Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
Released | November 14, 1995 |
Recorded | May–October 1995 |
Genre | |
Length | 72:51 |
Label | Arista |
Producer | Babyface |
Singles from Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album | |
|
Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack for the film of the same name, released on November 14, 1995, by Arista Records. Produced by Babyface, the soundtrack features appearances by several prominent R&B artists, including Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, TLC, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Faith Evans, Patti LaBelle, SWV and Mary J. Blige.
The album remained at number one on the US Billboard 200 album chart for five weeks and Top R&B Albums chart for ten weeks, going 7× platinum, on September 4, 1996. It spawned two number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart; "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" and "Let It Flow", and three top-ten hits, "Sittin' Up in My Room", "Not Gon' Cry" and "Count on Me". "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", "Let It Flow" and "Not Gon' Cry" also topped the R&B charts.
The album received a total of eleven Grammy nominations in 1997, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". Three songs were nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. It won the Grammy for Best R&B Song for "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)," written by Babyface. [1] The soundtrack has sold over twelve million copies worldwide. [2]
Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack Album entered on the Billboard 200 chart at number three and on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number two respectively, the issue date of December 2, 1995, with 177,248 copies sold in its initial week. [3] [4] [5] In its third week, the album reached number one on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, selling 200,000 copies, and stayed there for 10 non-consecutive weeks. [6] It also topped the Billboard 200 chart in its 8th week, the issue date of January 20, 1996, with 231,000 units sold, and spent five consecutive weeks at number one. [7] [8] The album stayed for a total of 49 weeks and 70 weeks, on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top R&B Albums chart respectively. [9] [10] With this success on the charts and strong sales, it became 1996's "No. 1 Soundtrack Album" on the Billboard year-end charts and the "Best-selling Soundtrack Recording" by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) in 1995–1996. [11] [12] The soundtrack album was certified 7× Platinum for shipping 7 million copies in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 4, 1996. [13] According to the Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2009, it sold over 5,100,000 copies in the United States. [14] The soundtrack has sold over twelve million copies worldwide. [2]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
Cash Box | (positive) [16] |
Chicago Tribune | [17] |
Robert Christgau | A− [18] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [19] |
Los Angeles Times | [20] |
The New York Times | (positive) [21] [22] [23] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [24] |
Spin | (positive) [25] |
The Washington Post | (positive) [26] |
Upon release, Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack received critical acclaim. Stephen Holden and Jon Pareles of the New York Times praised Babyface's ability as composer and producer, both choosing the album as one of the top 10 albums of 1995. Hoden described him as "the most creative pop-soul musician since the prime of Stevie Wonder", and commented, "he has created a suite of songs that evoke women's emotional and sexual fantasies with an astonishing sympathy, directness and expressive range." [27] Pareles stated "Babyface gathers most of the sultriest female singers in current rhythm-and-blues and matches them with his own tender, gently pulsating songs. He uses understatement for seduction." [21] [22] Writing for New York Times on February 2, 1997, James Hunter called Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack "one of the commercial and artistic peaks of the new rhythm-and-blues." [23] Geoffrey Himes, in an editorial review for Amazon.com, stated that the soundtrack album is "a fascinating song suite, [...] and one of the best middle-of-the-road-pop, adult-contemporary albums of the decade." Among its sixteen songs, he complimented "Not Gon' Cry" performed by Mary J. Blige especially, commenting "Babyface's music and lyrics suggest a woman barely holding back a swelling flood of anger and heartache, and Blige's brilliant vocal captures both the agitation and the restraint." [28]
