| The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Soundtrack album by Whitney Houston / various artists | ||||
| Released | November 17, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–1992 1987 forJoe Cocker's song | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 57:44 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Whitney Houston chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Bodyguard | ||||
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The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album is the firstsoundtrack album by American singerWhitney Houston. It was released on November 17, 1992, byArista Records to promote thefilm of the same name. It also contains songs by her label matesLisa Stansfield,Kenny G,The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. andCurtis Stigers as well as artists such asAaron Neville andJoe Cocker. The album is credited as aWhitney Houston album because she recorded the majority of the tracks.
The Bodyguard was Houston's firstbox office film, after turning down offers from film producers such asRobert Townsend,Spike Lee andRobert De Niro in the past. Initially, Houston was reluctant to take on the role and was convinced by co-producer and co-starKevin Costner to pursue it, to which she agreed. Arista Records presidentClive Davis had apprehensions of Houston's role in the film without much music from the script, convincing Costner and the film's distributorWarner Bros. Pictures to add songs to the film, in which Houston made a deal for back royalties for its music and attained creative control. Houston agreed to record six tracks, four of which were featured in the film.
Houston began working on the soundtrack in November 1991, and contacted previous producers of her work, includingBabyface,Antonio "L.A." Reid,BeBe Winans andNarada Michael Walden, to participate in the album. It also marked the first time Houston worked with renowned producerDavid Foster, who would produce three of the six Houston tracks, as well as the production duo ofClivillés and Cole, while Houston herself co-produced two songs. Both Houston and Clive Davis were listed asexecutive producers on the album.[5]
Upon its release in November 1992,The Bodyguard was praised by music critics for Houston's vocal performance and its production. The album was a global success, topping the charts in 21 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and Japan as well as theEuropean album chart. In the United States, the album debuted at number two on theBillboard 200, before climbing to number one in its second week of release, remaining there for 20 non-consecutive weeks, making it the first album by a female artist to top the charts for that many weeks. In its sixth week, it soldone million copies within a single week, making Houston the first artist to accomplish this following verification byNielsen SoundScan. It would continue to sell a million copies per week for several weeks in a row and would eventually be certifiedDiamond by theRecording Industry Association of America for sales of ten million copies in November 1993, becoming the first female album to sell that many copies in the United States and would be one of three Houston albums to receive that milestone, eventually selling 19 million in the country alone.[6][7] Overall, the album would sell over 45 million copies worldwide, becoming thebest-selling soundtrack album of all time, thebest-selling album by a woman in music history, and thebest-selling album of the decade.[8]
The soundtrack resulted inseveral awards and accolades for Houston, including sevenAmerican Music Awards, aBrit Award, aJuno Award and theGrammy Award forAlbum of the Year, marking only the second time in Grammy history that anAfrican American woman won the Grammy in that category.[9] Two of the tracks on the soundtrack, "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing" were each nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Original Song, while Houston herself won theMTV Movie Award for Best Song for the soundtrack's leading single and its biggest hit, "I Will Always Love You".
Five of the Houston tracks were released as singles. "I Will Always Love You" became Houston's tenth number one single on theBillboard Hot 100, matching the number for most number one singles by a female artist at the time and eventually topped the charts in 34 countries entirely and went on tosell more than 24 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling single by a female artist of all time. "I'm Every Woman" was released as the second single and became another international top ten hit and peaked inside the top five of theBillboard Hot 100, as did its third single, "I Have Nothing". In March 1993, the three aforementioned singles were placed inside the top 11 for two consecutive weeks, marking the first time in the Nielsen SoundScan era that an artist had three singles simultaneously chart at the same time.
