Today marks 39 years since the album's release. Whitney Whitney Houston !
On June 2, 1987, the pop icon released her second album, which featured several of her most popular tracks and gave her an unprecedented four consecutive number-one hits. Billboard Hot 100: "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All", "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go".
With this, Houston became the first female artist to have four number-one singles from one album and set an all-time record of seven consecutive number-one singles. Billboard Hot 100, a record she still holds.
Whitney's album also made history as the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the chart Billboard 200.
The album earned Houston four Grammy Award nominations at the 30th annual ceremony, including Album of the Year, and the song "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female. Rolling Stone magazine also ranked the hit at number 231 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time.".
However Whitney It took some time to gain the recognition it deserved. At the time of the album's release, critics were extremely dissatisfied, claiming Houston's sound was repetitive and that she failed to distinguish herself from other artists.
« Whitney adheres to all safe practices. Three producers of the debut album participated in the recording," he wrote. Jon Pareles from The New York Times . "There are jangly, jangly songs aimed at teenagers... and slower tunes aimed at sentimental adults, as before. Even the album title is in keeping with Arista Records' tradition of separating the singers' names - Dionne , Aretha , Carly - from their last names.".
Vince Aletti from Rolling Stone echoed this sentiment, writing: "The formula has become more tightly regulated than before, and the range is so limited that Houston's potential seems to have been narrowed rather than expanded.".
Despite unfavorable reviews, the album still became a huge hit. To date, the album has sold approximately 20 million copies worldwide. Whitney , and it is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
In October 2020, Houston reached another major milestone when her album was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 10 million copies in the US, becoming the first Black artist to achieve three Diamond albums in the US.
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This article was originally published by Parade on June 2, 2026, in the Entertainment section. Add Parade to your list of recommended sources by clicking here.