Josef Woodard of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B, stating "Babyface shows an uncanny ability to blend Houston's pleasant, soft-edged commerciality with the sexually explicit and cutting-edge hip-hop of TLC. [...] The album goes down easy, just as you'd expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks. Fittingly, the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense." [19] Jean Rosenbluth from Los Angeles Times noted Babyface's lyrics, saying "he has captured what it can mean to be a woman in 1995." In addition, she praised Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton for their vocals, stating their songs "with rich, smoky vocals as thick as Inland Empire smog, exude maturity without resorting to the relentlessly big vocals that characterize so many R&B records aiming for adult audiences." [20] However unlike other critics that praised Babyface for his producing and songwriting ability on the album highly, Greg Kot, the music critic of the Chicago Tribune , was critical of his lyrics and production. Kot wrote "while Babyface's notions are noble, his lyrics too often settle for cliches instead of specifics, and the arrangements are swathed in the kind of synthesized wallpaper that is turning black pop into bland pop. [...] In achieving a dignified elegance, Babyface forgot about the soul." [17] AllMusic's Craig Lytle paid more attention to female vocalists and their performances than lyrics or production for each track, calling the album "outstanding all-female set." Lytle said "the dynamic vocalist[Whitney Houston] sails through the emotional 'Why Does It Hurt So Bad.' On the inspirational duet 'Count on Me,' with CeCe Winas, and both accomplished singers raise all hopes with their comforting vocals", and went to on comment "[on] three stellar selections by three divas ㅡ Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, and Chaka Khan, their voices just defy time by soaring to admirable feats." [15] Billboard described the soundtrack album as "an impeccably timed album with unlimited hit potential", and commented that it is "passionate" ("Sittin' Up in My Room"), "saucy" ("This Is How It Works"), "jazzy" ("Wey U"), and "torch" ("Count on Me"). [29]
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)", performed by Whitney Houston, was released as the lead single from the soundtrack in November 1995. Billboard called the song "a surprisingly understated shuffle-ballad with soul and far more interesting vocal colors than all the shrieking can provide." [30] The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and the Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue date of November 25, 1995, selling 125,000 units in its first week. [31] [32] It became the third single to achieve that feat in Billboard history, following Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy". [31] In addition, it became Houston's eleventh and seventh number one single, on the Hot 100 Singles chart and the Hot R&B Singles chart, respectively. [33] After the single stayed at the top for just one week on the Hot 100 Singles chart, it spent eleven consecutive weeks at number two from December 2, 1995, to February 10, 1996, setting the record for the longest stay in the runner-up position. [34] [35] However, on the Hot R&B Singles chart, "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" remained at the summit for eight consecutive weeks since its debut week. [36] It sold over 1,500,000 copies in 1995-1996 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 3, 1996. [37] [38] [39]
The album's second single, "Sittin' Up in My Room" by Brandy, debuted at number forty-six and number thirteen, on the Hot 100 Singles chart and Hot R&B Singles chart on December 30, 1995. [36] [40] The single reached the number two on the Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue of February 17, 1996, and stayed there three consecutive weeks. [41] It also peaked at number two on the Hot 100 Singles chart, staying on the chart for a total of thirty-three weeks. [42] Cheo Hodari Coker from the Los Angeles Times praised Babyface for his production on the song, stating "Babyface's funky-but-restrained background track is the real star of this jam. Using a pleasant mixture of plunking bass and synthesizer chords, [the song] proves that he has a grabbag of styles at his disposal." [43] The single earned Platinum award by the RIAA on May 23, 1996, with 1,000,000 copies shipped. [38] [44]
"Not Gon' Cry" by Mary J. Blige was released as the third single in January 1996. It was critically acclaimed with most of them declaring it as "an anthem for many women." [15] [43] Geoffrey Himes of Amazon.com commented, "Mary J. Blige stakes out a claim as the new diva on the block with an astonishing performance on the song." [28] The single entered on the Hot R&B singles chart at number five in its initial week and the following week topped the chart, becoming her fourth number one single. [45] It remained at the top for five consecutive weeks and stayed on the chart for a total of twenty-two weeks. [41] It also became a major hit for Blige on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, peaking at number two position. [46] With first two singles from the album, when "Not Gon' Cry" was positioned in the top 10 on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles chart in February 1996, which made Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack to set the record for the first film soundtrack to produce three simultaneous top 10 hits in history of Billboard charts. The single sold over 1,500,000 units and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on May 23, 1996. [38] [47]
