Only one vote on this is pretty brutal. Initial inclination is to lean towards either "Saving All My Love" or "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:41 (1 year ago) Permalink
the one i posted without thinking on fb when i learned of her death was "my love is your love". i spent all day yesterday relistening to most of her discography while writing about her though and...i might go for..."i have nothing", which i didn't expect
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
i'm a little stumped on whether to add to the inevitable deluge of "I Wanna Dance" votes or throw some support to "It's Not Right But It's Okay"
― some dude, Monday, 13 February 2012 18:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
You Give Good LoveSaving All My Love For YouHow Will I KnowGreatest Love of AllI'm Your Baby TonightMy Name Is Not SusanI'm Every WomanI Have NothingRun To YouIt's Not Right But It's OkayMy Love Is Your LoveI Learned From The Best
the winner should be one of these
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
"how will i know" is kind of like if "i wanna dance..." was a zillion times better imo
"it's not right..." is certainly in my top 5 and will doubtless have a good deal of support of its own
― first period don't give a fuck, second period gon get cut (lex pretend), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:45 (1 year ago) Permalink
BTW I agree that "I Have Nothing" is the secret standout song on the Bodyguard soundtrack. Maybe I should re-listen to these before I vote.
― justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
"I Have Nothing" is pretty essential
― some dude, Monday, 13 February 2012 18:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
"how will i know" is one of my all time favorite songs but i want to pick one song from each one of her eras
― max, Monday, 13 February 2012 18:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
i will definitely need to really listen to her catalog at some point but my kneejerk pox is:
I Wanna Dance With SomebodyIt's Not Right But It's OkaySaving All My Love For YouI'm Your Baby TonightI Have NothingMillion Dollar BillHow Will I KnowI'm Every WomanHeartbreak Hotel (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price)I Will Always Love You
― some dude, Monday, 13 February 2012 18:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be (with Aretha Franklin)
It certainly wasn't on the pop chart
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
prob "it's not right but it's okay" but i love "i wanna dance with somebody." also had forgotten how much i liked "love will save the day."
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 18:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
"How Will I Know" is "Who's Zoomin' Who" improved. You had to be in the fall of '85 to know what an aural impact this thing had.
I'm very fond of "All at Once" (cowritten by Jeffrey Osborne!).
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 18:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
Didn't We Almost Have It AllSo EmotionalWhere Do Broken Hearts Go
the worst of her big hits imo
add in "So Emotional" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and that's my bottom 5
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol I can't read
"So Emotional "Shoop Shoop (The Exhale Song)"
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
why do you hate i wanna dance with somebody so much, dan? ;_;
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
he fears her hair in the video
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
i don't get that shoop song at all. i don't hate it, i just don't understand. waiting to exhale soundtrack is fine by me though because of brandy's "sittin' up in my room"
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
haha i was going to mention her i wanna dance with somebody hair as the potential reason
"how will I know" by a mile for me
haven't heard everything though
― ploppawheelie V (k3vin k.), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
I only learned a few weeks ago that Annie Lennox wrote "Step by Step."
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
oh i like that one, too. but it's one of the remixes that i like.
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
So EmotionalWhere Do Broken Hearts Go
I honestly don't remember these songs at all when I could easily call everything else she did from that decade to mind. Very strange.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol I could probably write an essay
- the irritation of a song about dancing sung by someone who couldn't dance to save her life- her first actually irritating vocal, devoid of the character necessary to sell those terrible lyrics- the awful, awful video (the hair is not an insignificant part of the antipathy, but also the vacant miming of manic happiness that read more pathetic and controlled)- the contrast between her initial breakthrough singles, particularly the vastly superior up-tempo "How Will I Know?" and this unappealing frothy nothing- the sheer ubiquity of the song at the time of its release- the number of horrible cover versions and dance routines girls my age put on to it- that every single released from the album managed to be progressively WORSE than the song that preceded it
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
also can I just say how fucking lucky Mr Ned Raggett is to have "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" excised from his memory, because those songs fukkin SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
- her first actually irritating vocal, devoid of the character necessary to sell those terrible lyrics
come on the "don't you wanna dance say you wanna dance don't you wanna dance" part is sung so exuberantly!
