Whitney Houston‘s tragic passing at the age of 48 has reminded the world of what a great singer she was. Between the mid ’80s and early ’90s she could do no wrong, releasing hit after hit of glorious pop R&B with stellar vocal performances, dominating the charts with every single release. This incredible run was followed by a successful, yet short-lived, film career where her lead roles were tied up to her performances on the soundtracks.
An essential ingredient in her career was the ability to turn existing songs into chart gold. Many of her biggest hits were covers – she injected old songs with new life, making them her own to the extent that it’s easy to think that they are her originals. Her vocal performances, coupled with matching chart-friendly productions, took those songs to the next level, adding depth, soul and meaning in the process. Let’s have a look at some of those greatest moments in her career.
Hold Me (1984) – Cover of Diana Ross (1982)
Whitney’s 1984 debut single was a reinterpretation of a Diana Ross song from two years earlier, delivered as a duet with Teddy Pendergrass. Whitney already shines with a strong, confident performance, and it’s interesting to compare it to Diana Ross’s widely different singing style. The song made it both to Pendergrass’s album ‘Love Language‘ as well as Houston’s debut, ‘Whitney Houston‘.
Saving All My Love for You (1985) – Cover of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. (1978)
Whitney’s first US #1 and one of the major contributors to her early success was this cover of Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.‘s ballad from 1978. Here, Whitney showcases the formula that made her into the incredible success she was: transforming existing songs that are underpinned by strong songwriting into huge hits, by delivering hugely confident, breathtaking vocal performances.
The Greatest Love of All (1985) – Cover of George Benson (1977)
Another #1 from her debut album, a song that is now widely associated with Whitney even though it was originally recorded by George Benson in 1977 for the soundtrack of ‘The Greatest‘, a documentary about Muhammad Ali. It was a huge hit (the 3rd biggest in Whitney’s career) yet always seems to generate strongly divided opinions due to its outright self-importance. One of its most well-known spoofs is Eddie Murphy‘s memorable (and often quoted) rendition in the film ‘Coming to America’.
All the Man That I Need (1990) – Cover of Linda Clifford (1981)
Yet another #1, and Whitney’s 4th biggest hit, is this powerful cover of Linda Clifford‘s ‘All the Man I Need‘. The original version of the song didn’t have much impact on the charts, and even the mighty Sister Sledge gave it a shot with little success in 1982, before Whitney took it to the next level on her third album, ‘I’m Your Baby Tonight‘ and nailed yet another definitive classic.
The Star Spangled Banner (1991) – Cover of Francis Scott Key and John Stafford Smith (1814)
Whitney’s iconic performance of the American national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl was released as a charity single towards the end of the Gulf War, and later on re-released following September 11. These two releases are the only times in history when ‘The Star Spangled Banner‘ appeared in Billboard’s Top 40.
I Will Always Love You (1992) – Cover of Dolly Parton (1974)
By numbers, ‘I Will Always Love You‘ was Houston’s biggest hit. Well, that’s a bit of an understatement – it’s actually the biggest selling single by a female artist in music history. An absolutely huge success, it topped the Billboard chart for an unprecedented 14 weeks and dominated charts worldwide for months. By delivering what is probably her most iconic vocal performance, Whitney turns Dolly Parton‘s somewhat timid country ballad into an empowered anthem.
I’m Every Woman (1992) – Cover of Chaka Khan (1978)
The second smash hit from the soundtrack to ‘The Bodyguard‘ turned Chaka Khan‘s disco classic into a full-on uplifting House anthem. Produced by Narada Michael Walden alongside Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory, then the hottest name in chart dance music, Whitney’s version worked equally as well on the radio as it did on dancefloors worldwide.
I Believe in You and Me (1996) – Cover of Four Tops (1982)
The lead single from Whitney’s soundtrack to the film ‘The Preacher’s Wife‘ was a US Top 5 hit and landed her with yet another Grammy nomination. It’s a powerful rendition of a forgotten single released by the Four Tops in 1982, delivered in a style not too dissimilar to that of the rising star of the day, Mariah Carey.
When You Believe (1998) – Cover of Michelle Pfeiffer and Sally Dworsky (1998)
And it was with Mariah that Whitney recorded her last huge cover song. Well, it’s not a cover in the classic sense of the word, but ‘When You Believe‘ was originally performed by Michelle Pfeiffer and Sally Dworsky in the film ‘The Prince of Egypt‘ itself, while Mariah and Whitney’s version was a re-recording that spearheaded the soundtrack to the film as well as its end credits. While the song’s chart success was relatively modest, it added another important accolade to Houston’s collection: an academy award for best original song.
Still one of my favorite sampled tracks, “Swan Lake” marks the hip-hop duo’s first single. Released on SoleSide Records (today Quannum Records) and published by the now legendary Mo’Wax Records in 1994, Xcel and Gift of Gab (Co-produced by fellow Solesides member 
Unless you have the gift of Gab, the lyrics on “A to G” are a mouthful. An Etude in alliteration, this song is quite possibly the world’s longest vocal exercise — second only to “
The same cut-and-paste sampling rocks on “Rock the Spot,” the 1999 track and exposé on “classic” rap samples. Want to get up on your ‘80s and ‘90s hip-hop? Just check out the samples on this track and you’ll be well on your way. Interspersing Gift of Gab’s lyrics with sampled clips, the end of the track reads like an auditory ransom note. Take a look at some of the lyrics:
