List of songs recorded by Whitney Houston
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Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
, nicknamed “
The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleo ...
”, recorded songs for her seven studio albums and her two soundtrack albums, as well as contributing songs to two other soundtracks (''
Waiting to Exhale ''Waiting to Exhale'' is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMil ...
a''nd ''
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'')''.'' Her self-titled debut album was released on February 14, 1985. It peaked at number one on US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, a position it held for 14 consecutive weeks. "
You Give Good Love "You Give Good Love" is the debut solo single by American singer Whitney Houston for her 1985 eponymous debut studio album. It was written by La Forrest 'La La' Cope and produced by Kashif. When La La sent Kashif a copy of the song, originally o ...
" was released as the lead single, written for Houston by La La and produced by Kashif, becoming Houston's first top ten single. The final three singles to be released from the album, "
Saving All My Love for You "Saving All My Love for You" is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their album ''Marilyn & Billy'' (1978). American singer Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song ...
", "
How Will I Know "How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album. The song was released on November 22, 1985, by Arista Records as the album's third single. Originally written and composed by Geo ...
" and "
Greatest Love of All "The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. It was originally recorded in 1977 by George Benson, who made the song a substantial hit, peaking at number two on the ...
", all topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. This marked the first time in the chart's history that a debut album, and a debut album released by a female artist, had generated three number one singles. Houston released her second studio album, ''
Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...
'', on June 2, 1987. The album became the first by a female artist to debut atop the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart, a position it held for 11 weeks. " I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" was released as the lead single. The dance-pop song was written by George Merrill and
Shannon Rubicam Shannon Rubicam (born October 11, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who is best known for being half of the mid-to-late-1980s pop duo Boy Meets Girl. Her husband, George Merrill, was the other half of Boy Meets Girl, best known for their ...
. It was ranked at number 88 on Slant Magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs in 2006. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)", along with the following three singles to be released from ''Whitney'', (" Didn't We Almost Have It All", "
So Emotional "So Emotional" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the third single from her second studio album ''Whitney'' (1987) on October 12, 1987 by Arista Records. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It ...
" and "
Where Do Broken Hearts Go "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, ''Whitney (album), Whitney'' (1987). It was released as the fourth Single (music), single from the album on February 25, 1988. The so ...
"), all peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart. Houston holds for the record for the most consecutive number one singles on the chart, with seven. Her third studio album, ''
I'm Your Baby Tonight ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' is the third studio album by American singer Whitney Houston released on November 6, 1990, by Arista Records. The album has been certified quadruple platinum in the US by the RIAA. Background By 1989, Whitney Housto ...
'', was released on November 6, 1990. It was decided by her record label executive, Clive Davis at Arista Records, that Houston should grow as an artist and develop her music further by making an R&B album instead of another
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
album. Davis enlisted
L.A. Reid Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...
and
Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...
to compose more R&B driven songs. The title track was released as the lead single from the album, and it was written by Reid and Babyface. It topped the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart. The second single, "
All the Man That I Need "All the Man That I Need" is a song written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore. The song was first recorded as "All the Man I Need" by Linda Clifford for her album ''I'll Keep on Loving You'' (1982). In 1990, American singer Whitney Houston had a ...
", is an "expression of sexual hero worship" according to Stephen Holden writing for ''
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''. Between 1992 and 1996, Houston recorded songs which were included on three different soundtrack albums. A cover of
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
's song, " I Will Always Love You", was released as the lead single from '' The Bodyguard'' soundtrack from the film of the same name in 1992. It peaked at number one on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks in 1992–1993. Houston broke the record for the longest running number one single since the chart's inception in 1958. Houston recorded three songs for the ''
Waiting to Exhale ''Waiting to Exhale'' is a 1995 American romance film directed by Forest Whitaker (in his feature film directorial debut) and starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The film was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMil ...
'' soundtrack for the film of the same name, both of which were released in November 1995. "
Exhale (Shoop Shoop) "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" is a song by American recording artist and actress Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film ''Waiting to Exhale''. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 7, 1995, by Arista Rec ...
" was released as the lead single; it is an R&B ballad written by Babyface which summarizes the plot of the film. "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" becomes the third single to debut at number one on the US Hot 100 in the history of the chart. The other two songs which she recorded for the album were " Why Does It Hurt So Bad", another R&B ballad penned by Babyface, and a duet with
CeCe Winans Priscilla Marie Winans Love, known professionally as CeCe Winans, (born October 8, 1964) is an American gospel singer. She rose to prominence as a member of the duo BeBe & CeCe Winans; before launching an acclaimed solo career. Winans has been ...
called " Count On Me", co-written by Houston. Houston recorded a full length soundtrack to accompany the film ''
The Preacher's Wife ''The Preacher's Wife'' is a 1996 American comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Courtney B. Vance. It is a remake of the 1947 film ''The Bishop's Wife'', which in turn was based on t ...
'', both of which were released in 1996. Three singles were released to promote the film and album: " I Believe in You and Me", a cover of Annie Lennox's " Step by Step" and "
My Heart Is Calling "My Heart Is Calling" is a song recorded by the American recording artist Whitney Houston for the 1996 film '' The Preacher's Wife''. It was released on June 10, 1997, as the third and final single by Arista Records from the accompanying sound ...
". The latter of the three draws musical inspiration from the genres of funk and
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
. Houston released her fifth studio album, entitled ''
Just Whitney ''Just Whitney'' is the fifth studio album by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on November 27, 2002, by Arista Records. It was her first studio album to be released after her greatest hits compilation, '' Whitney: The Greates ...
'' in December 2002. The singer co-wrote the lead single, "
Whatchulookinat "Whatchulookinat" is a 2002 single released by American R&B/pop singer Whitney Houston. The song serves as the initial single from Houston's fifth studio album, ''Just Whitney''. "Whatchulookinat" has several remixes from Thunderpuss, Full Inte ...
", which was co-produced by her husband,
Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...
. The song is a response to how Houston considered herself to be a victim of unwanted media attention. The album's second single, " One of Those Days", is a slow R&B track with a
retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
feel. Houston released her first and only Christmas album in November 2003. She recorded cover versions of several traditional Christmas songs, including "
The First Noel "The First Nowell", also known as "The First Noel (or Noël)", is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 195 ...
". " One Wish (For Christmas)" was released as the sole single from the album. Her sixth studio album, '' I Look to You'', was released in August 2009. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
is a
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
song, written by
R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
, which pertains to Houston's faith in
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. The album's second single, " Million Dollar Bill", is an old school R&B song which was written by
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
,
Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
and Norman Harris.


Songs


See also

* Whitney Houston discography


References

{{Whitney Houston singles * Houston, Whitney