"Run to You" was the fourth single released from the album and became a modest hit globally, reaching the top 40 in the United States and the top 20 in the United Kingdom. "Queen of the Night" was a European market only release and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom while a dance remix of the song topped theBillboarddance chart. In Europe, the only non-Houston single to be released wasLisa Stansfield's "Someday (I'm Coming Back)", while in the United States and Canada, the dance group,The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., released the tune, " It's Going to Be a Lovely Day".The Bodyguard received further promotion from the successfulBodyguard World Tour. In 2017, a 25th anniversary re-release,I Wish You Love: More from The Bodyguard, was issued.[10][11][5] In 2024,The Bodyguard was included inRolling Stone's list of the 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time.[12] The album and film cemented Houston’s status as apop culture icon.
I got a call saying that there is a script thatKevin Costner has, calledThe Bodyguard, that he wanted me to do. He wanted me to costar with him. I went, “Yeah, sure.” Then I called my agent, and she said, “Yeah, it’s true.” So I read the script. I liked the story, but in the beginning Rachel was very rough, very hard – a little bitch. -Whitney Houston toRolling Stone (1993)[13]
By the late summer of 1990, Houston had become a commercially successful recording artist. Her first two albums,Whitney Houston andWhitney, sold 25 and 20 million copies worldwide respectively. Houston was planning on releasing her third album,I'm Your Baby Tonight, when she received a call from actorKevin Costner to accept a leading role in a film titledThe Bodyguard. Back in December 1986,Billboard magazine mentioned that Houston would take part in the film, only withClint Eastwood as the co-lead.[14] Costner convincedSilverado director and friendLawrence Kasdan to let him be a co-producer for the project. Kasdan had originally written the script for the film back in 1975 and after his script was sold off toWarner Bros. Pictures, the film had originally been pegged as a project forSteve McQueen in 1977, but stalled.
A year later, in November 1978, Warner brought inRyan O'Neal andDiana Ross for the leading roles, only for the film to return todevelopment hell a year later after Ross rejected the film.[15][16] Following Houston's rise, she had been sought after for film roles by the likes ofRobert Townsend,Spike Lee andRobert De Niro. It's claimed Costner was convinced Houston was right for the role after viewing her concert at theAssembly Hall inChampaign, Illinois in September 1987. Another claim was that after watching hermusic video for her 1988 hit, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", was Costner convinced that Houston was the one to play the role of Rachel Marron. Still, it took three years before Houston was contacted for the film. When Costner finally reached Houston, the singer, who had only taken brief acting cameos on television shows such asSilver Spoons, was reluctant but agreed to read the script.[13] A nervous Houston still held off on the film until Costner convinced the singer in another phone call that he will "not let [her] fall".[13]
The film's directorMick Jackson initially was unsure of Houston's chances of leading a film and, according to Costner, suggested veteran actresses such asMichelle Pfeiffer orKim Basinger for the role, to which Costner flatly turned down. Jackson then agreed to give Houston a screen test in January 1991, to which she passed. In April 1991, Houston and Costner announced that they would co-star inThe Bodyguard.[17] Costner delayed production on the film until Houston finished herworld tour that year to late November 1991.
Prior to shooting the film,Arista Records CEOClive Davis wasn't sure about the film that, at the time, had little music attached to it and didn't understand why Houston's character, Rachel Marron, "needed a bodyguard".[18] Davis admitted later he was "nervous" of Houston's acting aspirations.
After reading the initial script, Davis wrote a letter to Costner and Jackson, arguing to them that the film "is nowhere near fulfilling the potential of what Whitney could contribute to the role".[18]
Costner and Jackson agreed with Davis and Houston, in a deal with Warner Bros Pictures, signed a deal for rights to the soundtrack's back royalties and agreed to record at least six tracks, with four of them to be featured on the film. Maureen Crowe became the film'smusic supervisor and worked with Houston and Costner on finding songs for the film.
Once Davis learned of Houston's deal, he joined the team in assembling songs, to which he and Houston would then spend days alone at Davis' hotel suite going over the material.[19]
Though Davis and Houston went over the songs together, Houston was the one to attain full creative control over the project, continuing her career as an executive producer on the album.
