Heartbreak Hotel (Whitney Houston song)
Encyclopedia
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song by American
R&B/Pop
singer Whitney Houston
. It was released as the second but official lead single from her 1998 album My Love Is Your Love
. The song also features R&B singers Faith Evans
and Kelly Price
accompanying her. "Heartbreak Hotel" reached the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100
on January 26, 1999 and peaked at number two on March 9 and number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
on February 2, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was a hit in several countries worldwide. The song also received two nominations at the 2000 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo, though it did not win. The video was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
.
album. "Heartbreak Hotel" was not initially released in the UK
at the time of the My Love Is Your Love album release. It was released as the third single from Houston's Whitney: Greatest Hits album in December 2000 and peaked at #25. It holds the distinction as being one of only three songs to be on both discs for Houston's 2000 Greatest Hits
collection, in its original and remixed formats. It is absent on the 2007 The Ultimate Collection
.
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying, "[It's] a highly effective setting for Houston, who wears her emotions on her sleeve and serves up one of the most effective performances on the album. Price and Evans sell themselves grandly as empathetic sisters alongside their pained friend, soaring with emotion and helping keep the timeless artist identifiable to a new generation of R&B fans. Of course, R&B radio will give this a hug in an instant. It's nice to see Houston on track, leaning away from the syrup and juicing up for the real deal here."
. It entered the Billboard Hot 100
chart at number eighty-four without retail single, the issue date of December 26, 1998. On its first week that retail release impacted song's chart position, it leaped from number fifty-five to twenty-nine, and after six weeks peaked at number two on the Hot 100, the issue date of March 20, 1999, making it the first Houston single to peak in the runner-up spot. Additionally, the song entered the revamped Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks
chart at number twenty-three with the mark of its seventh week on the chart, the issue date of January 9, 1999. In its first week on retail release, the song reached the number six and the following week topped the chart, becoming her eighth number-one single on the Hot R&B chart. The single stayed on the summit for seven consecutive weeks from February 13 to March 27, 1999, which was her third longest stay atop the Hot R&B chart behind "I Will Always Love You" for eleven weeks in 1992-1993 and "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
" for eight weeks in 1995-1996, and was on the chart for a total of thirty-one weeks. It placed at number four and number three, on the Billboard year-end Hot 100 Singles and Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, respectively. It was certified Platinum for shipments of 1,000,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America
on March 2, 1999. According to Nielson SoundScan, the single sold over 1,300,000 copies in the U.S. alone, becoming the third best-selling single of 1999.
. The song was also nominated for "R&B Single of the Year" at the 10th Billboard Music Awards on December 8, 1999, and for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
and Best R&B Song
at the 42nd Grammy Awards on February 23, 2000. Houston was honored with a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist
for the song at its 31st ceremony on April 6, 2000. It was nominated for "Favorite Single" at the 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards on May 9, 2000. On May 16, 2000, the song won the Broadcast Music Incorporated
(BMI) Pop Award at its 48th ceremony.
on November 23, 1998. Houston performed the edited version of the song with Faith Evans and Kelly Price on the show, appeared to promote her then-new album My Love Is Your Love. Houston, Evans and Price performed together once more at the 9th Billboard Music Awards on December 7, 1998. During her European promotion in February 1999, the song was performed live by Houston alone at French TV Show, Les Annees Tube, broadcast on TF1
, March 5, 1999. Houston made a surprise appearance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance and performed dance remix version of the song along with "It's Not Right But It's Okay
" at the event on June 27, 1999. The short video clip of the performance was broadcast on MTV
All Access, premiered on July 21, 1999.
In My Love Is Your Love World Tour
in 1999, the song was performed as the second song of the tour setlist. One performance on the tour was broadcast live on Polish TV channel, TVP1, on August 22, 1999. "Heartbreak Hotel" was included in the setlist of Soul Divas Tour
in 2004 and performed at Live & Loud Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 1, 2007.
Note: A^ In New Zealand, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released as a double A-Side single with "It's Not Right But It's Okay
" in April 1999.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B/Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
. It was released as the second but official lead single from her 1998 album My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album, her first studio album in eight years since I'm Your Baby Tonight, was composed of mid-tempo R&B, hip hop, ballads, urban-dance, reggae, and torch songs, produced...
