I Belong to You (Whitney Houston song)

"I Belong to You"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album I'm Your Baby Tonight
B-side	"One Moment in Time"
Released	October 18, 1991 (U.S.)
Studio	Tarpan (San Rafael) [1] A&M (Hollywood) [1] The Plant (Sausalito) [1] Ocean Way (Los Angeles) [1] Right Track (New York, NY) [1] Power Station (New York) [1] The Hit Factory (New York) [1]
Genre	R&B soul
Length	5:30 4:38 (Video Edit)
Label	Arista
Songwriter(s)	Franne Golde Derek Bramble [2]
Producer(s)	Narada Michael Walden [3]
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"My Name Is Not Susan" (1991) "I Belong to You" (1991) "We Didn't Know" (1992)
Licensed audio
"I Belong To You" on YouTube

"I Belong to You" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990). It was written by Derek Bramble and Franne Golde, produced by Narada Michael Walden, and was released on October 18, 1991, as the album's fifth single by Arista Records. "I Belong to You" was a Top 10 hit on the US Billboard R&B chart, and also charted in the UK and the Netherlands. The song garnered Houston a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 35th Grammy Awards (1993). ^[4]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that Houston "delivers a mature and restrained vocal within a lush, urban-angled swing/R&B arrangement." He noted its "contagious chorus". ^[5] A reviewer from Music & Media said that "the hip hop-shaped beat is more raw than the melody line, reminiscent of Beats International's 'Dub Be Good to Me'. Vintage Houston." ^[6]

Alan Jones from Music Week viewed it as "a pleasant but unexceptional soul shuffle". ^[7] James Hunter of Rolling Stone commented that the song "acts out its claim in a penthouse bedroom", and described its production by Narada Michael Walden as "high-end grooves accented by pinballing counterrhythms." ^[3]

Music video

The music video for "I Belong to You" featured outtakes from the previous music video to "My Name Is Not Susan". Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was featured in the video and was also featured in "My Name is Not Susan" as well. The video also includes footage from Houston's I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour (1991).

Accolades

At the 1993 Grammy Awards, the midtempo song gave Houston a nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, losing out to Chaka Khan's The Woman I Am . In their list of forty best Whitney Houston songs, BET ranked it 39th, comparing it to R&B group Loose Ends' mid-1980s work. ^[8]

Track listings and formats

UK 12" vinyl [9] "I Belong to You" (Shep Pettibone Remix Edit) — 4:32 B "I Belong to You" (UK Remix Edit) — 4:48 A "I Belong to You" (Album Version) — 5:28 "One Moment in Time" — 4:42 UK CD maxi-single [10] "I Belong to You" (Album Version Edit) — 4:40 "I Belong to You" (UK Remix Edit) — 4:49 A "I Belong to You" (Shep Pettibone Remix Edit) — 4:32 B "One Moment in Time" — 4:42 A Additional Production and Remix by John Waddell B Additional Production and Remix by Shep Pettibone

US 7" vinyl [11] "I Belong to You" (Album Version Edit) — 4:41 "I Belong to You" (International Remix) — 4:52 A US, UK 12" vinyl "I Belong to You" (UK Mix) — 8:55 A "I Belong to You" (UK Dub) — 8:45 A "I Belong to You" (69th Street Mix) — 9:27 B "I Belong to You" (69th Street Dub) — 4:16 B

Charts

Chart (1991–1992)	Peak position
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12]	79
UK Singles (OCC) [13]	54
UK Dance ( Music Week ) [14]	57
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [15]	10

Personnel

Credits

• Lead vocals, backing vocals, vocal arrangement — Whitney Houston
• Producer, arranger — Narada Michael Walden
• Additional production and remix — John Waddell
• Post production and remix — Shep Pettibone
• Executive producer — Clive Davis

References

1. Whitney Houston (1990). I'm Your Baby Tonight (Liner notes). Arista Records. 261-039.
2. Ashley, Battel. "Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight". Allmusic . Retrieved March 13, 2018.
3. Hunter, James (January 10, 1991). "Album Review: 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' - Whitney Houston". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
4. "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - The 35th Annual Grammy Awards (1992)". The Recording Academy . Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
5. Flick, Larry (November 2, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 87. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
6. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . October 19, 1991. p. 13. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
7. Jones, Alan (September 28, 1991). "Mainstream: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . p. 12. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
8. "The 40 Best Whitney Houston Songs". BET . August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
9. "Whitney Houston - I Belong to You (1991, Vinyl)".
10. "Whitney Houston - I Belong to You (CD Single)".
11. "Whitney Houston - I Belong to You (Vinyl)".
12. "Whitney Houston – I Belong To You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
13. "Whitney Houston: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
14. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week . September 28, 1991. p. 24. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
15. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.