Two weeks before filming commenced, Houston began working on the soundtrack. Unlike her previous first two albums, Houston sought after the producers herself after years of Davis picking them, something that had started with the production ofI'm Your Baby Tonight (1990).[20]
According to collaboratorBeBe Winans, Houston "was truly in control. She grew into that confidence. She was playing catch-up for thefirst andsecond album, and then she caught up to how to become immune to what people would do or say... For theBodyguard soundtrack, she was who she was."[20]
Winans added that by the time Houston began working on the soundtrack, she had become "more understanding of a song, more so than just singing the song, and was part of those decisions of what songs she was going to sing. Now if she trusted you, as she did other musicians and songwriters, she would allow you to do what you do, and again take that song and make it her own."[20]
According to session dates, the first song to be recorded was therock song "Queen of the Night", to which Houston played a part incomposing and producing after the song's original writersKenneth "Babyface" Edmonds andDaryl Simmons struggled to compose the song themselves. Longtime collaboratorAntonio "L.A." Reid became a fourth contributor. Houston recorded the song on November 9, 1991.[21]
It was Houston's second composition as asongwriter after co-penning her Japanese chart hit, "Takin' a Chance" (1989).
Three days later, on November 12, with Foster, Houston recorded thelove ballads, "Run to You" and "I Have Nothing" despite recovering from a recent cold.[22][23]
Foster later recalls that after picking Houston up following the shooting of the movie, the duo would work on vocals "at 9, 10 o'clock at night" and that the singer "was a laser beam".[24] Foster further stated of Houston: "She'd walk into the studio, rip off her coat, get up and say 'Let's go.' Like a racehorse, no warm up, no nothing."[24]
After filming much of the film and engaging in other non-related events, Houston returned to the studio during January–February 1992 to record a pop-oriented rendition of the oldgospel hymn, "Jesus Loves Me" with Winans producing the song alongside Houston, in her second production on the album.[25]
By March, Houston, Crowe and Costner struggled to find a song that would go for a parting final song to be performed by Houston's character at the end of the film. Initially, Costner had suggested on Houston recording theMotown standard, "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", but the song's choice didn't please neither Houston or Crowe, who felt the song was "like a dirge: 'Happiness is just an illusion, filled with sadness and confusion...'", adding jokingly, "you wanna kill yourself at the end of it!"[18] Houston reportedly told Foster "this song doesn't really fit me."[20] Once it was learned the song was used for the film,Fried Green Tomatoes, and made into anBillboard chart hit by singerPaul Young in March 1992, Foster and Costner agreed to replace it with another song. According to Crowe, she was the one to suggest thecountry ballad, "I Will Always Love You", originally recorded and composed byDolly Parton after hearing a rendition byLinda Ronstadt.[18] Houston first performed it live at the Fontainebleau inMiami Beach in March 1992 during the final shooting.[26] It was suggested by Costner that Houston started the performanceacapella. A month later, a studio recording commenced atOcean Way Recording on April 22, 1992.[27]
Prior to recording, Foster contacted Dolly Parton about recording the song. When the songwriter learned Foster was going to record the Ronstadt-inspired version, Parton suggested that Houston sing the third verse from her original recording. Houston used her own band musicians, including drummerRicky Lawson and saxophonistKirk Whalum for the song's production.[28] The final Houston song to be recorded, "I'm Every Woman", was recorded at producerNarada Michael Walden's Tarpan Studios in San Rafael, California on August 19, 1992, Houston was by then a month pregnant with daughterBobbi Kristina Brown.[29]
The soundtrack featured six Houston tracks, five tracks by various artists, and an instrumental, with most of Houston's material consisting ofpop,urban pop andR&B withrock,house andgospel elements.[30][1] With the Houston tracks, the themes on the album include heartbreak, love, feminism, partying and religion.
"I Will Always Love You" is Rachel Marron's parting song to Frank Farmer in the film. In the original version of the song, recorded byDolly Parton, the song had been inspired by Parton's former musical and business partnerPorter Wagoner after she aspired for a full-fledged solo career in 1972. Once it was recorded and re-arranged by Houston and Foster, the song transformed into a plaintivelove ballad.
