{"id":33800,"date":"2022-06-06T19:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-06T19:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/featured\/celebrating-35-years-of-whitney\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T21:11:06","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T21:11:06","slug":"celebrating-35-years-of-whitney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/culture\/celebrating-35-years-of-whitney\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 35 Years of ‘Whitney’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine: it\u2019s the summer of 1987, and Whitney Houston just dropped \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody<\/a>.\u201d The R&B-influenced, dance-pop song would become a timeless classic of social gatherings and influence countless future generations. For the past few years, the young singer has been breaking into the music industry, but her superstardom is about to reach new heights with her sophomore album,\u00a0Whitney<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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June 2nd marked the 35th anniversary of the\u00a0Whitney<\/em>\u00a0album release, a landmark moment in Houston\u2019s career. She was in her early 20s, dominating the charts and establishing herself as a magnificent vocalist and commanding stage presence. Her legendary voice was arguably at its best \u2013 clear and strong, jumping octaves effortlessly, overflowing with emotion and soul. Her gospel inflections and vibratto-heavy high notes pierce through every recording. To me, what\u2019s most impressive on\u00a0Whitney\u00a0<\/em>is the singer\u2019s range of emotion, vocal abilities, and stylistic elements.<\/p>\n

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Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The album produced four number-one singles (\u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody,\u201d \u201cDidn\u2019t We Almost Have It All,\u201d \u201cSo Emotional,\u201d and \u201cWhere Do Broken Hearts Go\u201d), scored Houston a Grammy win among three nominations, and became one of the best-selling albums of all time with over 20 million copies sold worldwide. Thanks to the album\u2019s hit singles, Whitney holds the record for most consecutive number one songs at seven, an impressive feat no other artist has surpassed.<\/p>\n

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Everyone knows the iconic drum hits and synthesizers that characterize the album\u2019s opening song, \u201cI Wanna Dance with Somebody.\u201d But other upbeat tracks, such as \u201cSo Emotional,\u201d \u201cLove Will Save the Day,\u201d and \u201cLove Is a Contact Sport\u201d rival the lead single\u2019s explosive \u201980s energy. \u201cSo Emotional,\u201d which incorporates Whitney\u2019s sultry vocals and rock elements of grungey electric guitars, was especially popular as a number one single.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/eH3giaIzONA<\/p>\n

But who can forget jaw-dropping ballads like \u201cDidn\u2019t We Almost Have It All\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re Still My Man\u201d? In these mournful songs, Houston\u2019s voice is a force of nature, and her spectacular five-octave range is on full display. Other tracks like \u201cJust the Lonely Talking Again\u201d and Whitney\u2019s cover of the Isley Brothers\u2019 hit \u201cFor the Love of You\u201d feature a more urban, R&B production.<\/p>\n

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The album closes with a special treat: a duet featuring Whitney\u2019s mother, legendary gospel singer Cissy Houston. They gracefully bring the powerful ballad \u201cI Know Him So Well\u201d from the musical\u00a0Chess\u00a0<\/em>to new heights of soul, passion, and anguish.<\/p>\n

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Bette Marshall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All in all, Whitney<\/em> was a critical and commercial success that effectively followed Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album and continued spreading her influence to international audiences. It remains a shining example of one of the peaks of Whitney’s iconic career and the magic that happened every time she opened her mouth to sing.<\/p>\n

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35 years later,\u00a0Whitney\u00a0<\/em>still has us dancing.<\/p>\n

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