Maps of Music

Whitney Houston (1985)

Where the lyrics of Whitney Houston take you, and where it was really made.

This debut was the first debut album, and the first album by a solo female artist, to produce three US number-one singles, yet its sales were slow at first.

Key places

Recording studio linked to the album (1985)

Recording site Evergreen Recording Studios — Listed as a recording location for the album. The article does not name the studio, so the exact building is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Whitney Houston: debut studio album by American singer Whitney Houston
• Released 14 February 1985 by Arista Records
• Sales were slow at first; popularity grew from mid-1985
• Topped the Billboard 200 for fourteen weeks in 1986
• Three number-one Hot 100 singles: "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All"
• First debut album and first album by a solo female artist to produce three US number-one singles

Background

• By 1983 Houston had spent six years in the music industry as a background and session singer
• Worked as a teen fashion model; in late 1981 became the second black model to land the cover of Seventeen
• Signed to Arista on 10 April 1983, at age 19, after Clive Davis saw her perform
• Davis spent time finding material and producers before work on the album began
• In early 1984 nearly won the role of Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show, then withdrew to focus on music

Recording

• Kashif brought the song "You Give Good Love", which Houston recorded in a single take according to Griffith
• "How Will I Know" was recorded in October 1984, produced by Narada Michael Walden
• "Greatest Love of All" was the final song recorded for the album, in December 1984
• The budget started at $200,000 and nearly doubled to $400,000 by completion

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born August 9, 1963 in Newark, New Jersey.
• Began as a background singer for her mother Cissy Houston at age 14.
• Signed to Arista Records in April 1983 after a performance seen by Clive Davis.

Career

• Debut album Whitney Houston (1985) topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks.
• Second album Whitney (1987) debuted at number one in the US and UK simultaneously.
• Starred in The Bodyguard (1992); its soundtrack is among the best-selling of all time.
• "I Will Always Love You" is the best-selling single by a female solo artist.
• Died February 11, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Stephen Holden in The New York Times: positive review, praising her romantic innocence and commanding dignity
• Liam Lacey in The Globe and Mail: ballads such as "Saving All My Love for You" called among the loveliest pop singing on vinyl
• Los Angeles Times: praised her vocal ability and potential despite listless arrangements
• Don Shewey in Rolling Stone: called her one of the most exciting new voices in years, but found many songs featureless
• Robert Christgau in The Village Voice: complimented her voice but called the songs schlock

Reappraisal

• Stephen Thomas Erlewine in AllMusic: called the album the foundation of diva-pop, and said the lighter tracks such as "How Will I Know" impressed decades later
• J. D. Considine in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004): gave three out of five stars

Records

• Billboard 200: number one for fourteen non-consecutive weeks, March to late June 1986
• UK albums chart: peaked at number 2
• Canada: number one for seventeen weeks
• Australia: number one for eleven weeks
• RIAA: Diamond in 1999, 14× Platinum in 2023
• BPI: 4× Platinum
• 28th Grammy Awards: four nominations, won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female
• Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums: No. 254 in November 2003
• Grammy Hall of Fame induction in 2013

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Houston was disqualified from Best New Artist at the 1986 Grammys because of earlier guest credits; Clive Davis called it a conspicuous injustice.
• The saxophone riffs on "Saving All My Love for You" were played by Tom Scott, a former member of the Blues Brothers.
• "Saving All My Love for You" was first a minor hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. in 1978.
• Houston made her Tonight Show debut with Johnny Carson on 5 April 1985, a breakthrough since younger black artists rarely appeared on late-night talk shows.
• The 2010 Deluxe Anniversary Edition added five bonus tracks, including an a cappella version of "How Will I Know".

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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