Houston begins the songa cappella, which lasts 44 seconds before soft strings and keyboard riffs by producer David Foster come in as Houston sings thechorus. In the middle of the song, during aninstrumental break, Houston's saxophonist at the time,Kirk Whalum, adds a solo before Houston sings the third verse. The song then shifts into a dramatickey change thanks toRicky Lawson's one note "solo" where he hits the toms, in which afterwards, Houston belts out agospel-emulated wail in the last chorus before the song slows near the finale in which Houston ends it singing an operatic soprano on the word "you".
"I Have Nothing", penned by Foster and then-wife, songwriterLinda Thompson and inspired by Thompson's former relationship with American singerElvis Presley, is apower ballad about deep love and the confusion that happens to lovers due to the different perceptions of women and men when it comes to relationship commitment.[31] The song repeated the Houston-Foster formula of the previous track, with Houston singing in a softsoprano vocal in the first verse before belting it out in the chorus and second accompanying verse. The song also includes a dramatic key change along with horns and strings, arranged by Foster. Houston briefly multi-stacked her voice near the end of the track on the words, "don't you dare".
Originally recorded byfunk singerChaka Khan in 1978, "I'm Every Woman", penned byAshford & Simpson, was Houston's first venture intohouse music, co-produced by longtime collaboratorNarada Michael Walden and the production team ofClivillés and Cole and focused on afeminist theme, dedicated to women. It was one of the singer's personal picks to record for the album due to her being a longtime fan of Khan. During her career as a teenagesession vocalist, Houston sang background vocals on Khan's sophomore solo album,Naughty (1980). Houston and Walden decided to add a soulful ballad intro to differentiate from the Khan original, with a faster tempo. Near the end, Houston references Khan's name similar to rap artistMelle Mel on Khan's 1984 hit, "I Feel for You".
The love ballad, "Run to You", was originally a breakup song that changed into a romantic ballad after director Mick Jackson decided to include the song in the sequence where Frank falls in love with Rachel.[32] Houston recorded two different vocal takes, both of which were used, one for the film and the other for the album. The song repeats the Houston-Foster formula of the previous two tracks "I Will Always Love You" and "I Have Nothing".
"Queen of the Night" presents aharder rock sound similar to "So Emotional" fromWhitney (1987). Houston's second composition as a songwriter, the singer expresses how she "rules the club scene" as the self-proclaimed "queen of the night". Part of the lyrics was inspired byMichael Jackson's 1987 song, "Dirty Diana", from hisBad album and featuredLiving Colour lead guitaristVernon Reid providing theguitar solo. According toBuzzFeed News, Houston's input on the song helped it to "[become] a high-energy, drum-centric, pop-rock showpiece, withTina Turner–esque growling, that showed a different side of her persona."[20] Houston provides both lead and background vocals to the song.
"Jesus Loves Me" was apop-arrangedgospel song dedicated toJesus.[33] Produced by Houston and collaborator, gospel singerBeBe Winans, the song included new verses written by Winans, which Houston herself suggested, and included achurch organ in the beginning and several key chord changes throughout the song and asoulful bridge.[33] The song was performed briefly in acapella by Houston and Michele Lamar Richards in the film.
TheLisa Stansfield recording, "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" was a disco-pop effort, similar to material Stansfield composed for her 1991 album,Real Love while theKenny G song, "Even If My Heart Would Break", featuringAaron Neville on vocals, was amiddle of the road ballad also featured on the jazz musician's best-selling 1992 album,Breathless, which was released on the same day asThe Bodyguard and helped Kenny G later win theAmerican Music Award forFavorite Adult Contemporary Artist, the only award Houston lost out of eight nominations for the soundtrack. A second Kenny G ballad, the instrumental "Waiting for You", was featured on a few international issues of the soundtrack.Curtis Stigers lent his 1991 rendition ofNick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding", while theR&B anddance actThe S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M., recorded the dance tune, "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day!", which sampledBill Withers' "Lovely Day". This is then followed byAlan Silvestri's instrumental theme to the film. The inclusion ofJoe Cocker's "Trust in Me" was arranged by Kevin Costner and featured Canadian singerSass Jordan as a duet vocalist.
