Whitney: The Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released on May 5, 2000, by Arista Records. Anticipation over a greatest hits album from Houston arose as far as 1995, when Billboard first announced the album's release. However, it was continuously postponed as Houston focused on film projects, before deciding to record several new tracks for the belated collection in 1998. The effort was quickly expanded into her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love, released in November 1998 to widespread success, which effectively postponed Whitney: The Greatest Hits again.
"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 6, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface. A mid-tempo R&B and soul ballad, composed in the key of D-flat major, the song's lyrics speak about growing up and learning to let go. The song garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, many of whom noted Houston's vocal maturity in the song.
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). It was released as the fourth single from the album in February 1988. The song was written by Frank Wildhorn and Chuck Jackson and produced by Narada Michael Walden. A pop ballad set in the key of D major, the record is about someone seeking for a former lover to return after a breakup. Upon its release, the song received mixed reviews from critics.
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston from her third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990). Written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, in Australia and most European countries it was released as the album's lead single by Arista Records on September 28, 1990; in the United States, the release date was October 2. Following the release of her second studio album Whitney (1987), Houston became the first woman ever to debut atop the Billboard 200; despite this, critics deemed it safe and formulaic. Additionally, she was booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards and accused of being "not black enough"; Houston decided she needed to change her sound if she wanted to recapture black audiences.
"The Star Spangled Banner" is a charity single recorded by American singer Whitney Houston to raise funds for soldiers and families of those involved in the Persian Gulf War. Written by Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The musical arrangement for Houston's rendition was by conductor John Clayton. The recording was produced by music coordinator Rickey Minor, along with Houston herself. The recording was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances and the US edition of the 2000 release, Whitney: The Greatest Hits.
"I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on February 20, 1993 as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster.
"Wifey" is a song by American R&B trio Next. The song was written by Eddie Berkeley, Keir Gist, band member Robert "RL" Huggar, and singer Lil' Mo for the group's second studio album, Welcome II Nextasy (2000). The song was released as the album's lead single on May 8, 2000. "Wifey" peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart while reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It also entered the top 20 in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In 2001, the song won an AWARD Rhythm & Soul Award for in the Award-Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs category.
"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 offered to Roberta Flack, he thought it would be a better fit for Houston and told Arista Records he would be interested in recording with her.
"I Believe in You and Me" is a song written by Sandy Linzer and David Wolfert in 1982. The song was first recorded and released by the R&B group The Four Tops, who released it as a single from their album One More Mountain (1982). While it failed to reach the US Top 40, it became a moderate hit for the group on the US Billboard R&B chart, peaking at number 40 in early 1983.
"My Love Is Your Love" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was written and produced by Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis for Houston’s fourth studio album of the same name (1998). Released on May 31, 1999, as the album's fourth single, it received positive reviews and was successful worldwide, hitting the top 10 in 23 international markets. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in the United Kingdom, and number one in New Zealand and Poland. It was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"One of Those Days" is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, from her fifth studio album Just Whitney (2002). Written by Whitney Houston herself, Kevin Briggs, Dwight Renolds, Patrice Stewart, Ernest Isley, Marvin Isley, Christopher Jasper, Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, and Rudolph Isley, and produced by Briggs, the song was released as the second single from the album, following the lead single "Whatchulookinat", on October 29, 2002 through Arista Records. A mid-tempo R&B track, "One of Those Days" samples The Isley Brothers' song "Between the Sheets" (1983), and its lyrics speak about getting away from the stress of daily life.
"Love That Man" is a song by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston. It was written by Whitney Houston herself, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Rob Fusari, Calvin Gaines, Eritza Laues, Bill Lee, and Balewa Muhammad for her fifth studio album Just Whitney (2002), with production helmed by Edmonds and Fusari. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single on May 20, 2003 by Arista Records. Commissioned as a remix single in the United States, Peter Rauhofer and The Pound Boys produced remixes of the song. "Love That Man" became Houston's 12th number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. Originally written for inclusion on TLC's third studio album FanMail, it was later recorded by Houston after TLC rejected the song. The song was written by Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin and Tamara Savage, and produced by Soulshock & Karlin. It was released on December 15, 1998, by Arista Records, as the second single from Houston's 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. The song prominently features R&B singers Faith Evans and Kelly Price during the choruses and bridge.
"Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" is a song by Canadian recording artist Deborah Cox, released as the lead single from her second studio album, One Wish (1998). Written by Montell Jordan and its producer, Anthony "Shep" Crawford, the song was released on the same day as the album, on September 15, 1998, by Arista Records. It is Cox's most successful song, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and spending a then-record 14 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. In 2017, Billboard ranked the song at number five on its "Greatest of All Time Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs" chart.
"Sittin' Up in My Room" is a song by American recording artist Brandy. It was written and produced by Babyface and recorded by Norwood for the soundtrack of the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale, starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett. The song was among five of the album's singles and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, seeing Norwood's furthest commercial success on the chart at that time. The bass intro is similar to that of the riff performed by bassist Larry Graham, of Sly and the Family Stone, on their hit "Thank You ", and its remix featuring LL Cool J contains a sample of "Haven't You Heard" by Patrice Rushen.
"Step by Step" is a song recorded by Whitney Houston, originally written and recorded by Annie Lennox. The song appeared on the B-side to Lennox's 1992 single "Precious". Whitney Houston released a reworked crossover R&B/pop cover version in 1996 on the soundtrack to the film The Preacher's Wife. Houston's version replaces Lennox's verses with new lyrics and omits portions of the bridge. Annie Lennox provides backing vocals for Houston's rendition.
"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Whitney Houston for the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale. It was released on July 22, 1996, by Arista Records as the seventh and final single from the accompanying soundtrack. The song was written and produced solely by Babyface. Musically, it is an R&B ballad, and the lyrics chronicle a lovelorn lament.
The videography of American recording artist Whitney Houston, nicknamed “The Voice”, consists of fifty-five music videos, four music video compilations, a concert tour video and three music video singles. In 1983, Houston signed a recording contract with Arista Records and two years later released her eponymous debut album. Houston's first music video was for the single "You Give Good Love", which was selected to establish her in the black marketplace first. Houston then released the video of her worldwide hit "Saving All My Love for You". The following video, for the song "How Will I Know", helped introduce the singer to a wider audience when it became one of the first videos by a black female singer to earn heavy rotation on MTV, and it won MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video at its 3rd ceremony of 1986. "Greatest Love of All", the final single released from Houston's debut album, helped cement the M.O. for the classic Whitney video. In June 1986, Houston released her first video compilation The No. 1 Video Hits, containing her four music videos off the Whitney Houston album. It reached number-one on the Billboard Top Music Videocassettes chart and stayed there for 22 weeks, which remains the all-time record for a video collection by a female artist, it was also certified Platinum for shipments of 100,000 units by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on July 15, 1986. In 1987, Houston released the music video for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody ", the first single from her second album Whitney (1987), which depicts Houston in one of her iconic looks, the clip―towering curly wig, colorful dangly earrings and a series of going-to-the-club outfits. In 1988, the music video for the song "One Moment in Time", the title track off the 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time, was released.
American singer Whitney Houston, known as "The Voice", released 57 singles as a leading artist and 4 as a featured artist. Houston is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with over 220 million records sold worldwide. In the United States, Houston amassed 11 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, all of whom have been certified either gold, platinum, multi-platinum or diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America and was one of a selected group of artists to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in four different decades. She is currently ranked in seventh place of the artists with the most number one singles in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to the introduction of digital singles, Houston sold 16.5 million physical singles in the country, the most ever by a female recording artist. In October 2012, the Official Charts Company claimed Houston was the fourth biggest-selling female singles artist of all time with a sales total of 8.5 million singles in that country.
