So Emotional

"So Emotional" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston. It was released as the third single from her second studio album Whitney (1987) on October 12, 1987 by Arista Records. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.

For other uses, see So Emotional (disambiguation).
"So Emotional"
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album Whitney
B-side"For the Love of You"
ReleasedOctober 12, 1987
Recorded1987
Genre
Length4:36
LabelArista
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Narada Michael Walden
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"Didn't We Almost Have It All"
(1987)		 "So Emotional"
(1987)		 "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
(1988)
Music video
"So Emotional" on YouTube

Commercially, it peaked at number five in the UK and number one in the Billboard Hot 100, where it became her sixth consecutive number one, and a dance chart hit. It would become the sixth best charting song of 1988, and was the fourth most played song on the club charts; it is her sixth biggest hit on the Hot 100 chart.[1]

Composition

"So Emotional" was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who also penned Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Heart's "Alone," and The Bangles "Eternal Flame," all of which reached #1 on the charts. The song centers on Houston loving being in love, singing, "I get so emotional baby / Every time I think of you / I get so emotional baby / Ain't it shocking what love can do."

Critical reception

Allmusic editor Ron Wynn highlighted this track.[2] Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone wrote: "Walden covers all these bases, out-hopping Kashif (but not Jellybean) with "So Emotional."[3] St. Petersburg Times Eric Snider and Annelise Wamsley wrote: "`So Emotional,`` the record's token rock offering, is hollow and contrived, as if the trumped-up power guitars are supposed to give the song some guts."[4]

Chart performance

At this time Houston already had a string of five consecutive number-one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "So Emotional" reached the top of the chart in January 1988, giving her six consecutive number-one singles, putting her in a three-way tie with The Beatles and The Bee Gees. It made its debut at number 47 on October 31, 1987 and after 11 weeks became the first number-one of 1988, eventually receiving gold certification. The single remained in the Top 40 for 14 weeks, and also reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. "So Emotional" was ranked sixth on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts (1988). The song has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide.

In the United Kingdom and France the song was remixed by Shep Pettibone when released as a single and peaked at #5 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1987, remaining in the chart for 11 weeks. Elsewhere the single performed moderately well reaching 21 in France, 26 in Australia and 30 in Switzerland.

Music video

The music video for "So Emotional", directed by Wayne Isham, features Houston on tour and preparing for the night's concert. It was filmed at Lehigh University's Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania between dates of her 1987-1988 Moment of Truth Tour.

Track listings and formats
  • US 7" single
  1. "So Emotional" – 4:36
  2. "For the Love of You" – 4:29
  • UK 7" single
  1. "So Emotional" (Edited remix) – 4:20
  2. "For the Love of You" – 4:32
  • UK CD single
  1. "So Emotional" (Extended remix) – 7:51
  2. "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (live) – 6:28
  3. "For the Love of You" – 4:32

Track 2: "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (live) is from her September 2, 1987 concert in Saratoga Springs, New York during the Moment of Truth World Tour.

Personnel
  • Narada Michael Walden – drums
  • Walter "Baby Love" Afanasieff – keyboards and synth bass
  • Corrado Rustici – guitar synth
  • Robert "Bongo Bob" Smith – drum sampling and percussion programming
  • Background vocals – Whitney Houston
  • Produced and arranged by Narada Michael Walden
  • Recorded and mixed by David Frazer
  • Assistant engineer – Dana Jon Chappelle
  • Additional engineers – Lincoln Clapp, Gordon Lyon, Jay Rifkin, Ken Kessie, Maureen Droney
  • Additional assistant engineers – Gordon Lyon, Stuart Hirotsu, Paul "Goatee" Hamingson, Noah Baron, Bill "Sweet William" Miranda, Ross Williams, Rob Beaton

Charts and certifications

Allison Shoemaker of The A.V. Club named eventual season winner Sasha Velour's lipsync to Whitney Houston's "So Emotional" in the season nine finale of RuPaul's Drag Race as the best TV performance of 2017.[28]

In S1 E2-E3 of the 2020 Netflix show Julie and the Phantoms, the character Alex Mercer wears a "So Emotional" t-shirt. This is a play on his character being the emotional, sensitive one.

See also

References
  1. Whitney Houston's Biggest Billboard Hits: A Look at Her Legendary Chart Career
  2. Whitney - Whitney Houston | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic
  3. Whitney | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone
  4. Whitney pulls out another bag of hits Series: RECORDS
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 143. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and 26 June 1988.
  6. "Ultratop.be – Whitney Houston – So Emotional" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  7. Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada Archived 2012-10-22 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 161. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
  9. "Lescharts.com – Whitney Houston – So Emotional" (in French). Les classement single.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2011-04-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Whitney Houston – So Emotional" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  12. "Charts.nz – Whitney Houston – So Emotional". Top 40 Singles.
  13. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  14. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. p. 684. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  15. "Swisscharts.com – Whitney Houston – So Emotional". Swiss Singles Chart.
  16. WHITNEY HOUSTON | Artist | Official Charts Archived 2012-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
  17. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. "Cashbox Top 100: December 26, 1987". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  19. "So Emotional - Whitney Houston". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  20. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  21. "Whitney Houston Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  22. "Year-end Charts – Top Pop Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  23. "Year-end Charts – Top Black Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  24. "Year-end Charts – Top Dance/Club-Play Singles of 1988". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 31, 1988. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  25. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  26. "British single certifications – Whitney Houston – So Emotional". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 25, 2010. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type So Emotional in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  27. "American single certifications – Whitney Houston – So Emotional". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 12, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  28. "Looking for the performance of the year? Watch 2 minutes of RuPaul's Drag Race". www.avclub.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
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