Houston embarked on a world tour to continue promoting the album, which would remain on the charts throughout its duration. During the tour, Houston performed full length versions of all six of theBodyguard tracks on the tour, with "I Have Nothing" and "I Will Always Love You" being prominently featured on the tour as showstoppers, with the latter song being performed near the end of the concert before returning onstage to sing "I'm Every Woman" as anencore, while "Jesus Loves Me" was performed as part of the gospel music portion of the show. "Queen of the Night" would start with the originalhard rock version before Houston returned onstage and then it transformed into thehouse version, produced byC.J. Mackintosh. "Run to You" was sporadically performed during the tour on select dates.
Houston launched the tour at theJames L. Knight Center inMiami, Florida on July 5, 1993, and ended it at theGreen Point Stadium inCape Town, South Africa on November 19, 1994, where she performed a total of 120 shows in front of more than half a million fans in five global continents and performed at the continents ofSouth America andAfrica for the first time in her career. During the 1993 leg, most of the dates were at theaters because Houston wanted an intimate setting. During the second North American leg of the tour, Houston performed at the opening ceremony of the1994 FIFA World Cup at theRose Bowl Stadium.[34] Houston performed for the first time at stadiums in South America andSouth Africa to audiences as large as 75,000. TheSouth Africa concerts in particular were special due to Houston being the first international artist to headline at the country following the abolishing ofapartheid in the region and thepresidential election win ofNelson Mandela. The Johannesburg show atEllis Park Stadium aired on HBO to high ratings on November 12, while the November 8th show at Durban'sKings Park Stadium was posthumously shown at selected film theaters in October 2024 and was followed by alive recording, released on the 30th anniversary of the concert.
The tour proved to be a huge success as most of the dates were sold out. The success of the tour helped Houston makeForbes magazine's Richest Entertainers list. Houston earned over $33 million during 1993 and 1994, the third highest for a female entertainer.[35] The tour led to several positive reviews of Houston's performance. During her first Radio City Music Hall performance in New York City,Stephen Holden of theNew York Times wrote that "her stylistic trademarks — shivery melismas that ripple up in the middle of a song, twirling embellishments at the ends of phrases that suggest an almost breathless exhilaration — infuse her interpretations with flashes of musical and emotional lightning."[36] At one of her Atlantic City dates, Kevin L. Carter of thePhiladelphia Inquirer wrote that Houston handled her songs "with subdued emotionalism and the intelligence that only a gifted musician can bring to a song.[37]
"Saving All My Love for You" was turned into a "smoky saloon-style ballad".[38] Many critics noted that the highlight of the show was when Houston took on "And I Am Telling You" fromDreamgirls, and "I Loves You Porgy" fromPorgy and Bess. Stephen Holden wrote of the medley that "her voice conveyed authority, power, determination and just enough vulnerability to give a sense of dramatic intention".[36] As always, Houston included gospel songs. She introduced her band while performing 'Revelation.' Houston spoke about theLord before going into 'Jesus Loves Me' which was often accompanied with complete silence from the mesmerized crowd."[39] During Houston's seven consecutive sold-out residency atRadio City Music Hall in September 1994,New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote, "Houston belted ballads, predictably bringing down the house with songs that moved from aching verses to surging choruses. A medley of hits fromDionne Warwick, Ms. Houston's cousin, lacked Ms. Warwick's lightness, but Ms. Houston made "Alfie" sound like the ethical wrangle it is".[40] Ira Robbins ofNewsday wrote, "Houston peaked in the Warwick segment with marvelous adaptions of "I Say a Little Prayer" and "Alfie", and "after the powerful one-two of "I Have Nothing" and a rendition of "Run to You" so compelling it would have been no shock to see Kevin Costner jog out".[41]
