Why Does It Hurt So Bad

Last updated

"Why Does It Hurt So Bad"
Whitney Houston - Why Does It Hurt So Bad.jpg
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album
B-side "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" [Junior's Happy Hand Bag Mix]
ReleasedJuly 22, 1996 (1996-07-22)
RecordedOctober 1995
Genre R&B
Length4:37
Label Arista
Songwriter(s) Babyface
Producer(s) Babyface
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"Count On Me"
(1996)		"Why Does It Hurt So Bad"
(1996)		"I Believe in You and Me"
(1996)
Licensed audio
"Why Does It Hurt So Bad (from "Waiting to Exhale" - Original Soundtrack)" on YouTube

"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.

Contents

The song garnered positive reviews from critics, who commended Houston's vocal effort. It charted in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number twenty-six. It also reached a peak position of number twenty-two in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number six on the Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, the song reached a peak of number forty-five on the RPM Singles chart. Although there is no official music video for the song, a performance of the song at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards was taped and is used as a promotional clip. The song was later included as a medley, in her My Love Is Your Love World Tour (1999), along with a few other songs.

Background

Houston starred in the 1995 romance film Waiting to Exhale , directed by Forest Whitaker. Although Houston did not intend to contribute to the film's soundtrack, when Whitaker hired Babyface to score the soundtrack, she opted in. [1] Babyface, Houston and some other African-American female singers recorded songs for the album. [1] The song was one of the final additions to the soundtrack. [1] "Why Does It Hurt So Bad" was originally written by Babyface for Houston, four years prior to the release of Waiting to Exhale, [1] but Houston refused to record it at that time. [1] "I wasn't really in the mood for singing about why it hurts so bad," said Houston. [1] Two years later, according to Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly , the emotions of the movie merged with the real-life circumstances of Houston's troubled marriage to Bobby Brown. [1] "Now, I'm ready to sing not only the joys of things, but the pains of things, also," Houston explained. [1]

Composition

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Why Does It Hurt So Bad"
A 27-second sample from Whitney Houston's "Why Does It Hurt So Bad". The song uses a subtle amount of vocal harmony, while the lyrics chronicle a lament.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" is an R&B ballad. [2] The song was written and produced by Kenneth Brian Edmonds, popularly known as "Babyface". According to the sheet music book for The Greatest Hits at Sheetmusicplus.com, the song is written in the key of B♭ major, and moves at a tempo of 69 beats per minute. [3] It is set in time signature of common time and features a basic chord progression of B/E–Em–C♯m–G♯7. [3] Houston's vocals span from the note of Am7 to the note of D5. [3] According to Stephen Holden of New York Times , the song is a "lovelorn lament with a realistic twist". [4] He noted that, through the verses, the singer congratulates herself for breaking up with an abusive boyfriend and admits that she is still in love. [4]

Reception

"Why Does It Hurt So Bad" garnered mainly positive reviews from critics. Craig Lytle of AllMusic noted that Houston's voice "sailed" through the song. [5] Larry Flick of Billboard felt that it should have been released as the follow-up single to "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". [2] He added, "Paired with Babyface, Houston is positively luminous on [this] heartbreak ballad, performing with a perfect blend of theatrical melodrama and guttural soul". [2] A writer for Boston Herald noted that the song was "understated". [6] Steve Knopper of Newsday wrote, "It's lower-key and the singer, who also stars in the film, doesn't feel compelled to perform constant vocal feats." [7] Cary Darling of Rome News-Tribune gave a negative review. She said that "[the] ballad 'Why Does It Hurt So Bad' is [more] standard Whitney-fare". [8] Deborah Wilker of South Florida Sun-Sentinel was mixed in her review, commenting that the song was a "predictably histrionic follow-up" to "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". [9] Nick Krewen of The Spectator was even less enthusiastic, writing "[...] the two guaranteed [Whitney Houston] hits – 'Exhale (Shoop Shoop)' and 'Why Does It Hurt So Bad' – don't really offer anything new." [10] Christopher John Farley of TIME stated that Houston "particularly held her own", with a "masterly balance of pop, zip, and soulful melancholy". [11]

Released as the seventh and final single from the Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album, the song debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, on the issue dated August 3, 1996. [12] On the same issue, the song debuted at number 34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. [12] The song later reached a peak of number 26 on the Hot 100, and 22 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. It also reached number six on the Adult Contemporary chart, while reaching a peak of 39 on the Adult Pop Songs chart. [13] In Canada, the song debuted at number 98 on the RPM Singles chart, on the July 22, 1996 issue. [14] Later, on the September 15, 1996 issue, it reached a peak of number 45. [15]

Music video and live performances

The song was not promoted through an official music video, although Houston appeared at the 1996 MTV Movie Awards held at Walt Disney Studios, Burbank and performed "Why Does It Hurt So Bad". [16] The performance was directed and taped by Bruce Gowers [17] and was later used as a promotional clip to accompany the song. [18] The performance features Houston sitting on a chair, wearing a white outfit, and singing the song.

Houston performed the song on her My Love Is Your Love World Tour, in 1999. The song was performed as a part of the "Movie Medley", along with "I Believe in You and Me", "It Hurts Like Hell", originally performed by Aretha Franklin, and "I Will Always Love You". This performance was taped in Sopot, Poland, on August 22, 1999 and broadcast on Polish television channel, TVP1. [19]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Retrieved from CD liner notes [22]

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Houston</span> American singer and actress (1963–2012)

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was an American singer, actress, film producer, and philanthropist. Known as "the Voice", she is one of the most awarded entertainers and one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with sales of over 220 million records worldwide. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts and her performances influenced the breaking down of gender and racial barriers, as well as popular culture. Known for her vocal delivery and distinctive timbre, Houston was ranked second by Rolling Stone on its list of the greatest singers of all time. Her life and career have been the subject of multiple documentaries and television specials.

