Didn't We Almost Have It All: Difference between revisions

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[[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".<ref>{{cite web|author=Lamb, Bill|url=https://www.liveabout.com/top-best-whitney-houston-songs-3243856|title=Top 20 Best Whitney Houston Songs|website=[[About.com]]|date=November 1, 2018|access-date=April 8, 2020}}</ref> Rob Wynn of [[AllMusic]] highlighted the song in his review of the ''[[Whitney (album)|Whitney]]'' album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/whitney-mw0000190356|title=Whitney - Whitney Houston|access-date=24 April 2021|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' editor Robert Hilburn wrote, "Houston's stardom will be boosted most by "Didn't We Almost Have It All", a sweeping [[Michael Masser|Masser]]-[[Will Jennings]] ballad with the kind of big, emotional finish that will make [[Liza Minnelli|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."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-01-ca-5509-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Robert | last=Hilburn | title=Album Review : Houston: Commercial Sparkle, Artistic Fizz | date=June 1, 1987}}</ref> Pop Rescue noted it as "an 80s [[power ballad]]", adding that Houston's "vocals take centre stage" on the song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://poprescue.com/2015/04/06/review-whitney-whitney-houston-cd-1987/|title=REVIEW: "WHITNEY" BY WHITNEY HOUSTON (CD, 1987)|publisher=Pop Rescue|date=6 April 2015|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>
[[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".<ref>{{cite web|author=Lamb, Bill|url=https://www.liveabout.com/top-best-whitney-houston-songs-3243856|title=Top 20 Best Whitney Houston Songs|website=[[About.com]]|date=November 1, 2018|access-date=April 8, 2020}}</ref> Rob Wynn of [[AllMusic]] highlighted the song in his review of the ''[[Whitney (album)|Whitney]]'' album.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/whitney-mw0000190356|title=Whitney - Whitney Houston|access-date=24 April 2021|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' editor Robert Hilburn wrote, "Houston's stardom will be boosted most by "Didn't We Almost Have It All", a sweeping [[Michael Masser|Masser]]-[[Will Jennings]] ballad with the kind of big, emotional finish that will make [[Liza Minnelli|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."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-01-ca-5509-story.html | work=Los Angeles Times | first=Robert | last=Hilburn | title=Album Review : Houston: Commercial Sparkle, Artistic Fizz | date=June 1, 1987}}</ref> Pop Rescue noted it as "an 80s [[power ballad]]", adding that Houston's "vocals take centre stage" on the song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://poprescue.com/2015/04/06/review-whitney-whitney-houston-cd-1987/|title=REVIEW: "WHITNEY" BY WHITNEY HOUSTON (CD, 1987)|publisher=Pop Rescue|date=6 April 2015|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>


''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Vince Alleti wrote, "Masser reprises the show-tune schmaltz of "[[The Greatest Love of All#Whitney Houston version|Greatest Love of All]]" in his even cornier "Didn't We Almost Have It All".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/whitney-245386/|title=Whitney|first=Vince|last=Aletti|website=Rollingstone.com|date=13 August 1987|access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitney-fan.com/music/reviews/12/39 |title=Whitney-Fan.com: Whitney Houston's Music Reviews |access-date=2010-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923123013/http://www.whitney-fan.com/music/reviews/12/39 |archive-date=2009-09-23 }}</ref> ''[[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."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/50027928.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+14%252C+1987&author=ERIC+SNIDER%253BANNELISE+WAMSLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=2.E&desc=Whitney+pulls+out+another+bag+of+hits+Series%253A+RECORDS | work=St. Petersburg Times | title=Whitney pulls out another bag of hits Series: RECORDS | date=June 14, 1987 | access-date=July 6, 2017 | archive-date=November 13, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113215627/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/50027928.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+14%252C+1987&author=ERIC+SNIDER%253BANNELISE+WAMSLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=2.E&desc=Whitney+pulls+out+another+bag+of+hits+Series%253A+RECORDS | url-status=dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20569554_20572589,00.html | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | first1=Kyle | last1=Anderson | first2=Henry | last2=Goldblatt | first3=Leah | last3=Greenblatt | first4=Ray | last4=Rahman | title=Whitney Houston: Her 25 Best Songs | date=17 February 2012 |access-date=1 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211062743/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20569554_20572589,00.html |archive-date=11 December 2013}}
''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s Vince Alleti wrote, "Masser reprises the show-tune schmaltz of "[[The Greatest Love of All#Whitney Houston version|Greatest Love of All]]" in his even cornier "Didn't We Almost Have It All".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/whitney-245386/|title=Whitney|first=Vince|last=Aletti|website=Rollingstone.com|date=13 August 1987|access-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitney-fan.com/music/reviews/12/39 |title=Whitney-Fan.com: Whitney Houston's Music Reviews |access-date=2010-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923123013/http://www.whitney-fan.com/music/reviews/12/39 |archive-date=2009-09-23 }}</ref> ''[[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."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/50027928.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+14%252C+1987&author=ERIC+SNIDER%253BANNELISE+WAMSLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=2.E&desc=Whitney+pulls+out+another+bag+of+hits+Series%253A+RECORDS | work=St. Petersburg Times | title=Whitney pulls out another bag of hits Series: RECORDS | date=June 14, 1987 | access-date=July 6, 2017 | archive-date=November 13, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113215627/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/tampabay/access/50027928.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jun+14%252C+1987&author=ERIC+SNIDER%253BANNELISE+WAMSLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=2.E&desc=Whitney+pulls+out+another+bag+of+hits+Series%253A+RECORDS | url-status=dead }}</ref>  
</ref>
 
