Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3567
Date: 07/02/1988
Debut: 52
Peak: 9
Weeks: 16
Genre: Dance-Pop
Pop Bits: The fifth single from Houston's second LP Whitney, "Where Do Broke Hearts Go," set a couple of chart records. The tune became Houston's seventh consecutive #1 on the Pop chart, which was a record for any artist. She was also the first female artist to have four #1's from one album. It seemed that she was on an unstoppable roll and so the label decided to trot out this fifth single from the LP to see if Houston's chart records could be extended. Alas, it was not meant to be. The track would stall just inside the Pop Top 10 ending her streak of consecutive #1s. Still, it was not a bad result and the tune did well on other charts including #5 R&B and #10 AC. It also became Houston's third song to top the Dance chart. The song did not have an accompanying video and that might have played a part in the song not getting closer to the top spot. It would end up being the final single released from the LP.
ReduxReview: This urgent, Latin-flavored dance-pop track written by Toni C. and produced by Jellybean was a good selection for Houston and at the time it was probably the only track left on the album that had any potential as a single. It ended up doing okay, but I knew it wasn't going to get to #1. I was even a little surprised it went Top 10, but the power of Whitney compelled it. The tune had a few things going against it including its speedy tempo, Houston's manic delivery, and the fact that a video was not done for it. While the chorus is kind of catchy, its quick syncopated melody was different from her other breezy dance-pop hits. Those were easy to sing along with while this one wasn't. Still, the song did well enough to keep Houston's Top 10 streak going although in the long run it wasn't one of her most memorable hits.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: While this would be the last single from Whitney to be released in the US, one more track would be released as a single in a small handful of countries. "I Know Him So Well," a duet between Houston and her mother Cissy Houston, was a cover version of a song written for and performed in the stage musical Chess. The musical debuted in '86 in London's West End and transitioned to Broadway in '88. Prior to that, in '84 the concept album for the musical was released and "I Know Him So Well" was issued out as a single in the UK. Sung by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson, the duet would spend four weeks at #1. That single was not released in the US, but a different track from the concept album, "One Night in Bangkok," would turn into a #1 hit in the US for Murray Head in '85. The Whitney/Cissy version of "I Know Him So Well" would do best in the Netherlands were it got to #14.
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