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"I Will Always Love You" was released as thelead single from the soundtrack, on November 2, 1992. The song became an immediate hit upon its release, receiving extensive airplay on multi-format stations as well asgenre stations all over the country, appealing topop,adult contemporary andR&B radio markets. On the November 14th issue ofBillboard, "I Will Always Love You" entered theBillboard Hot 100 at number 40, making it Houston's third highest debut at the time.[42] Two weeks later, on its November 28 issue, the song shot to number one, giving Houston her career tenth number one single, tying her withMadonna for most number ones by a female artist at the time.[43] The song stayed at number one for a record fourteen weeks, all of them spent consecutively, which remains a record to this day.[44]
The song took off internationally as well, landing number one for fourteen weeks in New Zealand, ten weeks in the United Kingdom and Australia, nine weeks in Norway, 8 weeks in France and Switzerland, six weeks in the Netherlands and 3 weeks in Sweden, as well as thirteen weeks atop theEuropean Singles chart.[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52] Eventually, the song would reach the top ten in more than 40 countries and top the charts in 34 of those countries. At 24 million copies sold globally, it isthe best-selling single of all time by a female artist. Themusic video for the song, notable for Houston sitting on a stool singing the song while scenes of the film were interpolated, became an immediate hit on all music video stations includingMTV, earning heavy rotation. The success of the video helped Houston win theMTV Movie Award for Best Song. The song also became her career sixth number one single on theHot R&B Singles chart, where it stayed for a then-record 11 consecutive weeks, and also became her career ninth number one hit on the adult contemporary chart, where it stayed for 5 consecutive weeks.
The album's second single, "I'm Every Woman, was released on January 2, 1993. The song also became an immediate success, eventually peaking at number four on theBillboard Hot 100, all while "I Will Always Love You" remained at number one on the chart. The song followed "I Will Always Love You" to international chart success, reaching the top ten in fifteen other countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and the European Singles chart, placing in more top ten placements throughout its tenure than the Chaka Khan original did fifteen years earlier. The song's music video, directed by Randee St. Nicholas, was also a hit, with Houston featuring notable women such as the song's original co-writerValerie Simpson, R&B groupTLC, motherCissy Houston and the song's original vocalist Khan. It later won Houston theNAACP Image Award forOutstanding Music Video. The song reached number one on theHot Dance Club Play chart, earning Houston her fourth career number one hit on the chart and her first to top the chart since "Love Will Save the Day" in 1988.
The third single, "I Have Nothing", was released on February 20, 1993, and also became an immediate hit, eventually peaking at number four on theBillboard Hot 100. During the week of March 13, 1993, Houston made chart history as the first artist since the verification of Nielsen SoundScan in 1991 to land three songs simultaneously in the top twenty of theBillboard Hot 100, where "I Have Nothing" shot up to number 11 while "I'm Every Woman" and "I Will Always Love You" were numbers five and seven respectively, repeating this for the week of March 20, 1993.[53][54] In addition to its Academy Award nomination,[55] the same song was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, alongside "Run to You". The song reached number one on theBillboard Radio Songs andadult contemporary chart, earning a career tenth number one on the latter chart. The music video for the song also became a hit on every music video station as soon as it premiered.
The fourth song, "Run to You", was released as the next single on June 21, 1993. By this time of the album's chart tenure, it was selling anywhere between half a million and a million copies per week and due to this, the song only reached as high as number 31 on theBillboard Hot 100, becoming more of a modest success, though the song would spend 20 cumulative weeks on the chart, which showed Houston's strong chart presence at the time. Globally, its success was also modest, reaching the top ten in Canada, Ireland and Portugal, while peaking at number 15 in the United Kingdom. It was a bigger hit on theBillboardadult contemporary chart, reaching number ten.