The fourth single from the soundtrack, "Count On Me" performed by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans, was released in March 1996. Billboard, in their review for the single, referred it as "a buddy song for the diva generation", and complimented both singers on their excellent vocal, commenting "Houston dominates the track, though Winans makes a strong-enough impression that those who have yet to hear her fine recordings will yearn to hear more." [48] The single debuted at number thirty-two and number eleven, on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue of March 23, 1996, respectively. [49] [50] And it peaked at number eight on the Hot 100 and number seven on the Hot R&B Singles chart in May 1996, in addition to reaching number four on Adult Contemporary chart. [51] [52] [53] The song peaked at #32 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 becoming Cece's only appearance on that chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on May 1, 1996, with 800,000 copies sold in the United States. [38] [54]
The album's fifth single, "Let It Flow" by Toni Braxton, was released as a two-sided single with "You're Makin' Me High" from Braxton's second album, Secrets , in May 1996. The double-A side single debuted at number seven on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue dated June 8, 1996, becoming her highest-debuting single. [55] [56] It eventually topped the Hot 100 chart for a week, and the Hot R&B Singles chart for two weeks, which was her first number one single on both charts. [57] [58] [59] Due to its staying power on the Hot R&B Singles chart, it was the #1 R&B Single on the 1996's Billboard year-end charts. [60] [61] The single sold over 1,500,000 copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 17, 1996. [38] [62] Just as soon as the soundtrack was released, the song received critical acclaim, being chosen as one of the best tracks on the album by critics. Stephen Holden, the music critic of the New York Times , called it "small pop coup" and added "Braxton snaps out the words with a choked intensity, her dark, grainy contralto conveying a potent mixture of fury and sensuality." [27]
"It Hurts Like Hell" by Aretha Franklin was released as the sixth single from the album in June 1996. It failed to enter on the Hot 100 chart but peaked at number fifty-one on the Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue date of July 20, 1996. [63] The song wasn't hit as big as some of the set's other tracks, but got good reviews at large from critics. Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote "Franklin rises to heights of letting-it-all-out pop-gospel anguish that she has rarely reached before. Just when you think she can't spill out another drop, there is another melismatic gush of emotion." [27] Geoffrey Himes, in his review for the Washington Post , commented "the album's peak moment belongs to Aretha Franklin, who makes us hear in every note what the title of [the song] is talking about." [26] Babyface, in an interview on Billboard on the 20th anniversary of Waiting To Exhale soundtrack, says,"Then to be in the studio with Aretha for 'It Hurts Like Hell." To this day, when I hear that, that's one of my favorite songs. She's just killin' it. It's a blessing to have just been a part of it." [64]
"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" by Whitney Houston became the seventh and final single to be released off the album in July, 1996. Christopher John Farley of the TIME magazine commented "Houston more than holds her own, particularly on [this], with its masterly balance of pop zip and soulful melancholy." [65] At the time the single was issued, Billboard said "this should have been the follow-up to 'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)'" and added, "she[Houston] was positively luminous on this heartbreak ballad." [66] On August 3, 1996, the single debuted at number sixty and number thirty-four, on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B singles chart, respectively. [67] [68] In a few weeks later, it peaked at number twenty-six on the Hot 100 and number twenty-two on the Hot R&B. [69] [70] Houston performed the song at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards. The track was also included in a medley along with "I Believe in You and Me" and "It Hurts Like Hell" in her set list on her My Love Is Your Love World Tour in 1999.
"This Is How It Works" by TLC and "My Funny Valentine" by Chaka Khan reached numbers 60 and 66 respectively on the Billboard R&B Airplay chart in early 1996 based on unsolicited radio airplay, while "Kissing You" by Faith Evans reached #57 on the R&B Airplay chart as well as #14 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart as the B-side tag along to her single "Ain't Nobody".