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
voted My Love Is Your Love
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
the vacant miming of manic happiness
this is what frightened me about her for years and still does
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
i feel like "so emotional" was huge, too, like i remember her winning a bunch of awards for it when i was a kid. it was so confusing to me. even then i knew it sucked.
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
I mean "So Emotional" isn't emotional, like, at all.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
Every song from Whitney except "Love Will Save the Day" hit #1 on the pop chart.
IMO it only reads as exuberant if you are looking at her glassy-eyed rictus grin in the video, and even then only if you're being charitable
otherwise it's just unsubtle honking on a bridge akin to the second chorus of "I Will Always Love You" where she brays really flatly
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
xpost -- Song or single? We're not talking Thriller here...
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
no i hate the video, but i found out about her death on Saturday night when i was out, and then when i was driving home they played "i wanna dance with somebody" and "million dollar bill" on the radio and i was struck anew by how infectiously happy "i wanna dance with somebody" sounds! i had been feeling that her death was kind of surreal. that was the moment i got sad.
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
single, mais oui
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
i am v biased in favor of upbeat songs about dancing, tbf. madonna's "into the groove" is the best song in history, maybe.
To me "Greatest Love of All" is more horrifying than "I Wanna Dance." Her self-regard is chilling.
Her self-regard is what sells "GLOA"! That and the voice.
Horseshoe, I agree re: "Into the Groove"!
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
i wanna dance with somebody
― (_()_) (Lamp), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
Now that we're sharing Whitney experiences, let me mention that one particularly moronic teacher in sixth copied the lyrics in perfect Palmer handwriting, photocopied it, and distributed it as a graduation poem.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
Saving All My Love For You
― J0rdan S., Monday, 13 February 2012 19:18 (1 year ago) Permalink
more people should just post song titles that could double as declarative statements itt like lamp and j0rdan
― some dude, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (with Enrique Iglesias)
I have never heard this but I assume it is terrible
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
i only realized much later that "saving all my love for you" is sung from the pov of a woman having an affair with a married man. i don't know why it surprised me; it just seemed out of place with the smooth AC sound.
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
that makes the song that much more awesome IMO
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
― some dude
We Didn't Know
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah i think "saving all my love for you" is my favorite of the early ballads.
― horseshoe, Monday, 13 February 2012 19:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
my actual shortlist:
Saving All My Love For YouHow Will I KnowGreatest Love of AllI'm Your Baby TonightI Have NothingIt's Not Right But It's Okay
― I spend a lot of time thinking about apricots (DJP), Monday, 13 February 2012 19:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
Good choice.
I keep wavering b/w that and "How Will I Know".
DO-ONT. MAAKE. MEEEE. CLO-OSE!!! ONE MORE DOOOOOOOR.
― Tim F, Friday, 17 February 2012 10:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
Moka, try I'm Your Baby Tonight. new jack excellence
― gospodin simmel, Friday, 17 February 2012 10:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
surprised no one told moka to try "it's not right but it's okay" or "my love is your love" which are the classic whitney songs for the "finally she's not doing power ballads and is singing over ~kool beatz~" crew
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend), Friday, 17 February 2012 10:22 (1 year ago) Permalink
(but for all that they are still amazing)
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend), Friday, 17 February 2012 10:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
Listening to "Didn't We Almost Have It All". This song makes me think of my dad so much. His favourite pop song is probably "That's What Friends Are For". I don't really understand this approach to pop (for him I think it's the broadway resemblance), but it makes me think of my family home too much for me to hate it.
― Tim F, Friday, 17 February 2012 12:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
had to go w/ How Will I Know. anything else would have been a lie.
