Top 10 Whitney Houston songs that will always live on

Whitney Houston's influence on the music of today cannot be overstated, not just due to her extraordinary voice but also due to the emotional integrity with which she delivered each performance. When she burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s, she was instantly a voice that fused technical proficiency with soulful expression. She was not just commercially successful, she was revolutionizing the sound and the expectations of pop and R&B.

From her earliest hit records like How Will I Know to her omnipresent hold on classic soundtracks like The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston recorded music that crossed genres and generations. Her records were not merely radio staples but emotional journeys, richly woven with weddings, break-ups, parties, and quiet moments.

Whitney Houston did sing, of course, but she made a statement, and her place in history remains heard in the voices of contemporary musicians, naming her as both an influence and a standard against which they all strive.

With a career spanning over 400 awards, including six Grammys, Whitney Houston's influence transcends statistics; it's the longevity of her records and the emotional undertone she put into every performance.

Since her breakthrough in the mid-1980s until her untimely passing in 2012, she has sung over 200 songs that remain relevant to this day across generations. Her record holds anything from pyrotechnic pop anthems to shattering heartache ballads, each outlined by technical virtuosity and emotional honesty.

Through 2023, her ongoing cultural and commercial relevance, most recently, in 2023 being the richest deceased female musician, says a lot about what endures. Overplayed singles or underappreciated gems, Whitney Houston's music is the foundation of contemporary pop and soul.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. The reader's discretion is advised!

Here are the top 10 Whitney Houston songs that will always live on

Whitney Houston's recordings have a permanent hold on the cultural fabric of popular culture, with some of them still defining celebration, heartbreak, and love for generations. Her range, emotional depth, and unmatched delivery took already-great material and made it classics that endured.

From the wide, sweeping greatness of a ballad or the dance exuberance of a dance track, Whitney Houston had a talent that bordered on the supernatural to make every one of her songs unique.

These ten songs, listed below, are the pinnacle of her recording career, tunes that, in addition to being number-one hits in their day, are also firmly imprinted in listeners' hearts throughout the world. These are the Whitney Houston hits that refuse to leave, remaining as powerful today as they were when they were first released.

1) I'm Every Woman

Whitney Houston reimagined I'm Every Woman in 1993 for The Bodyguard, transforming Chaka Khan’s 1978 disco hit into a soaring celebration of strength, confidence, and womanhood. With her signature vocal power and infectious energy, Whitney didn’t just perform the song, she embodied it. Her version radiated joy and determination, turning the lyrics into a personal and universal anthem that celebrated the multifaceted nature of women.

Rather than a typical cover, it included an incendiary rap breakdown where she respectfully paid homage to Chaka Khan by screaming her out in between a still reinterpretation. It climbed to No. 4 on U.S. and UK charts and garnered her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, so it was something more than a retro nod, instead, it was a cultural landmark.

The video gave it emotional depth, with cameos by Chaka Khan, Whitney's mother Cissy Houston, and Whitney, in public pregnant with Bobbi Kristina. That picture of three generations of women, past, present, and future, ramped up the song's message: womanhood is indomitable, eternal, and resilient.

2) Where Do Broken Hearts Go

Although Whitney Houston personally did not care for Where Do Broken Hearts Go herself from the album Whitney, the record itself remained one of the defining moments of her career. Released early in 1988, written by songwriters Frank Wildhorn and Chuck Jackson, and produced by Narada Michael Walden, the ballad went all the way up to the Billboard Hot 100 number-one slot, her seventh consecutive number-one hit, a milestone record nobody other than any previous recording artist had broken as of yet.

Whitney Houston Performs At Jones Beach Theatre - Source: Getty

Though initially recorded under pressure from label executive Clive Davis, the majesty of the song's melody and Whitney Houston's powerful vocals resonated with listeners on a deep level. It also became a hit on several charts, including Adult Contemporary and R&B, and was nominated for a Soul Train Award.

In hindsight, the song bears witness to Houston's power to elevate material both beyond and over individual taste and deliver it as a chart-conquering, emotionally impactful masterpiece.

3) Something in Common

In 1993, Something in Common was a short-lived song duet by Whitney Houston and then-husband Bobby Brown. On Brown's third studio album, Bobby, the song provided a glimpse of their relationship in musical form. New Jack Swing trailblazer Teddy Riley produced the song, which featured smooth R&B rhythms blending with an upbeat, but romantic sound outside both artists' respective discographies.

Although not formally issued as a commercial single and as such did not appear on the top Billboard Hot 100 or Hot R&B charts, it still registered some amount of contribution to airplay, reaching peak positions #32 on the Hot 100 Airplay and #30 on the Hot R&B Airplay.

Although not one of Houston's most successful commercial releases, Something in Common is a gem of her catalog, and it provides us with both an introduction to her musical acrobatics as well as to her then romance with New Edition's Ricky Bell.

4) One of Those Days

Put out in 2002 on the Just Whitney album, One of Those Days is an easy R&B cut that stays in the background with mellow production and down-to-earth lyrics. While Whitney Houston was openly lambasted by critics and teased by an ever-fickle music world at this time, this song was a relief from the same in terms of tempo, offering relaxation, self-esteem, and simple enjoyment.

