"Didn't We Almost Have It All"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney
B-side"Shock Me" (Special Collector's Bonus Cut)
ReleasedAugust 13, 1987[1]
Recorded1986
Genre
Length5:07 (album version)
4:38 (single version)
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael Masser
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"
(1987)		 "Didn't We Almost Have It All"
(1987)		 "So Emotional"
(1987)
Music video
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" on YouTube

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). The song was written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings and produced by Masser. Initially, Houston's cover version of the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" was intended to be released as the second single from the album. However, the record label decided to release "Didn't We Almost Have It All" instead as all of Houston's singles had to be original material at this point of her career. The song was released in August 13, 1987 by Arista Records.

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" received positive reviews from the music critics, who praised its lyrics, production, and Houston's vocal performance. It became Houston's fifth consecutive chart topper on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for two weeks and also reached the top 10 in various countries. A live performance from her September 2, 1987 concert in Saratoga Springs, New York was used as the official video and played on MTV, VH1, and BET. The recorded performance was also televised along with her performance of "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards on September 11. At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, it received a nomination for the Song of the Year.

Composition

Jennings recalls that the songwriting process for "Didn't We Almost Have It All" required several years. "It seems like Michael Masser and I worked off and on for years on that song. I don't know how many times I rewrote bits and pieces of the tune ... I remember distinctly that we ran (up) over two hundred dollars worth of phone calls from a hotel in Nashville ... of course, it was well worth it in the end."[2]

Critical reception

About.com ranked the song number 7 in their list of "Top 20 Best Whitney Houston Songs". Editor Bill Lamb deemed it "a big, emotional production that pulls out all of the stops vocally".[3] Rob Wynn of AllMusic highlighted the song in his review of the Whitney album.[4] Los Angeles Times editor Robert Hilburn wrote, "Houston's stardom will be boosted most by "Didn't We Almost Have It All", a sweeping Masser-Will Jennings ballad with the kind of big, emotional finish that will make Liza and hundreds of other singers wish they had been given first crack at the song. I'll save my champagne for pop singers who don't add that overblown song to their repertoire."[5] Pop Rescue noted it as "an 80s power ballad", adding that Houston's "vocals take centre stage" on the song.[6]

Rolling Stone's Vince Alleti wrote, "Masser reprises the show-tune schmaltz of "Greatest Love of All" in his even cornier "Didn't We Almost Have It All".[7] According to Whitney fanpage, "But there is a cut on the album whose title inadvertently sums up Houston at this stage of her development -- "Didn't We Almost Have It All".[8] St. Petersburg Times editors Eric Snider and Annelise Wamsley described "Didn't We Almost Have It All" as "an overblown tune co-written by Michael Masser (...) that finds Houston stripped of subtlety - with her wire-to-wire belting, you can just see the fetching songstress looking skyward, arms outstretched."[9] Following Houston's death in 2012, Entertainment Weekly published a list of her 25 best songs and ranked "Didn't We Almost Have it All" number 16.[10]

Chart performance

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" debuted at number fifty on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of August 22, 1987, and six weeks later reached number one for two weeks, from September 26 to October 3, 1987, becoming her fifth consecutive number one.[11] The song also topped both component charts, the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot 100 Airplay, Houston's fourth song (and fourth consecutive release) to do so. The single stayed in the Top 40 for 13 weeks, and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks.[12] It was her fifth song to peaked at number 1 on the chart and also fifth consecutive release to do so. It also reached number two on the Hot Black Singles chart for one week (October 10, 1987), behind "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" by Stephanie Mills.

Internationally, the song hit the top ten in several markets, and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom (#14); Switzerland (#18); and West Germany (#20).

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" was ranked 22nd on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts (1987), and remained in the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks. It was her fifth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, her fourth on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, her fourth on the Hot 100 Airplay, and her fifth on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 2020, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 equivalent units. Three years later, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 200,000 equivalent units.

Track listings and formats

A "Shock Me" - Written by Andrew Goldmark and Bruce Roberts. Produced by Michael Omartian.

Personnel

  • Whitney Houston – vocals
  • John Robinson – drums
  • Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitar
  • Nathan East – bass
  • Robbie Buchanan – Rhodes piano, acoustic piano, rhythm arrangement
  • Lee Holdridge – string arrangement
  • Producer – Michael Masser
  • Engineers – Michael DeLugg, Dean Burt, Jim Boyer, Mike Mancini, Russ Terrana, Fred Law
  • Assistant engineers – Fernando Kral, Tony Maserati
  • Mix engineer – Russ Terrana
  • Production coordinator – Alicia Winfield

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Whitney Houston - Didn't We Almost Have It All".
  2. ↑ Bronson, Fred (1997). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (4th ed.). Billboard Publications, Inc. ISBN 0823076415.
  3. ↑ Lamb, Bill (November 1, 2018). "Top 20 Best Whitney Houston Songs". About.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Whitney - Whitney Houston". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (June 1, 1987). "Album Review : Houston: Commercial Sparkle, Artistic Fizz". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ "REVIEW: "WHITNEY" BY WHITNEY HOUSTON (CD, 1987)". Pop Rescue. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Aletti, Vince (13 August 1987). "Whitney". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Whitney-Fan.com: Whitney Houston's Music Reviews". Archived from the original on 2009-09-23. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  9. ↑ "Whitney pulls out another bag of hits Series: RECORDS". St. Petersburg Times. June 14, 1987. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  10. ↑ Anderson, Kyle; Goldblatt, Henry; Greenblatt, Leah; Rahman, Ray (17 February 2012). "Whitney Houston: Her 25 Best Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Didn't We Almost Have It All - Whitney Houston". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  12. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 119.
  13. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 143. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and 26 June 1988.
  14. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  15. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0884." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  16. ↑ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 134. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8755." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  18. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Whitney Houston". Irish Singles Chart.
  20. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Whitney Houston" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  21. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All". Top 40 Singles.
  23. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 678. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  24. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. ↑ "Whitney Houston: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  29. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  30. ↑ "ARIA Charts: The ARIA Report week commencing 20 February 2012 - Issue #1147" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  31. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: February 12, 2012 to February 18, 2012)". Gaon Chart. January 5, 2013. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Whitney Houston Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard.
  34. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0920." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  35. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. December 26, 1987. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  36. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Adult Contemporary Singles". Billboard. December 26, 1987. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  37. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Black Singles". Billboard. December 26, 1987. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  38. ↑ "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Hot Crossover Singles". Billboard. December 26, 1987. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  39. ↑ "British single certifications – Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  40. ↑ "American single certifications – Whitney Houston – Didn't We Almost Have It All". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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