I'm Your Baby Tonight (song)

"I'm Your Baby Tonight"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album I'm Your Baby Tonight
B-side "Feels So Good" "I'm Knockin"
Released September 28, 1990
Format
Recorded 1989; Elumba Recording
(Los Angeles, CA)
1990; Axis Studios
(New York City, NY)
Length 4:59 (album version)
4:19 (single & video version)
4:10 (remix)
Label Arista
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
  • Reid
  • Babyface
Certification Gold (RIAA)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"It Isn't, It Wasn't, It Ain't Never Gonna Be"
(1989)		 "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
(1990)		 "All the Man That I Need"
(1990)
I'm Your Baby Tonight track listing
"I'm Your Baby Tonight"
(1)		 "My Name Is Not Susan"
(2)
Music video
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" on YouTube

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is the lead single and title track from Whitney Houston's third studio album of the same name. The song was written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface.[1] The single features a B-side, "Feels So Good", which has not been featured on any Whitney Houston album. While the original version, written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface, was released in the United States, the Yvonne Turner mix (also known as the "European Version" or the "International Version"), was released in other countries. Houston was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female with this track at the 33rd Grammy Awards in 1991.[2]

The song became a huge hit for Houston, reaching the top 10 worldwide. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, her eighth single to do so; "I'm Your Baby Tonight" is her fifth biggest hit in the US.[3]

A live performance was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release, Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances.[4]

Composition

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is written in the key of A minor (recorded in G-sharp minor) with a tempo of 110 beats per minute in compound quadruple meter (12
8 time). The song follows a chord progression of Am9 – Fmaj7 – Bm7♭5 – E7sus – E7, and Houston's vocals span from C4 to A5.[5]

Critical reception

The song received mixed reviews, being named as a stand-out track from the album by AllMusic, while Entertainment Weekly said it "tries too hard to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel.'"

Following Houston's death in 2012, Entertainment Weekly published a list of her 25 best songs and ranked "I'm Your Baby Tonight" at number 18.[6] BET placed it at number 23 in their list of "The 40 Best Whitney Houston Songs" writing that the producers "deliver a streetwise production" which gives Houston "a perfect launchpad for one of the funkier, harder-edged performances of her career".[7]

Music video

The music video (directed by Julien Temple) features an edgier, rougher Houston - very different from in videos such as "How Will I Know" (1985) and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (1987) - paying homage to the sounds of black music that have helped define her sound, paying tribute in simulation of the Harlem Renaissance (with Houston as Marlene Dietrich), Motown (most notably The Supremes as Houston uses cloning imagery to create two clones of herself), and Hollywood's Golden Age (with Houston dressed as Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face), finally returning to present day by the video's end. The video uses the single edit of the song rather than the album version, whereas all of Houston's subsequent greatest-hits compilations have used the album version.

Chart performance

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" hit the Top 10 in several major markets including Australia (#7), France (#4), Italy (#1), Canada (#2), Switzerland (#4), UK (#5), and Germany (#5). After having charted ten Top 10 hits (and seven consecutive number ones) on the Billboard Top 100, Houston continued her chart momentum as "I'm Your Baby Tonight" would become her 11th Top 10 hit and eighth number one. The song had an impressive debut at number 42 the week of October 20, 1990. Six weeks later, it hit number one, ending Mariah Carey's three-week run at the top with "Love Takes Time". "I'm Your Baby Tonight" spent only one week at number one, being knocked off by Stevie B's "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)". Altogether, the single spent 14 weeks in the Top 10, 19 weeks in the Top 20, and 23 consecutive weeks in the Top 40. It also reached number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart for two weeks.[8] "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was Houston's eighth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, sixth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart and fourth number-one single on the Billboard R&B singles chart. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (1990-2012) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] 2
Canada (RPM 100 Singles)[12] 2
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 2
France (SNEP)[14] 4
Germany (Official German Charts)[15] 5
Ireland (IRMA) 6
Italy (Musica e dischi)[16] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 16
Norway (VG-lista)[19] 3
Spain (AFYVE)[20] 7
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 4
UK (UK Singles Chart)[23] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[25] 7
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[26] 17
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] 1
Chart (2012) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[14] 190
UK (UK Singles Chart)[28] 88

