richard Marx
Bass guitar – Nathan East, Freddie Washington, Randy "The Emperor" Jackson
Synthesizer – Preston Glass, Greg Phillinganes
Drums – Ed Greene, John "J.R." Robinson, J.T. Lewis, Steve Rucker
Background vocals – Cissy Houston, Jermaine Jackson, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Oren Waters, Yogi Lee, Mary Canty, Deborah Thomas
Guitar – Paul Jackson, Jr., Dann Huff, Tim May, Ira Siegel, David Williams, Louie Shelton

Percussion – Bashiri Johnson, Joe Lala
Rhythm and string arrangements – Gene Page, Jr
Synth guitar – Corrado Rustici
Saxophone – Tom Scott, Ernie Watts, Premik Russell Tubbs

Production

Producers: Jermaine Jackson, Kashif, Michael Masser, Narada Michael Walden
Executive producer: Clive Davis
Engineers: Michael Barbiero, Michael Mancini, Michael O'Reilly, Russell Schmitt
Mixing: Michael Barbiero, Michael O'Reilly, Bill Schnee
Arrangements: Gene Page Jr., Kashif, Narada Michael Walden
Art direction: Donn Davenport
Photographer: Garry Gross
Fashion stylist: Tiagi Lambert (Gown by Giovanne De Maura, Bathing Suit by Norma Kamali)
Makeup: Quietfire
Coordinator: Brenda Gorsky
Hair sylist: Jeffrey Woodly

Charts and certifications

Chart positions

Chart (1985–86)	Peak position
Australian Albums Chart	1
Austrian Albums Chart	3
Canadian Albums Chart	1
French Albums Chart	13
Finnish Albums Chart	2
German Albums Chart	2
Italian Albums Chart	11
Japanese Albums Chart (CD)	2
Japanese Albums Chart (LP)	4
Japanese Albums Chart (CT)	6
New Zealand Albums Chart	3
Norwegian Albums Chart	1
Swedish Albums Chart	1
Swiss Albums Chart	2
UK Albums Chart	2
U.S. Billboard 200	1
U.S. Top Black Albums	1
Chart (2012)	Peak position
Austrian Albums Chart	44
Argentine Albums Chart The Deluxe Anniversary Edition	14
Swiss Albums Chart	71
U.S. Billboard 200	9
U.S. Top Pop Catalog Albums (Billboard)	4
Chart (2015)	Peak position
UK R&B Albums (OCC)	34

Year-end charts

Chart (1985)	Position
U.S. Pop Albums	29
U.S. Top Black Albums	4
Chart (1986)	Position
Australian Albums Chart	1
Austrian Albums Chart	17
Canadian Albums Chart	1
Japanese Albums Chart	17
Swiss Albums Chart	1
UK Albums Chart	5
U.S. Pop Albums	1
U.S. Top Black Albums	1
Chart (1987)	Position
Italian Albums Chart	43
U.S. Pop Albums	22
Chart (2012)	Position
US Billboard 200	198

Decade-end charts

Chart (1980–1989)	Position
Australian Albums Chart	5

Certifications

Region	Provider	Certification (sales thresholds)	Sales/Shipments
Australia	ARIA	4× Platinum	400,000
Austria	IFPI	Platinum	50,000
Belgium	IFPI	Gold	70,000
Canada	CRIA	Diamond	1,100,000
Denmark	IFPI	Gold	10,000
France	SNEP	Gold	115,000+
Finland	IFPI	Gold	29,109
Germany	BVMI	Platinum	500,000
Hong Kong	IFPI	Platinum	20,000
Japan	RIAJ	2xPlatinum	500,000
Netherlands	NVPI	Platinum	120,000
New Zealand	RIANZ	2xPlatinum	40,000
Norway	IFPI	Platinum	50,000
South Africa	RiSA	Gold	30,000
Sweden	IFPI	2× Platinum	100,000
Switzerland	IFPI	Platinum	50,000
United Kingdom	BPI	6× Platinum	1,800,000
United States	RIAA	13× Platinum (Diamond)	13,000,000
Worldwide			30,000,000

