Whitney Houston (album)

This article is about Houston's self-titled debut album. For her self-titled second album, see Whitney (album).
Whitney Houston
Studio album by
Whitney Houston
ReleasedFebruary 14, 1985
Recorded1983–1984
Genre
Length46:54
LabelArista
Producer
Whitney Houston chronology
Whitney Houston
(1985) 		Whitney Dancin' Special
(1986)
Singles from Whitney Houston
  1. "Hold Me"
    Released: May 24, 1984
  2. "You Give Good Love"
    Released: February 22, 1985
  3. "All at Once"
    Released: March 24, 1985 (Europe)
  4. "Saving All My Love for You"
    Released: August 13, 1985
  5. "Thinking About You"
    Released: October 1985[4]
  6. "How Will I Know"
    Released: November 22, 1985
  7. "Greatest Love of All"
    Released: March 18, 1986

Whitney Houston is the debut studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released on February 14, 1985, by Arista Records. Whitney Houston initially had a slow commercial response, but began getting more popular in mid-1985. It eventually topped the Billboard 200 for 14 weeks in 1986, generating three number-one singles—"Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All"—on the Billboard Hot 100, which made it both the first debut album and the first album by a solo female artist to produce three number-one singles in the United States.[5][6]

The album topped the albums charts in many countries, including Canada,[7] Australia,[8] Norway,[9] and Sweden,[10] while peaking at number 2 in the United Kingdom,[11] Germany,[12] and Switzerland.[13] The album was certified diamond for shipments of 10 million units or more on March 16, 1999, and later 14× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 27, 2023.[14][15] The album is the best selling debut album by a female artist, as well as one of the best selling albums of all time, with sales of over 25 million copies worldwide.[16]

In 1986, at the 28th Grammy Awards, Whitney Houston received four nominations, including Album of the Year,[17] and won one, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, for "Saving All My Love for You".[18] For the 29th Grammy Awards of 1987, the album earned one nomination for Record of the Year for "Greatest Love of All".[19] Whitney Houston was the first album by a female artist to be top the Billboard Year End Albums Charts of 1986.[20] The album has also been ranked on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in all three editions.[21][22]

In honor of its 25th anniversary, the album was reissued as Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition on January 26, 2010, an expanded edition with five bonus tracks including the a cappella version of "How Will I Know" and the original 12-inch remixes of songs from the album, a booklet on the history of the original album, along with a DVD of live performances and interviews by Whitney Houston and Clive Davis.[23] On June 30, 2020, after the 35th anniversary celebration in February 2020, the album re-issued as a double vinyl including the singles from Whitney Dancin' Special. Also, they released a box set including the 40-page hard cover photo and lyric book.[24]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wete was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shewey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Stewart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Billboard October 19, 1985, p. 92
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference bb070586 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference bb051786 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Whitney Houston on Canadian Albums Chart". RPM. March 8, 1986. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Whitney Houston on Norwegian Albums Chart". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  10. ^ "Whitney Houston on Swedish Albums Chart". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  11. ^ "Whitney Houston on Official Charts Company". The Official Charts Company. March 1, 1986. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  12. ^ "Whitney Houston on German Albums Chart". Media Control Charts. March 31, 1986. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  13. ^ "Whitney Houston on Swiss Albums Chart". hitparade.ch. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  14. ^ Larry Flick (March 27, 1999). "Elton, Boyz, Joel Among Diamond Honorees". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  15. ^ "Whitney Houston, RIAA Certification". Recording Industry Association of America. July 29, 1999. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  16. ^ "Music Industry Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston". Voice of America. February 11, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  17. ^ Tina, Whitney Top Picks for Annual Grammy Awards. Jet. January 27, 1986. Vol. 69, no. 19. p. 67. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  18. ^ "'We Are The World' Big Winner At 28th Grammys". Jet. Vol. 69, no. 26. Johnson Publishing Company. March 17, 1986. p. 14. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  19. ^ "The 29th Grammy Awards Nominees & Winners". rockonthenet.com. February 24, 1987. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference consequenceofsound.net was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "Rolling Stone The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  22. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  23. ^ "Whitney Houston (The Deluxe Anniversary Edition) (CD/DVD) [Original recording remastered]". Amazon. January 26, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  24. ^ "Whitney Houston 35th Anniversary Edition". June 30, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2021.