Year-end charts

Chart (1990) Position
Australia (ARIA)[29] 77
Canadian Singles Chart[30] 46
Canadian Adult Contemporary Tracks[31] 49
Dutch Singles Chart[32] 35
Finnish Singles Chart[33] 12
Chart (1991) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 42
US Adult Contemporary Singles[35] 50
US R&B Singles[36] 79

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Sweden (GLF)[37] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Credits[1]
  • Producer – L.A. Reid, Babyface, Remix produced by Yvonne Turner
  • Remix engineer – Rodney Ascue
  • Writers – L.A. Reid, Babyface
  • Vocal arrangement – L.A. Reid, Babyface, Whitney Houston
  • Rhythm arrangement – L.A. Reid, Babyface
  • Assistant engineer – Jim Zumpano
  • Production managers – Phyliss Parker, Donald Parks
  • Keyboard programming – Donald Parks
  • Drums and percussion – L.A. Reid
  • Bass and keyboards – Babyface
  • Background vocals – Whitney Houston
Recording and mixing[1]
  • Recorded at Elumba Recording, Los Angeles
  • Mixed at Studio LaCoCo

Track listings and formats

CD / Maxi single[39]
No. Title Length
1. "I'm Your Baby Tonight"   4:16
2. "I'm Knockin'"   4:04
3. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (extended remix) 6:20
4. "Feels So Good"   4:07
12" vinyl[40]
No. Title Length
1. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (extended remix) 6:20
2. "I'm Knockin'"   4:59
3. "Feels So Good"   4:55
I'm Your Baby Tonight (The Remixes)[41]
No. Title Length
1. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (club mix) 6:20
2. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (dub mix) 5:25
3. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (single version) 4:16
4. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Whit-A-Pella) 4:35
UK PAL VHS promo single[42]
No. Title Length
1. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (music video) 4:15

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 I'm Your Baby Tonight (Album). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 1990. 261 039.
  2. ↑ "Grammy Awards History: Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female". rockonthenet.com. February 20, 1991. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ Whitney Houston's Biggest Billboard Hits: A Look at Her Legendary Chart Career
  4. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-her-greatest-performances-mw0002759110
  5. ↑ http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0100948
  6. ↑ Anderson, Kyle; Goldblatt, Henry; Greenblatt, Leah; Rahman, Ray (17 February 2012). "Whitney Houston: Her 25 Best Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.bet.com/music/photos/2012/02/the-40-best-whitney-houston-songs.html#!021212-music-whitney-houston-obit-playlist-7
  8. ↑ "I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ "RPM Magazine - RPM 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. December 22, 1990. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  13. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 161. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
  14. 1 2 "Lescharts.com – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight" (in French). Les classement single.
  15. ↑ "Musicline.de – Whitney Houston Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  16. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: H". Hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  17. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight". Top 40 Singles.
  19. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight". VG-lista.
  20. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 756. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight". Singles Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Whitney Houston – I'm Your Baby Tonight". Swiss Singles Chart.
  23. ↑ "Whitney Houston | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  24. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Whitney Houston.
  25. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Whitney Houston.
  26. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Whitney Houston.
  27. ↑ "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Whitney Houston.
  28. ↑ Lauren Kreisler (14 February 2012). "27 Whitney Houston tracks on course to re-enter Official Singles Chart". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  29. ↑ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart 1990 (61–100) (from The ARIA Report No. 50)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  31. ↑ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 22, 1990. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  32. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl - Jaaroverzichten - Single 1990" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  33. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 48. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
  34. ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top Pop Singles 1991". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1991. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top Adult Contemporary Singles 1991". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1991. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  36. ↑ "Year-end Charts – Top R&B Singles 1991". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1991. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  38. ↑ "American single certifications – Whitney Houston – Iäm Your Baby Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  39. ↑ "Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight (CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  40. ↑ "Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  41. ↑ "Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight (The Remixes) (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Whitney Houston I'm Your Baby Tonight". eil.com. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
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