In their list of twenty essential vocal performances by black music artists in 2025, ''[[Hits Daily Double]]'' claimed Houston's performance of the song "opened up a new category [for the singer]: grandiose ballads designed to showcase her vocal pyrotechnics, a style that would define pop for decades to come", further adding that the song was "a heartbreak song delivered with the intensity of [[opera]], as Houston's precise execution gives the polite adult-contemporary pop a real emotional thrust."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/feature/25-essential-vocal-performances-2025-05-21|website=[[Hits Daily Double]]|title=Black Music Month: 20 Essential Vocal Performances|date=May 21, 2025|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref>


==Chart performance==
==Chart performance==
[[File:The Supremes (1965).jpg|thumb|left|"Didn't We Almost Have It All" helped Houston become the first black musical act since [[The Supremes]] to score five consecutive number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.]]
[[File:The Supremes (1965).jpg|thumb|left|"Didn't We Almost Have It All" helped Houston become the first black musical act since [[The Supremes]] to score five consecutive number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.]]
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" debuted at No. 50 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for the week of August 1, 1987,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/hsi/|title=Billboard}}</ref> and reached number one for two weeks, from September 26 to October 3, 1987, becoming her fifth consecutive number one, replacing [[Michael Jackson]]'s "[[I Just Can't Stop Loving You]]" from the top spot.<ref name=bb87>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1987-09-26|title=Billboard Hot 100 (week of September 26, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref> This accomplishment made her just the fifth artist in chart history to score five consecutive number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the first black musical act since [[The Supremes]] to accomplish that feat.
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" debuted at No. 50 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for the week of August 1, 1987,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/whitney-houston/chart-history/hsi/|title=Billboard}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1987-08-01|title=Billboard Hot 100 (week of August 1, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 1, 1987|accessdate=June 23, 2025}}</ref> a week later, it entered the top 40.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1987-08-08|title=Billboard Hot 100 (week of August 8, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 8, 1987|accessdate=June 23, 2025}}</ref> On its fifth week, it entered the top ten at number 8.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1987-08-29|title=Billboard Hot 100 (week of August 29, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=August 29, 1987|accessdate=June 23, 2025}}</ref> On its ninth week, it reached number one for the beginning of two weeks, from September 26 to October 3, 1987, becoming her fifth consecutive number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, replacing [[Michael Jackson]]'s "[[I Just Can't Stop Loving You]]" from the top spot.<ref name=bb87>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1987-09-26|title=Billboard Hot 100 (week of September 26, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 26, 1987|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref>  
 
This accomplishment made her just the fifth artist in chart history to score five consecutive number one singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the first black musical act since [[The Supremes]] to accomplish that feat and also tied her with [[Elvis Presley]] for the most consecutive number one hits on the Hot 100 by a solo artist, as well as the first female solo artist in history to achieve five number ones in a row. In addition, Houston became the first female artist to score multiple number one singles off two or more albums.


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)|Adult Contemporary]] chart for three weeks.<ref>{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=119}}</ref> It was her fifth song to peaked at number one on the AC chart and the fifth consecutive release to do so. It also reached number two on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] chart for a single week (October 10, 1987), behind "[[(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me]]" by [[Stephanie Mills]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/1987-09-10|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (week of October 10, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 10, 1987|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref> The song also peaked at number two on the magazine's Crossover Top 30 chart.
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 [[List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1987|top 10 for 7 weeks]] and the top 40 for 13 weeks, and topped the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]] chart for three weeks.<ref>{{cite book |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2002 |publisher=Record Research |page=119}}</ref> It was her fifth song to peaked at number one on the AC chart and the fifth consecutive release to do so. It also reached number two on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] chart for a single week (October 10, 1987), behind "[[(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me]]" by [[Stephanie Mills]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/1987-09-10|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (week of October 10, 1987)|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=September 10, 1987|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref> The song also peaked at number two on the magazine's Crossover Top 30 chart.


