Whitney Houston is the debut album of American R&B and pop singer Whitney Houston, released February 14, 1985, on Arista Records. The album initially had a slow commercial response, but emerged as a success during 1986 with the help of three number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album serves as Houston's best-selling studio album to date, with sales of over 30 million copies worldwide,[1] and one of the best selling albums of all time in the United States and internationally. Whitney Houston has often been cited by critics as Houston's best work. In 2003, the album was ranked number 254 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[2]
Background
After seeing Houston perform in a New York City nightclub, Clive Davis believed the singer had the potential to crossover and be the next big superstar. He signed her in 1983 and the two began work on her debut album. Initially Davis had a hard time finding songs for her. During the time, rock bands and dance oriented acts were popular; many songwriters felt Houston's gospel voice didn't fit in the pop landscape. After months of searching for material, they finally began finding material from Kashif, Narada Michael Walden and Michael Masser. After two years of recording, the album was ready for release.
Reception
Commercial reception
Released on February 14, 1985, Whitney Houston debuted on the Billboard 200 the week of March 20, 1985, at number 120. Sales were low initially. The label, wanting Houston to have a solid urban fanbase first, released "You Give Good Love" as the first single. The soulful ballad would top the R&B chart and surprise the label by crossing over and reaching number three on the pop chart while the singer was playing at nightclubs in the U.S. With the success of the R&B ballad, the album began climbing the charts. The jazzy-pop "Saving All My Love for You" was released next. The single was an even bigger success after hitting number one on the Hot 100. It would reach number one in the UK and was successful around the world. With her first number one, Houston began appearing on high profile talk shows and became the opening act for Jeffrey Osborne and Luther Vandross. "Thinking About You" was released as the third single only to R&B-oriented radio stations. It peaked at number 10 on the R&B Singles Chart and at number 24 on the Dance Chart.
The album continued climbing and finally reached the top 20. In 1986, "How Will I Know" was released. With its colorful and energetic video, the song would introduce the singer to the MTV generation. It became another number one for Houston. As a result, in March 1986, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 album chart. It remained #1 for fourteen non-consecutive weeks, one week shy of Carol King's record of 15 weeks for the longest running #1 album by a female artist. With the album taking 50 weeks to hit #1, it became the slowest climb to the top of the charts since Fleetwood Mac took 58 weeks to reach the top in 1976.[3] The album exhibited massive staying power, remaining on the Billboard 200 for 162 weeks. The final single, "Greatest Love of All", would become the biggest hit off the album with a three week stay atop the Hot 100. With "Greatest Love of All" and Houston's debut both at #1 on the singles and album chart respectively, Houston became the first female to accomplish said feat since Kim Carnes in 1982 with "Bette Davis Eyes". "All at Once" was released only to Adult Contemporary and Urban AC stations as a radio airplay-only single later in 1986. It received heavy airplay and can still be heard on AC stations. Houston's debut became the best-selling album of 1986 in the United States (and the fifth best-selling album of that year in the UK). It eventually sold over 14 million copies in America (Diamond Certification).[4], and over one million in Canada. The album was ranked at #4 on Billboards top Black albums of 1985.
Critical reception
In addition to its popularity, the album was praised by critics and the music industry. It was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1986 Grammy Awards, losing to Phil Collins's No Jacket Required. Still, Houston won her first Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal for "Saving All My Love for You". The album was named Rolling Stone's Best Album of 1986. Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times listed it as one of his top albums of 1985.[5] In November 2003, the album was ranked number 254 on Rolling Stone's publication of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and ranked number 40 on the magazine's Rock & Roll Hall of Fames Definitive 200 List.