Singles chart positions

Year	Single	Peak chart positions
Year	Single	US	US R&B	US AC	US Dance	CAN	UK	AUS	AUT	BEL	FRA	GER	IRL	ITA	NED	NOR	NZ	SWE	SWI
1984	"Hold Me"	46	5	6	―	―	44	―	―	―	―	―	25	―	24	―	―	―	―
1985	"Thinking About You"	―	10	―	24	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―
	"Someone for Me"	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―
	"You Give Good Love"	3	1	4	―	7	93	58	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	44	―	―
	"All at Once"	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	―	2	―	―	―	4	5	―	―	―	―
	"Saving All My Love for You"	1	1	1	―	8	1	20	12	11	11	18	1	―	16	10	5	―	5
1986	"How Will I Know"	1	1	1	3	1	5	2	28	20	―	26	3	23	12	2	19	2	11
1986	"Greatest Love of All"	1	2	1	―	1	8	1	25	26	―	30	4	13	24	―	12	14	20
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Whitney Houston. AllMusic. Retrieved on August 7, 2009.
↑ "Music Review: Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition, by Whitney Houston". Entertainment Weekly. January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
↑ Columnist. Review: Whitney Houston. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on August 7, 2009. Note: Original star ratings represented by (*) are not reprinted at the url page.
↑ "Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition". PopMatters. 18 March 2010.
↑ Columnist. "Review: Whitney Houston". Q: 160. December 1999.
↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (November 2, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
↑ Christgau, Robert (April 30, 1985). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
↑ "Whitney Houston on Austrian Albums Chart". austriancharts.at. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston on French Albums Chart". chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisaltaa hitin: Levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 160. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
↑ "Whitney Houston on Italian Albums Chart". Music e Dischi. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
↑ "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ10" [Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1986]. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2008.
↑ "New Zealand Albums Chart". RIANZ. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
↑ "Billboard 200 (Whitney Houston)". Billboard. March 8, 1986. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
1 2 3 "Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Whitney Houston)". Billboard. September 7, 1985. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
↑ "Whitney Houston on Austrian Albums Chart". austriancharts.at. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
↑ "Ranking Semanal Pop" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. February 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012. Note: Reader must define search parameters as "Ranking Semanal Pop" and "12/02/2012".
↑ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts | Billboard.com". billboard.com. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
1 2 3 "Year End Charts - Year-end Albums - The Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
↑ "Austriancharts.st - Jahreshitparade 1986". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2015-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ "1986年アルバム年間ヒットチャート" [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1986] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
↑ "Hitparade.ch - Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
↑ "Top Albums of 1986". everyhit.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. 2 January 2013.
↑ List of Top 40 albums for 1980–89 in Australia [en]
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nick Robertshaw (August 9, 1986). Houston Attains Global Stardom. Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
↑ "IFPI Austria Searchable Database". IFPI Austria. February 11, 1992. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2009.
↑ "Whitney Houston, CRIA certification". CRIA. March 31, 1987. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
↑ "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste) – Search for "Whitney Houston"". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.
↑ "IFPI Finland Certification Searchable Database". IFPI. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.
↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Whitney Houston')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
↑ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved September 1, 2012.
↑ The Greatest Gift Of All. Billboard. December 13, 1986. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
↑ "Whitney Houston The Deluxe Anniversary Edition". Sony BMG UK. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
1 2 3 4 "Whitney Houston Singles Charts". Allmusic. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Canadian RPM Singles Chart history". RPM. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston UK Singles Chart history". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Australian Singles Chart history". australian-charts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Austrian Singles Chart history". Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Belgian VRT Top 30 chart history". VRT. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston French Singles chart history". lescharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston German Singles Chart history". Muscline.de. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Irish Singles Chart searchable database". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Italian Singles Chart database". hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Dutch Singles Chart history". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Norwegian Singles Chart history". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston New Zealand Singles Chart history". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Swedish Singles Chart history". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "Whitney Houston Swiss Singles Chart history". hit parade.ch. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
↑ "The Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart listing for the week of May 11, 1985". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 21. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 25, 1985. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 14, 2011.

[Erlewine-1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Review: Whitney Houston. AllMusic. Retrieved on August 7, 2009.

[2] "Music Review: Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition, by Whitney Houston". Entertainment Weekly. January 20, 2010. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2015.

[LAtimes-3] Columnist. Review: Whitney Houston. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on August 7, 2009. Note: Original star ratings represented by (*) are not reprinted at the url page.

[4] "Whitney Houston: Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition". PopMatters. 18 March 2010.

[Qmag-5] Columnist. "Review: Whitney Houston". Q: 160. December 1999.