<i>Im Your Baby Tonight</i> 1990 studio album by Whitney Houston

I'm Your Baby Tonight is the third studio album by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released on November 6, 1990, by Arista Records. The album is one of the best-selling female albums of all time and has been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>Whitney: The Greatest Hits</i> 2000 compilation album by Whitney Houston

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exhale (Shoop Shoop)</span> 1995 single by Whitney Houston

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Will I Know</span> 1985 single by Whitney Houston

"How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album. It was released on November 22, 1985 by Arista Records as the album's third single. Originally written and composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, it was originally intended for pop singer Janet Jackson, who passed on it. Houston then recorded the song with altered lyrics and production from Narada Michael Walden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Your Baby Tonight (song)</span> 1990 single by Whitney Houston

"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.

<i>I Have Nothing</i> 1993 single by Whitney Houston

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run to You (Whitney Houston song)</span> 1993 single by Whitney Houston

"Run to You" is a song performed by American singer and actress Whitney Houston, released on June 21, 1993, by Arista Records as the fourth single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992). It was written by Jud Friedman and Allan Rich, and produced by David Foster. Originally intended to be a break-up song, it was approved by the production and stars. However, a month later, the director of The Bodyguard called, saying he liked the song so much, but he'd rather have it to be a love song so the entire song was rewritten, except for the title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen of the Night (song)</span> 1993 single by Whitney Houston

"Queen of the Night" is a song co-written by American singer and actress Whitney Houston along with L.A. Reid, Babyface and Daryl Simmons. Produced by Reid and Babyface and performed by Houston, it was released on October 13, 1993 by Arista Records as the fifth and final single from the soundtrack album The Bodyguard (1992), and is played during the closing credits of the film of the same name.

<i>Waiting to Exhale</i> (soundtrack) 1995 soundtrack album by Various artists

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Count On Me (Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans song)</span> 1996 single by Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreak Hotel (Whitney Houston song)</span> 1998 single by Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sittin' Up in My Room</span> 1995 single by Brandy

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Step by Step (Annie Lennox song)</span> Annie Lennox song

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Heart Is Calling</span> 1997 single by Whitney Houston

"My Heart Is Calling" is a song recorded by the American recording artist Whitney Houston for the 1996 film The Preacher's Wife. It was released on June 10, 1997, as the third and final single by Arista Records from the accompanying soundtrack. The song was written and produced solely by Babyface. Musically, the song is an R&B ballad, with gospel music and funk influences, and the lyrics speak about meeting someone special. "My Heart Is Calling" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who commended Houston's soulful performance. It peaked at number 77 on the United States Billboard Hot 100, and number 35 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. There was no music video made for the song.

The following is the discography of American musician Babyface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Houston videography</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Houston singles discography</span>

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Willman, Chris (1995-11-24). "The Greatest Breath of All". Entertainment Weekly . Time Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-09-24. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  2. 1 2 3 Flick, Larry (1996-06-22). "Billboard Reviews – Singles". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 25. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 86. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  3. 1 2 3 "Digital Sheet Music – Whitney Houston – Greatest Hits". Sheetmusicplus.com. Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
  4. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (1995-12-03). "Recordings View; Holding Nothing In on Love". The New York Times . Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  5. ↑ Lytle, Craig. "Waiting to Exhale – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  6. ↑ "Discs Flow is pure on 'Exhale'". Boston Herald. Patrick J. Purcell. 1995-12-08. p. s.15. Retrieved 2010-12-22.[ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Knopper, Steve (1995-12-24). "Sweet and Sour Whitney". Newsday. Cablevision. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  8. ↑ Darling, Cary (1995-11-24). "Babyface master of smooth". Rome News-Tribune. Burgett H. Mooney III. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  9. ↑ Wilker, Deborah (1995-11-16). "Not too much Houston, and too much Etheridge". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  10. ↑ Krewen, Nick (1995-12-07). "Teenage Head explodes on party disc". The Spectator. United Kingdom: Press Holdings. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  11. ↑ Farley, Christopher John (1995-12-04). "Whitney Houston: No Miss Prissy". TIME . Time Inc. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  12. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100 Singles". Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 31. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1996-08-03. p. 106. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  13. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Why Does It Hurt So Bad charts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  14. ↑ "RPM Singles Chart". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  15. 1 2 "RPM Singles Chart". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  16. ↑ "1996 MTV Movie Awards". MTV. MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  17. ↑ "CMT: Videos: Whitney Houston: Why Does It Hurt So Bad". Country Music Television . MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
  18. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Why Does It Hurt So Bad (Live)". MTV. MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved 2010-12-22.
  19. ↑ "Forest Opera – Obiekty – Bałtycka Agencja Artystyczna BART" (in Polish). Sopot.pl. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  20. ↑ Why Does It Hurt So Bad (US CD-one Single liner notes). Arista. 1996. 13213.{{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  21. ↑ Why Does It Hurt So Bad (US CD-two Single liner notes). Arista. 1996. 13214.{{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  22. ↑ Why Does It Hurt So Bad (CD Single). Arista. 1996.{{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  23. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  24. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  25. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  26. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.
  27. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  29. ↑ "RPM YEAR END Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. December 16, 1996. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  30. ↑ "1996 The Year in Music: Hot R&B Singles". Billboard . December 28, 1996. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.