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). Due to its overall performance in Europe, the song peaked at number ten on the [[Eurochart Hot 100]].
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). Due to its overall performance in Europe, the song peaked at number ten on the [[Eurochart Hot 100]].


"Didn't We Almost Have It All" was ranked 22nd on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] year-end charts (1987), and remained in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for 17 weeks; on the same year-end chart, the song was ranked 38th on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]]. On the year-end [[adult contemporary (chart)|adult contemporary charts]], the song was ranked 7th place. It was her fifth number one single on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], her fourth on the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100 Singles Sales]] chart, her fourth on the [[Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)|Hot 100 Airplay]], and her fifth on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|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.
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" was ranked 22nd on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] year-end charts (1987), and remained in the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for 17 weeks; on the same year-end chart, the song was ranked 38th on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]]. On the year-end [[adult contemporary (chart)|adult contemporary charts]], the song was ranked 7th place. It was her fifth number one single on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], her fourth on the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100 Singles Sales]] chart, her fourth on the [[Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs)|Hot 100 Airplay]], and her fifth on the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|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, in 2023, it was certified silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] for sales of 200,000 equivalent units.
 
==Legacy==
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.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20569554_20572589,00.html | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | first1=Kyle | last1=Anderson | first2=Henry | last2=Goldblatt | first3=Leah | last3=Greenblatt | first4=Ray | last4=Rahman | title=Whitney Houston: Her 25 Best Songs | date=17 February 2012 |access-date=1 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211062743/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20569554_20572589,00.html |archive-date=11 December 2013}}</ref>
 
In their list of twenty essential vocal performances by black music artists in 2025, ''[[Hits Daily Double]]'' claimed Houston's performance of the song "opened up a new category [for the singer]: grandiose ballads designed to showcase her vocal pyrotechnics, a style that would define pop for decades to come", further adding that the song was "a heartbreak song delivered with the intensity of [[opera]], as Houston's precise execution gives the polite adult-contemporary pop a real emotional thrust."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/feature/25-essential-vocal-performances-2025-05-21|website=[[Hits Daily Double]]|title=Black Music Month: 20 Essential Vocal Performances|date=May 21, 2025|accessdate=May 31, 2025}}</ref>


==Track listings and formats==
==Track listings and formats==

Latest revision as of 05:21, 28 June 2025

Script error: No such module "about". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other

"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", believing all Houston's material should be original. The song was released in July 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."[1]

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".[2] Rob Wynn of AllMusic highlighted the song in his review of the Whitney album.[3] 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."[4] Pop Rescue noted it as "an 80s power ballad", adding that Houston's "vocals take centre stage" on the song.[5]

Rolling StoneTemplate:'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".[6] 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".[7] 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."[8]

Chart performance

File:The Supremes (1965).jpg
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" helped Houston become the first black musical act since The Supremes to score five consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of August 1, 1987,[9][10] a week later, it entered the top 40.[11] On its fifth week, it entered the top ten at number 8.[12] On its ninth week, it reached number one for the beginning of two weeks, from September 26 to October 3, 1987, becoming her fifth consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100, replacing Michael Jackson's "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" from the top spot.[13]

This accomplishment made her just the fifth artist in chart history to score five consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first black musical act since The Supremes to accomplish that feat and also tied her with Elvis Presley for the most consecutive number one hits on the Hot 100 by a solo artist, as well as the first female solo artist in history to achieve five number ones in a row. In addition, Houston became the first female artist to score multiple number one singles off two or more albums.

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 10 for 7 weeks and the top 40 for 13 weeks, and topped the Adult Contemporary chart for three weeks.[14] It was her fifth song to peaked at number one on the AC chart and the fifth consecutive release to do so. It also reached number two on the Hot Black Singles chart for a single week (October 10, 1987), behind "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" by Stephanie Mills.[15] The song also peaked at number two on the magazine's Crossover Top 30 chart.

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). Due to its overall performance in Europe, the song peaked at number ten on the Eurochart Hot 100.

"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; on the same year-end chart, the song was ranked 38th on the Hot Black Singles. On the year-end adult contemporary charts, the song was ranked 7th place. 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, in 2023, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 200,000 equivalent units.

Legacy

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.[16]

In their list of twenty essential vocal performances by black music artists in 2025, Hits Daily Double claimed Houston's performance of the song "opened up a new category [for the singer]: grandiose ballads designed to showcase her vocal pyrotechnics, a style that would define pop for decades to come", further adding that the song was "a heartbreak song delivered with the intensity of opera, as Houston's precise execution gives the polite adult-contemporary pop a real emotional thrust."[17]

Track listings and formats

<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>

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

<templatestyles src="Col-begin/styles.css"/>

Certifications

Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom

See also

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Navbox musical artist Template:Whitney Houston Singles

Template:Authority control

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  16. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
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  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and 26 June 1988.
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
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  29. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
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