[RSguide-6] Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (November 2, 2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.

[Christgau-7] Christgau, Robert (April 30, 1985). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.

[whitneyhoustonat-8] "Whitney Houston on Austrian Albums Chart". austriancharts.at. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[9] "Whitney Houston on French Albums Chart". chartsinfrance.net. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[10] Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisaltaa hitin: Levyt ja esittajat Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 160. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.

[whitneyhoustonit-11] "Whitney Houston on Italian Albums Chart". Music e Dischi. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2011.

[Japanese_charts-12] "日本で売れた洋楽アルバムトップ10" [Top-ten international albums on the Japanese Oricon Year-End Charts 1986]. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2008.

[whitneyhoustonnz-13] "New Zealand Albums Chart". RIANZ. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[14] "Billboard 200 (Whitney Houston)". Billboard. March 8, 1986. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[billboard.com-15] 1 2 3 "Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Whitney Houston)". Billboard. September 7, 1985. Retrieved September 10, 2009.

[austriancharts-16] "Whitney Houston on Austrian Albums Chart". austriancharts.at. Retrieved February 21, 2012.

[17] "Ranking Semanal Pop" (in Spanish). Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. February 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2012. Note: Reader must define search parameters as "Ranking Semanal Pop" and "12/02/2012".

[18] "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts | Billboard.com". billboard.com. Retrieved March 2, 2012.

[ac_UKR&B_Whitney_Houston-19] "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-05-07.

[ReferenceA-20] 1 2 3 "Year End Charts - Year-end Albums - The Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2009.

[21] "Austriancharts.st - Jahreshitparade 1986". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 30, 2010.

[22] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2015-10-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[JPYearend86-23] "1986年アルバム年間ヒットチャート" [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1986] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2011.

[24] "Hitparade.ch - Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 29, 2011.

[UKYearend80s-25] "Top Albums of 1986". everyhit.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 29, 2011.

[itayearend-26] "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 1987" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved October 3, 2011.

[27] "Top Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. 2 January 2013.

[28] List of Top 40 albums for 1980–89 in Australia [en]

[bb860809-29] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nick Robertshaw (August 9, 1986). Houston Attains Global Stardom. Billboard. Retrieved August 21, 2010.

[30] "IFPI Austria Searchable Database". IFPI Austria. February 11, 1992. Archived from the original on December 16, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2009.

[whitneyhoustoncria-31] "Whitney Houston, CRIA certification". CRIA. March 31, 1987. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2010.

[snepwhitneyhouston-32] "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste) – Search for "Whitney Houston"". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2010.

[ifpifl-33] "IFPI Finland Certification Searchable Database". IFPI. Archived from the original on August 17, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010.

[34] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Whitney Houston')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 1, 2010.

[35] "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved September 1, 2012.

[36] The Greatest Gift Of All. Billboard. December 13, 1986. Retrieved January 9, 2010.

[37] "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.

[whitneyhoustonbpi-38] "Whitney Houston The Deluxe Anniversary Edition". Sony BMG UK. Retrieved August 21, 2010.

[AMG-Billboard-39] 1 2 3 4 "Whitney Houston Singles Charts". Allmusic. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[canadianrpmchart-40] "Whitney Houston Canadian RPM Singles Chart history". RPM. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[ukchart-41] "Whitney Houston UK Singles Chart history". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[42] "Whitney Houston Australian Singles Chart history". australian-charts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[43] "Whitney Houston Austrian Singles Chart history". Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[belgianchart-44] "Whitney Houston Belgian VRT Top 30 chart history". VRT. Archived from the original on April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[franchchart-45] "Whitney Houston French Singles chart history". lescharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[germanchart-46] "Whitney Houston German Singles Chart history". Muscline.de. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[irishchart-47] "Irish Singles Chart searchable database". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[italianchart-48] "Italian Singles Chart database". hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[dutchchart-49] "Whitney Houston Dutch Singles Chart history". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[50] "Whitney Houston Norwegian Singles Chart history". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[nzchart-51] "Whitney Houston New Zealand Singles Chart history". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[swedishchart-52] "Whitney Houston Swedish Singles Chart history". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[swisschart-53] "Whitney Houston Swiss Singles Chart history". hit parade.ch. Retrieved November 18, 2010.

[54] "The Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart listing for the week of May 11, 1985". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 21. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 25, 1985. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved March 14, 2011.