― Jurgis Rudkus // Dick Butkus (Pillbox), Friday, 17 February 2012 12:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
My Love Is Your Love
― The Invisible Superstars (dog latin), Friday, 17 February 2012 13:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
As Lex/Tim foresaw upthread, I'm not a big fan of the power ballads (although I appreciate her voice is incredible on these). My Love Is Your Love has such an incredible groove though...
― The Invisible Superstars (dog latin), Friday, 17 February 2012 13:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
share my life, take me for what i amcuz i'll never change all my colours for youtake my life, i'll never ask for too muchjust all that you are and everything that you do
^^all-time POW opening lines imo
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend), Friday, 17 February 2012 13:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
stay in my arms if you dareor must i imagine you there?
"i have nothing" might actually be an even better example of the "loneliness of queens" as per mark s's essay on "i will always love you"
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend), Friday, 17 February 2012 13:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
or must I emerge in you there
― Tim F, Friday, 17 February 2012 13:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
― gospodin simmel, viernes 17 de febrero de 2012 10:20 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend)
Ok, this is more like it. I always thought 'it's not right' was a Tony Braxton song, dunno why. I actually like these ones much better.
― Moka, Friday, 17 February 2012 22:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Saving All My Love For You" is the only one, for me, where the production doesn't spoil and date the song, the 1980s/90s equivalent of "with strings."
― ‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper (Eazy), Friday, 17 February 2012 22:27 (1 year ago) Permalink
I was warbling "The Greatest Love of All" while getting my two-year-old dressed this morning and my four-year-old daughter told me to quit singing Christmas songs.
― pplains, Friday, 17 February 2012 22:29 (1 year ago) Permalink
"I Wanna Dance With Somebody", duh.
― Turrican, Friday, 17 February 2012 22:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol PP
― plee help i am lookin for (crüt), Friday, 17 February 2012 22:55 (1 year ago) Permalink
I blame it on my cat like screetching. :-( They ALWAYS tell me to stop. :-(
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Never ever would pick that one. That video was so awful. But difficult to choose a fave.
― Nathalie (stevienixed), Friday, 17 February 2012 23:03 (1 year ago) Permalink
the I wanna Dance w Somebody hair is problematic for me
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 17 February 2012 23:03 (1 year ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
"So Emotional" with its synthetic production reminds me of Wilson Phillips deliberately singing "I wanna be impulsive!"
― ‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper (Eazy), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:05 (1 year ago) Permalink
Greatest Love of All 0
!!
― ‘Neuroscience’ and ‘near death’ pepper (Eazy), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:06 (1 year ago) Permalink
You Give Good Love 0
o_O O_o
― Peace (peaceful) (The Brainwasher), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
Guess I should've voted my heart and "I Have Nothing."
My Love Is Your Love 7Heartbreak Hotel (with Faith Evans and Kelly Price) 0
Not sure I really get this preference.
― dead-trius (Eric H.), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
am I wrong for loving the "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" hair?
― The Reverend, Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:55 (1 year ago) Permalink
yes, yes you are
― (thinks and smiles) (DJP), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
it's just...so...EPIC tho
― The Reverend, Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
it's terrible
― Janet Snakehole (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:58 (1 year ago) Permalink
it's amazing
― The Reverend, Saturday, 18 February 2012 00:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
i have to say, i wasn't gonna like actively hate on on campaign against IWALY getting votes itt, but i really feel it is an appropriate tribute to her body of work to see it tied for 10th place here
― some dude, Saturday, 18 February 2012 01:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Impulsive" is my favorite Wilson Phillips single.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 18 February 2012 01:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
My Love Is Your Love 7I'm Your Baby Tonight 4Love Will Save The Day 3
^^^ this is amazing. I'm genuinely shocked at these results -- in a good way.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 18 February 2012 01:43 (1 year ago) Permalink
i like "my love is your love" but it seems like a really odd song to hold up as whitney's best
― The Reverend, Saturday, 18 February 2012 01:47 (1 year ago) Permalink
I suppose it's one of her most understated vocal performances, so if you don't like vocal overstatement it might be a default choice.