All tracks are written by and produced by Babyface, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Whitney Houston | 3:24 | |
2. | "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" | Whitney Houston | 4:37 | |
3. | "Let It Flow" | Toni Braxton | 4:27 | |
4. | "It Hurts Like Hell" | Aretha Franklin | 4:19 | |
5. | "Sittin' Up in My Room" | Brandy | 4:52 | |
6. | "This Is How It Works" | Babyface, Lisa Lopes | TLC | 5:00 |
7. | "Not Gon' Cry" | Mary J. Blige | 4:57 | |
8. | "My Funny Valentine" | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | Chaka Khan | 4:06 |
9. | "And I Gave My Love to You" | Babyface, Sonja Marie | Sonja Marie | 4:48 |
10. | "All Night Long" | SWV | 4:31 | |
11. | "Wey U" | Chanté Moore | 4:32 | |
12. | "My Love, Sweet Love" | Patti LaBelle | 4:21 | |
13. | "Kissing You" | Faith Evans | 3:23 | |
14. | "Love Will Be Waiting at Home" | For Real | 5:59 | |
15. | "How Could You Call Her Baby" | Shanna | 5:09 | |
16. | "Count On Me" | Babyface, Whitney Houston, Michael Houston | Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans | 4:26 |
Notes
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [105] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Belgium (BEA) [106] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [107] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [108] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [109] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [13] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [110] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack Album | Favorite Soundtrack [111] | Won |
Whitney Houston (herself) | Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist [111] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | "Count on Me" | Most Performed Songs, Motion Pictures (Whitney Houston, Michael Houston) [112] [113] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | "Count on Me" | ASCAP Pop Award (Whitney Houston, Michael Houston) [114] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "You're Makin' Me High"/"Let It Flow" | R&B Single of the Year [60] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds | The Songwriter of the Year [115] | Won |
"Count on Me" | BMI Pop Award (Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds) [116] | Won | |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | BMI Pop Award (Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds) [116] | Won | |
"Sittin' Up in My Room" | BMI Pop Award (Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds) [116] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack Album | Album of the Year [1] | Nominated |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Song of the Year (written by Babyface) [1] | Nominated | |
"Count on Me" | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans) [1] | Nominated | |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Best R&B Song (written by Babyface) [1] | Won | |
"Sittin' Up in My Room" | Best R&B Song (written by Babyface) | Nominated | |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Whitney Houston) [1] | Nominated | |
"Not Gon' Cry" | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Mary J. Blige) [1] | Nominated | |
"Sittin' Up in My Room" | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Brandy) [1] | Nominated | |
"It Hurts Like Hell" | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (written by Babyface) [1] | Nominated | |
"Count on Me" | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (written by Babyface, Michael Houston and Whitney Houston) [1] | Nominated | |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (written by Babyface) [1] | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" (by Whitney Houston) | Best Song from a Movie [117] | Nominated |
"Sittin' Up in My Room" (by Brandy) | Best Song from a Movie [117] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "Sittin' Up in My Room" (by Brandy) | Best Video from a Film [118] | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack Album | Outstanding Soundtrack Album [119] [120] | Won |
Outstanding Album [119] [120] | Won | ||
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Outstanding Song [119] [120] | Won | |
Outstanding Female Artist (Whitney Houston) [119] [120] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Waiting to Exhale Original Soundtrack Album | Best-selling Soundtrack Recording [12] | Won |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Whitney Houston (herself) | Favorite Female Musical Performer [121] | Nominated |
1997 | Whitney Houston (herself) | Favorite Female Musical Performer [122] [123] | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "Not Gon' Cry" | Best R&B/Soul Single— Solo (Mary J. Blige) [124] [125] | Won |
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Best R&B/Soul Single—Solo (Whitney Houston) [124] | Nominated | |
"Count on Me" | R&B/Soul Composer of the Year (written by Whitney Houston, Kenneth Edmonds and Michael Houston) [126] | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" (by Whitney Houston) | Best R&B/Soul Single, Female [127] [128] | Won |
Best R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year [127] [129] | Nominated |
After 7 is an American R&B group founded in 1987 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and their friend Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the older siblings of pop/R&B singer-songwriter and record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who named the group and helped them get a record deal with Virgin Records in 1988. After 7 released their platinum-selling self-titled debut album in 1989, which spawned three singles "Heat of the Moment", "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop". "Ready or Not" and "Can't Stop" were No. 1 R&B hits and top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Their second album Takin' My Time, released in 1992, also went platinum and contained the R&B hit medley "Baby, I'm for Real/Natural High". After 7's Gold-selling 1995 album Reflections was their last album before the group disbanded in 1997. The album included the R&B hit "'Til You Do Me Right. Years later the group resumed touring with Jason Edmonds, son of Melvin Edmonds, replacing his father. Melvin rejoined the group for their successful 2016 comeback album Timeless, which featured 3 adult R&B top 10 hits "Runnin' Out", "I Want You" and "Let Me Know".
Kenneth Brian Edmonds, better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 13 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 on NME's 50 of The Greatest Producers Ever list.
