2012 greatest hits album by Whitney Houston
I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston |
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Released | November 13, 2012 (2012-11-13) |
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Recorded | 1984–2009 |
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Length | 79:38 (North American Version / International Version - Disc 1) 67:47 (International Version - Disc 2) 24:40 (HSN bonus disc) |
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Label | RCA Records |
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Producer |
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I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston is a posthumous greatest hits album by American recording artist Whitney Houston. The album was released on November 13, 2012 via RCA Records.
Content and release
I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston is Houston's second greatest hits collection to receive a worldwide release (her two prior compilations, Love, Whitney and The Ultimate Collection were only given limited releases in certain European territories). The album features remastered versions of hits from all of Houston's studio and soundtrack albums, with the exception of her fifth studio album, Just Whitney (2002). The tracks featured on I Will Always Love You: The Best of Whitney Houston appear either as their original album versions or as radio edits, in contrast with Whitney: The Greatest Hits, which featured many of Houston's hits in remixed form, a decision which drew some controversy among fans and critics. Internationally, the compilation was released in both standard and deluxe versions. In North America, the album was issued as a single-disc release, which contains the same track listing as disc one of the international deluxe edition. An alternate two-disc edition of the album was released in North America, available only through HSN. This version contains the standard 18-track version of the album, with the second disc comprising five duets Houston recorded with other artists. The album also includes new liner notes written by Clive Davis.
Among the tracks are two previously unreleased songs, a new composition titled "Never Give Up" and a new version of "I Look to You", recorded as a duet with R. Kelly, who wrote the song for Houston in 2009 and performed it at her funeral service earlier in 2012. "I Look to You" was released on September 25, 2012 as the first single from the album. On November 6, 2012, "Never Give Up" was released as a lyric video on Whitney Houston's official YouTube (Vevo) channel.
At the 2013 44th NAACP Image Awards, the album won two awards in the 'Outstanding Album' and 'Outstanding Song' categories, the latter of which was for "I Look To You".
In 2021, Houston's official website announced that the album would be released on vinyl on October 29. The double vinyl includes an additional track, a remix of "Higher Love", a collaboration between Houston and Norwegian DJ Kygo, which was released in 2019 to moderate worldwide success. The original version of "Higher Love" first appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of Houston's third studio album, I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990).
Commercial performance
The week of its release, the album peaked at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums. On March 3, 2020, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA for selling over 500,000 copies. The album has spent 152 weeks on the Billboard 200, making it Houston's third longest-charting album of her career, one of the longest-charting albums of all time by a woman, the second-longest charting compilation album by a woman, the longest charting greatest hits compilation by a female artist, surpassing the 148 weeks set by Madonna's The Immaculate Collection and one of the longest charting compilations ever in the history of Billboard as well as the longest charting compilation by a black female artist; on the latter chart, it has spent a cumulative total of 58 weeks becoming the fifth longest charting female compilation on the chart. Peaking at number eight on Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, the album has spent 214 weeks there becoming the longest-charting female compilation on that chart, replacing H.E.R.'s self-titled 2017 compilation. In the UK, it peaked at number 13 in 2023 and has been certified platinum for selling over 300,000 copies and has spent 104 weeks on the chart, making it her fourth longest charting album in that country. In Ireland, the compilation has spent 76 weeks on the chart.
Track listing
Notes
- ^[a] – On the 2021 reissue, the duet version of "I Look to You" was replaced with the album version, likely due to the sexual abuse allegations and subsequent charges raised against R. Kelly in the years following its release.
Personnel
- Michael Masser – producer
- Narada Michael Walden – producer
- David Foster – producer
- Kashif – producer
- L.A. Reid – producer
- Babyface – producer
- Rodney Jerkins – producer
- David Cole – producer
- Robert Clivillés – producer
- Louis Biancaniello – producer
- Wyclef Jean – producer
- Jerry Duplessis – producer
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- Teddy Riley – producer
- John Benitez – producer
- Jermaine Jackson – producer
- Tom Keane – producer
- Mervyn Warren – producer
- Brian Michael-Cox – producer
- Jermaine Dupri – producer
- Carsten Schack – producer
- Kenneth Karlin – producer
- Alicia Keys – producer
- Kaseem Dean – producer
- R. Kelly – producer
- Chris Gehringer – compilation mastering at Sterling Sound
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Adapted from album liner notes
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Accolades
NAACP Image Awards
Release history
Country
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Date
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Label(s)
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Format
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Edition
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United States
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November 13, 2012 (2012-11-13)
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RCA Records
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CD, digital download
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Standard, HSN
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Finland
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November 16, 2012 (2012-11-16)
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Deluxe (32 tracks)
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United Kingdom
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November 19, 2012 (2012-11-19)
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Standard, deluxe
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Japan
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December 26, 2012 (2012-12-26)
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United States
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October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
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Vinyl, digital download
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Standard, deluxe (19 tracks, vinyl; 33 tracks, digital download)
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Studio albums | |
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Soundtrack albums | |
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Live albums | |
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Compilation albums | |
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Other releases | |
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Tours | |
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Concerts and appearances | |
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Achievements | |
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Related articles | |
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