Whitney Houston Performs At Jones Beach - Source: Getty

With the lyrics, Houston perfectly distills soothing and healing, peaceful notions from the pain of daily existence. Here, Isley Brothers' 1983 hit single Between the Sheets is interpolated on a serene, soothing instrumentation that not only serves the song's theme of relaxation but also leads to the song's message of overindulgence and decadence.

Rather than going for vocal pyrotechnics, Whitney Houston lets her voice sail effortlessly and smoothly, showing range on show-stopping ballads. One of Those Days is an alone pause button, a reminder to take it easy, breathe deeply, and take care of oneself, says one of the all-time great voices.

5) Could I Have This Kiss Forever

Could I Have This Kiss Forever, this pop ballad duet by Whitney Houston and Enrique Iglesias, is a testament to the irrepressible vocal chemistry between these two singers. The song came out in 2000 on the original appearance of the ballad on Iglesias's first English-language album, Enrique, as a slow, Latin-influenced ballad.

Whitney Houston at Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert - Source: Getty

The song was then re-arranged for Houston's greatest hits compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits, based on a new arrangement that was designed to join her powerful and expressive voice with Iglesias's smooth one. Diane Warren wrote, and David Foster, Mark Taylor, and Brian Rawling produced the song, combining ardent words with a sensual melody to create a romantic and vintage charm.

Although it did not peak very high on the US charts at #52 on Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on Adult Contemporary, it achieved massive success in Europe, all the way to #1, and rose to a global classic favorite. Houston's capacity to deliver depth and feeling, even in a more relaxed, intimate environment, comes through here, and the result is one of the standout performances in her long discography and a fan favorite.

6) I'm Your Baby Tonight

In I'm Your Baby Tonight, from the same album, Whitney Houston paced the 1990s with a radical new direction for her music. Producers Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and L.A. Reid aided her in defecting to a new, contemporary urban sound, abandoning the smooth pop and balladry of previous records.

Houston gave the new direction a harder, street-flavored edge, one suitable for the times. Despite the shift in music style, her singing talent could not be criticized. Even here, here in this less demanding singing style, Houston's technical skill and emotional range still shine through, proving that she had the talent to shift style without sacrificing her unique strength.

7) When You Believe

When You Believe, the Whitney Houston-Mariah Carey duet, was an instant-chorus anthem when 1998 it was released. Stephen Schwartz wrote and Babyface recorded the record, which appeared on both Houston's My Love Is Your Love and on Carey's greatest-hits compilation #1's, and the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt.

Its emotive lyrics and soothing vocals gained the pair a 2000 Grammy Award nomination in Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The song further created frantic charting action, also climbing to #15 at the Billboard Hot 100 and as high as #1 on Adult Contemporary and Hot R&B & Hip-Hop Songs charts.

The success of the song was again solidified when it won the award for Best Duo or Group at the 30th NAACP Image Awards in 1999. Again demonstrating its merit, the song won Stephen Schwartz the Academy Award for Best Song in 1999. When You Believe is a never-ending hope and determination song, with both Houston and Carey displaying their vocal skills, and just how well they blend together.

8) Higher Love

Whitney Houston's take on Higher Love, which she first recorded for the Japanese release of her 1990 album I'm Your Baby Tonight, was forgotten for decades before being reinterpreted in 2019 by Norwegian DJ Kygo. A new generation got caught up with Houston's eternal voice through the remixed rendition, bringing her voice new life in a sunny, tropical house production.

The song quickly went viral, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and earning iHeartRadio Music Award, Billboard Music Award, and The Global Award nominations.

Portrait Of Whitney Houston - Source: Getty

The Kygo remix turned Higher Love into a posthumous chart-topper that reacquainted the world with Houston's unmatched singing voice, although the original had been an unsung classic. It successfully blended nostalgia with modern electronic pop.

9) It's Not Right but It's Okay

It's Not Right but It's Okay (1999) from the album My Love Is Your Love is a powerful statement of determination in the face of betrayal. Whitney Houston belts every line with unshakeable conviction, turning pain into a statement of separation. The song doesn't linger on sorrow; it flies above it, taking the story from victimization to victory.

There's no second offer made here; the message is clear: trust has been broken, and she's done. With low-blows and forward-emergent beats like an individual reclaiming their power, the song was an anthem for anyone ready to shut the door, literally and mentally, on someone who didn't deserve them.

10) Didn't We Almost Have It All

In July 1987, Didn't We Almost Have It All was another milestone for the rocket-assisted career of Whitney Houston, her fifth in a row on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Composed by Michael Masser and Will Jennings and produced by Masser, the single featured Houston's unmatched ability to convey emotional subtlety within her voice.

Though it remained two weeks at the top of the Hot 100, it also climbed well on the Adult Contemporary and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, to No. 1 and No. 2. Abroad, it did the same, peaking at number one on the charts in the top 10 in most nations.

A bigger-than-a-chart-hit phenomenon, the sweeping orchestration and passionate lyrics of the song established Whitney Houston as a ballad queen unmatched, giving her the poise and intensity few could challenge.

Whitney Houston's records are not simply hits; they're emotional reference points that have mapped eras, moved generations, and established a benchmark for popular music vocal proficiency. Whether on tear-jerking ballads or catchy dance records, her voice added gravitas, fragility, and strength to each word.

Her work resonates still, not so much because it has been a commercial success, but because the music creates a lasting emotional bridge. Whitney's music remains ageless, echoing eternally through radios, playlists, and memories, reminding the world of a voice that was genuinely once in a lifetime.