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album is one of the best-selling female albums of all time, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. It was Houston's first studio album in eight years, following I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990) although she had participated on three movie soundtracks during that period. Musically, My Love Is Your Love is a hip hop and R&B album that is composed of elements of pop, gospel and dance music, produced by musicians such as Whitney Houston herself, Rodney Jerkins, Soulshock & Karlin, Missy Elliott, Wyclef Jean, David Foster, Lauryn Hill, and Babyface.
"End of the Road" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in June 1992 by LaFace, Arista and Motown, and is written by Babyface, Antonio L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. It is written and composed in the key of E-flat major and is set in time signature of 6/8 with a tempo of 150 beats per minute. The song achieved domestic and international success. In the United States, it spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record broken later in the year by Whitney Houston's 14-week number one hit "I Will Always Love You"; Boyz II Men would later match Houston's record with "I'll Make Love to You", which spent 14 weeks at number one in 1994, and then reclaim the record with "One Sweet Day", which spent 16 weeks at number one from 1995 to 1996.
"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" is a song by American singer 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.
"Count on Me" is a song recorded by American singers and best friends Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans. Produced by Babyface and co-written by Babyface, Houston and her brother Michael, it is an uplifting song about leaning on a friend for support when needed. Released in early 1996, the song was the fourth single from the soundtrack album of the motion picture Waiting to Exhale, and the second single by Houston released from that album and its soundtrack. "Count on Me" became Winans's highest-charting single on the US Hot 100, peaking at number eight. It was certified gold in the US.
"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.
"Not Gon' Cry" is a song by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, from the soundtrack to the film Waiting to Exhale; the song is also featured on Blige's third album, Share My World (1997). It was written and produced by Babyface and became a major hit for Blige in the United States, where it peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles and Hot 100 charts, respectively. The single sold 1,000,000 copies domestically and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"You're Makin' Me High" is the lead single from American singer Toni Braxton's second studio album, Secrets (1996). The mid-tempo song represents a joint collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning producer Babyface and Bryce Wilson. The beat of the song was originally for singer-songwriter Brandy, with Dallas Austin pegged to write a lyric to override; however, Braxton had Babyface write lyrics for the song. It was ultimately issued in the United States as a double A-side with "Let It Flow", the airplay hit from the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale.
American singer Brandy Norwood entered the music business as a backing vocalist for R&B boy bands such as Immature, prior to launching her own career in 1994. Her discography, as a solo artist, includes eight studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play, 42 singles, 46 album appearances and 28 soundtrack appearances. Norwood has sold over 8.6 million albums in the United States, and more than 40 million records worldwide. Additionally, she has won over 100 awards as a recording artist. In 1999, Billboard ranked Norwood among the top 20 of the Top Pop Artists of the 1990s.
"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.
"Last Night" is a song by American R&B group Az Yet, produced by Babyface and Mervyn Warren, and released as the first single from the group's debut album, Az Yet (1996). The song became the group's first hit, reaching number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and number four on the Billboard Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart. Additionally, it reached number two in Australia, number six in New Zealand, and number eight in the Netherlands. The song was also included on The Nutty Professor soundtrack.
"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 discography of American singer Robin Thicke consists of 8 studio albums, 30 singles and 23 music videos. Thicke signed his first recording contract with Interscope Records as a teenager and found success as a songwriter, before he began concentrating on his career as a performer. In 2000, Thicke started recording his debut album, A Beautiful World, which was released in April 2003. The album debuted at number 152 on the US Billboard 200, selling 119,000 copies. The record also peaked at number 36 on the Mega Album Top 100 in the Netherlands. Two singles were released from the album; the first, "When I Get You Alone" became a top ten hit in the Netherlands and New Zealand. That single also peaked at number 17 in Australia and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). In 2006, Thicke released his second studio album The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The record debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, topped it on the Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and became a certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also charted in France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The Evolution of Robin Thicke produced four singles, all of which charted on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. "Lost Without U" became one of his biggest hits, peaking at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spending 11 weeks atop the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
"Someone to Love" is a song by Jon B. from his debut album Bonafide. Released as the first single from the album in 1995, the song is a duet with Babyface that gained wide exposure on the Bad Boys soundtrack.
The following is the discography of American musician Babyface.
"Let It Flow" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton. Written and produced by Babyface, the song was originally recorded for, and included on, the soundtrack to the 1995 motion picture Waiting to Exhale.
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.
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: |work=
ignored (help)