― Tim F, Saturday, 18 February 2012 04:29 (1 year ago) Permalink
Wasn't "The Star Spangled Banner" from 1991 Super Bowl intro released as a single (and a minor hit)? May be her best vocal performance; certainly it's the best I've ever heard it sung.
Two degrees of separation: my college roommate's girlfriend's brother was the guitarist in Whitney's touring band at the time (roomie's gf also a friend of mine) so got lots of insider scoops and stories. She was also a musician, and I remember going to some music-industry convention with her, and considered taking advantage of that connection to have her pass on some of my songs to Whitney in hopes she would cover one of them for an album track, but I wasn't particularly into WH and our styles don't exactly mesh, so I didn't bother.
― Lee626, Saturday, 18 February 2012 04:55 (1 year ago) Permalink
xp that's exactly it, it's a good song, but it misses her whole essence.
― The Reverend, Saturday, 18 February 2012 06:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah "my love is your love" has long been the whitney song of choice for people who don't actually like what whitney houston was all about.
i mean, it's still a great song, but still.
― if u leave imma crank wu-tang in my black matte truck (lex pretend), Saturday, 18 February 2012 11:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
it was, and it charted again after 9/11. but she had 51 singles and it seemed like the odd one out that would make sense to cut from the poll options.
― some dude, Saturday, 18 February 2012 13:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
Fuse is running Whitney videos all day today, just heard "If I Told You That" for the first time and it was pretty good!
― some dude, Saturday, 18 February 2012 13:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
I kind of hate this actually! The national anthem is the national anthem and is kind of destroyed by soft-rock backing.
Missed this but would have voted "How Will I Know" like everybody else.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Saturday, 18 February 2012 14:09 (1 year ago) Permalink
what about a dubstep backing
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 18 February 2012 14:11 (1 year ago) Permalink
I actually thought the instrumental arrangement was impressive - lots of interesting and unusual chord changes and such to go with the vocal flourishes.
― Lee626, Saturday, 18 February 2012 14:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
Rob Sheffield's twelve favorite Whitney songs.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 18 February 2012 17:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
"Million Dollar Bill" (2009)Whitney’s last shot was a return to the original Eighties game plan, except at this point, her vocals were too ravaged for either pop or soul.
Whitney’s last shot was a return to the original Eighties game plan, except at this point, her vocals were too ravaged for either pop or soul.
― Lee626, Saturday, 18 February 2012 18:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
For anyone not aware of this, her funeral service is all over the television right now.
― clemenza, Saturday, 18 February 2012 18:28 (1 year ago) Permalink
When I was in...probably sixth grade and listening to pop radio incessantly, I awoke to "Love Will Save The Day". The sun was just coming up and the light was slightly violet through the window and everything felt very calm and peaceful as the vibraphone came in and it really did feel like love might save the day. It's still one of my more idyllic childhood memories.
― SNEEZED GOING DOWN STEPS, PAIN WHEN PUTTING SOCKS ON (Deric W. Haircare), Saturday, 18 February 2012 19:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
I wish my radio station had played "Love Will Save the Day."
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 18 February 2012 20:00 (1 year ago) Permalink
I actually do like what Whitney was all about, and it's still my favorite of her singles. That song just puts me in a good place.
― Johnny Fever, Saturday, 18 February 2012 20:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
whitney....this was incredible... much (very very much) as i have always loved Whitney, 'I will always love you' is the one song of hers that I never really loved, certainly never felt, didn't appreciate - and also about the very single song i haven't listened to after she died.to suddenly hearing it now, after all those thousands? of times i heard it, and now feeling every little part of it. it was me, not Whitney, that hadn't gotten it. the most beautiful thing she's ever sung. beautiful.
― breastcrawl, Saturday, 18 February 2012 21:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
guess this belongs in the Whitney Houston R.I.P. thread
― breastcrawl, Saturday, 18 February 2012 21:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
I just heard My Love Is Your Love again for the first time in I don't know how long. Catchy as hell, that one!
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 17 September 2012 22:05 (8 months ago) Permalink