. The song also features R&B singers Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
and Kelly Price
Kelly Price
Kelly Price is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.-Life and music career:Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She was first discovered by Mariah Carey in February 1992 and subsequently introduced to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola...
accompanying her. "Heartbreak Hotel" reached the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on January 26, 1999 and peaked at number two on March 9 and number one on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
on February 2, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was a hit in several countries worldwide. The song also received two nominations at the 2000 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo, though it did not win. The video was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards
1999 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1999, honoring the best music videos from June 13, 1998, to June 11, 1999. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City....
.
Release
It is the second single released from her My Love Is Your LoveMy Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album, her first studio album in eight years since I'm Your Baby Tonight, was composed of mid-tempo R&B, hip hop, ballads, urban-dance, reggae, and torch songs, produced...
album. "Heartbreak Hotel" was not initially released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at the time of the My Love Is Your Love album release. It was released as the third single from Houston's Whitney: Greatest Hits album in December 2000 and peaked at #25. It holds the distinction as being one of only three songs to be on both discs for Houston's 2000 Greatest Hits
Whitney: The Greatest Hits
-International edition:-Whitney: The Unreleased Mixes:Whitney: The Unreleased Mixes is a limited-edition four-record vinyl set, containing eight full club versions of selected remixes found on the American release...
collection, in its original and remixed formats. It is absent on the 2007 The Ultimate Collection
The Ultimate Collection (Whitney Houston album)
The Ultimate Collection is a Whitney Houston greatest hits collection, released on October 29, 2007. For the first time, a single CD of Houston's hit singles is released. It debuted at number five in the UK, with sales of 37,228. It climbed to number three in its second week on the chart...
.
Critical reception
BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying, "[It's] a highly effective setting for Houston, who wears her emotions on her sleeve and serves up one of the most effective performances on the album. Price and Evans sell themselves grandly as empathetic sisters alongside their pained friend, soaring with emotion and helping keep the timeless artist identifiable to a new generation of R&B fans. Of course, R&B radio will give this a hug in an instant. It's nice to see Houston on track, leaning away from the syrup and juicing up for the real deal here."
Commercial performances
"Heartbreak Hotel," which features Faith Evans and Kelly Price, was released as the second single from My Love Is Your LoveMy Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album, her first studio album in eight years since I'm Your Baby Tonight, was composed of mid-tempo R&B, hip hop, ballads, urban-dance, reggae, and torch songs, produced...
. It entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart at number eighty-four without retail single, the issue date of December 26, 1998. On its first week that retail release impacted song's chart position, it leaped from number fifty-five to twenty-nine, and after six weeks peaked at number two on the Hot 100, the issue date of March 20, 1999, making it the first Houston single to peak in the runner-up spot. Additionally, the song entered the revamped Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart at number twenty-three with the mark of its seventh week on the chart, the issue date of January 9, 1999. In its first week on retail release, the song reached the number six and the following week topped the chart, becoming her eighth number-one single on the Hot R&B chart. The single stayed on the summit for seven consecutive weeks from February 13 to March 27, 1999, which was her third longest stay atop the Hot R&B chart behind "I Will Always Love You" for eleven weeks in 1992-1993 and "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
"Exhale " is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 7, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface...
" for eight weeks in 1995-1996, and was on the chart for a total of thirty-one weeks. It placed at number four and number three, on the Billboard year-end Hot 100 Singles and Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart, respectively. It was certified Platinum for shipments of 1,000,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on March 2, 1999. According to Nielson SoundScan, the single sold over 1,300,000 copies in the U.S. alone, becoming the third best-selling single of 1999.
