I'm Your Baby Tonight (song)

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her third studio album of the same name. The song, written and produced by L.A. Reid and Babyface,[2] was released by Arista Records as the lead single on October 2, 1990 from the album. The single features a B-side, "Feels So Good", which has not been featured on any Whitney Houston album. While the original version, 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.

"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'"
ReleasedOctober 2, 1990
Recorded1989–1990
Studio
Genre
Length4:59
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
  • Kenneth Edmonds
  • Antonio Reid
Producer(s)
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)
Music video
"I'm Your Baby Tonight" on YouTube

“I’m Your Baby Tonight” became a huge hit for Houston, reaching top-ten positions worldwide. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, her eighth single to do so; "I'm Your Baby Tonight" is also her fifth biggest hit in the United States.[3] "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Houston was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance with this song at the 33rd Grammy Awards.[4]

A live performance was included in the 2014 CD/DVD release Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances.[5]

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.[6]

Critical reception

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" received mixed-to-positive reviews from music critics, being named as a stand-out track from the parent 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'." Billboard wrote, "Engaging title track to pop diva's upcoming album kicks a firm beat under a retro-pop/R&B instrumental vibe. Most striking is Houston's relaxed and soulful performance. Expect a quick sprint to No. 1."[7] Music & Media commented that the song is a "sure hit" and noted that its "moody dance beat, soberly orchestrated, and a prominent piano form the basis for La Houston's chilling vocals."[8] Duncan Holland from Music Week said Houston "fails to rescue her crown from Lisa Stansfield and Mariah Carey. Weak to the point of little return, only safe airplay policies will save this. A belting ballad is what's required."[9]

Following Houston's death in 2012, Entertainment Weekly published a list of Houston's 25 best songs and ranked "I'm Your Baby Tonight" at number 18.[10] 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".[11] Slant Magazine ranked this as the second best Whitney Houston song.

Chart performance

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" hit the top-ten in several major markets, including Greece (#1), Iceland (#1), Italy (#1), Belgium (#2), Canada (#2), Finland (#2), Austria (#3), Norway (#3), France (#4), Switzerland (#4), Germany (#5) and United Kingdom (#5). After having charted ten top-ten hits (and seven consecutive number-one's) on the Billboard Hot 100, Houston continued her chart momentum as "I'm Your Baby Tonight" would become her 11th top-ten hit and eighth number-one single. The single had an impressive debut at number 42 the week of October 20, 1990. Six weeks later it hit the number-one spot, ending Mariah Carey's three-week run at the top with "Love Takes Time". "I'm Your Baby Tonight" spent one week at number-one, being knocked off by Stevie B's "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)". It also reached number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for two weeks.[12] "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 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Music video

The video, directed by Julien Temple, features an edgier, rougher version of Houston – very different from in videos such as "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" – 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 in Morocco), 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. Two versions of the video exist; one uses the single edit of the song, and the other is the album version, whereas all of Houston's subsequent greatest-hits compilations have usually used the album version.

Track listing and formats

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

See also

References
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  5. http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-her-greatest-performances-mw0002759110
  6. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0100948
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  8. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 13 October 1990. p. 18. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
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