Track listings and formats
-
- U.S. CD Single
- Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
- Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Mix) - 4:20
- Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Club Mix) - 8:44
-
- U.K. CD Single
- Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Edit) - 3:42
- Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
- Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
- Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Club Rub Pt.1] - 5:55
-
- U.S. Remixes Vinyl
- Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Club Mix) - 8:44
- Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector NYC Rough Mix) - 9:14
- Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Mix) - 4:20
-
- European 12" Promo
- Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Mix) - 3:40
- Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
- Love To Infinity Megamix - 9:22
-
- U.K. CD Maxi
- Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Mix) - 3:40
- Love To Infinity Megamix (Edit) - 5:17
- Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:41
- Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Club Rub Part 2) - 4:30
- Love To Infinity (Extended)
-
- German Enhanced CD Maxi
- Heartbreak Hotel (R.I.P. Radio Edit) - 3:42
- Heartbreak Hotel (Undadoggz Radio Edit) - 3:39
- Heartbreak Hotel (Album Version) - 4:38
- Megamix (Love To Infinity Edit) - 5:17
- I Will Always Love You - 4:23
- Heartbreak Hotel (Music Video)
- Love To Infinity (Music Video)
Awards and nominations
"Heartbreak Hotel" was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards1999 MTV Video Music Awards
The 1999 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on September 9, 1999, honoring the best music videos from June 13, 1998, to June 11, 1999. The show was hosted by Chris Rock at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City....
. The song was also nominated for "R&B Single of the Year" at the 10th Billboard Music Awards on December 8, 1999, and for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
and Best R&B Song
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
at the 42nd Grammy Awards on February 23, 2000. Houston was honored with a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Female Artist:-Stats:*As of 2011 ceremony, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys & Whitney Houston holds the records with the most wins at three.*Most Nominations**1. Mary J. Blige- 9 nominations...
for the song at its 31st ceremony on April 6, 2000. It was nominated for "Favorite Single" at the 6th Blockbuster Entertainment Awards on May 9, 2000. On May 16, 2000, the song won the Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
(BMI) Pop Award at its 48th ceremony.
Live performances
The fist live performance of "Heartbreak Hotel" was at The Rosie O'Donnell ShowThe Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
on November 23, 1998. Houston performed the edited version of the song with Faith Evans and Kelly Price on the show, appeared to promote her then-new album My Love Is Your Love. Houston, Evans and Price performed together once more at the 9th Billboard Music Awards on December 7, 1998. During her European promotion in February 1999, the song was performed live by Houston alone at French TV Show, Les Annees Tube, broadcast on TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
, March 5, 1999. Houston made a surprise appearance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance and performed dance remix version of the song along with "It's Not Right But It's Okay
It's Not Right but It's Okay
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is a 1999 R&B/dance song by American singer Whitney Houston, from her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love. Initially featured as the B-Side of "Heartbreak Hotel," it became the album's third single and peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart on...
" at the event on June 27, 1999. The short video clip of the performance was broadcast on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
All Access, premiered on July 21, 1999.
In My Love Is Your Love World Tour
My Love Is Your Love World Tour
-Additional notes:*During opening night, June 22nd in Chicago, IL; after Houston performed "I Will Always Love You" she closed the show with two encore's, "My Love Is Your Love" and "Step by Step"...
in 1999, the song was performed as the second song of the tour setlist. One performance on the tour was broadcast live on Polish TV channel, TVP1, on August 22, 1999. "Heartbreak Hotel" was included in the setlist of Soul Divas Tour
Soul Divas Tour
The Soul Divas Tour was a tour by American R&B/soul singer's Natalie Cole, Dionne Warwick and global icon Whitney Houston. The tour was a one-month trek that started on July 2nd, in Berlin, Germany. Houston was featured as the main headliner, toured China without Cole and Warwick, adding a few more...
in 2004 and performed at Live & Loud Music Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 1, 2007.
Chart positions
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
12 |
| New Zeland (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... )[A] |
33 |
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
Note: A^ In New Zealand, "Heartbreak Hotel" was released as a double A-Side single with "It's Not Right But It's Okay
It's Not Right but It's Okay
"It's Not Right but It's Okay" is a 1999 R&B/dance song by American singer Whitney Houston, from her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love. Initially featured as the B-Side of "Heartbreak Hotel," it became the album's third single and peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart on...
" in April 1999.
Year-end charts
| Chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 94 |
| French Singles Chart | 65 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| U.S. Dance/Club Play Songs | 23 |
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 3 |
Certifications
| Country (Provider) | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States (RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... ) |
Platinum |
Chart procession and succession
External links
- Heartbreak Hotel at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...