The fifth song, "Queen of the Night", was mainly released only as a European market-only single on October 13, 1993. Its success on the European charts was also modest, reaching the top 20 in Belgium, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, where it reached number 14. In the US, a commercial single wasn't released, but the song made the top 20 on theBillboard Pop Airplay chart at number 17 and number 36 on its Radio Songs chart. Meanwhile, a house remix of the song byCJ Mackintosh, helped to send Houston a number one hit on theBillboardHot Dance Club Play chart, giving Houston her first career number one chart single as a songwriter.
While it was never released as a single, "Jesus Loves Me" earned significant radio airplay on gospel stations. Following Houston'ssudden passing in 2012, the song reached theBillboard Gospel Digital Song Sales chart at number four for the week of February 25 of that year, giving Houston a sixth top tenBillboard chart single from the soundtrack and was also one of many Houston tracks to chart there.[56] It later charted on Billboard's Gospel Streaming Songs chart for the week of April 11, 2015, landing at number 23, one of three Houston gospel tunes to chart there that week. The song was the last from the soundtrack to reach theBillboard charts. It also remains the only version of "Jesus Loves Me" to make arecord chart.
| Initial reviews (in 1992/1993) | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[57] |
| Los Angeles Times |   [1] |
| NME | 4/10[58] |
| New York Times | (favorable)[33] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [59] |
| Q | [60] |
| Rolling Stone | [61] |
| Select |   [62] |
| USA Today |  [63] |
| Retrospective reviews (after 1992/1993) | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| MusicHound R&B | [64] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [65] |
| Sputnikmusic | [66] |
Upon its release,The Bodyguard received mixed-to-positive reviews, with most of the positive reviews, aimed at the production of Houston's songs and Houston's vocals.AllMusic editorStephen Thomas Erlewine views that the first half is characterized byurban pop songs similar toI'm Your Baby Tonight (1990), while the second half has miscellaneous tracks more "typical of a big-budget soundtrack".[2]
In herEntertainment Weekly review, Amy Linden wrote, "Houston’s portion [of the soundtrack] is evenly divided between (a) the pleasantly efficient, yet soulless stuff from her three albums and (b) two stunning cover versions, whose selection is both artistically satisfying and uncharacteristically hip for the MOR songbird."[57]
In his December 23, 1992 review of the album forThe Washington Post,Geoffrey Himes wrote that the soundtrack was "the [then] 29-year-old star's best album yet", stating that "it provides her with the best material and least obtrusive arrangements."[67]
In its retrospective review,MusicHound declares the album "contains Houston's best vocal performance ever" with "I Will Always Love You".[64]
In itsRolling Stone review, the soundtrack "is nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane, but for a phenomenon, it's worthy of its numbers."[61]
In the US,The Bodyguard debuted at number two on theBillboard 200 chart dated December 5, 1992, behindIce Cube'sThe Predator, selling 144,500 copies in the first week.[68] In the following week dated December 12, the album topped theBillboard 200, for increased sales of 292,000 units.[69][70][71] While the album stayed at the summit on the charts, it broke the sales record for most single-week sales twice. During its fifth week, it sold 831,000 copies, breaking the single-week sales record set byheavy metal bandGuns N' Roses' 1991 set,Use Your Illusion II.[72] The following week, it broke its own record for most albums sold in a single week sinceNielsen SoundScan introduced a computerized sales monitoring system in May 1991 when it sold approximately 1,061,000 copies, making Houston the first artist in the SoundScan era to have an album sell over a million copies in a single week.[73][74][75] The album would spend a total of twenty cumulative weeks atop theBillboard 200, marking the first time a female artist had accumulated that many weeks at number one, including thirteen consecutive weeks at the summit, which became the second most consecutive weeks by a female artist, succeeded only byCarole King'sTapestry. In addition, Houston set another chart record when she spent the most cumulative weeks simultaneously on both theBillboard 200 andBillboard Hot 100 withThe Bodyguard and "I Will Always Love You" spending twelve consecutive weeks at number one on the respective charts. One of thefastest-selling albums in music history, the album was eventually certified diamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 3, 1993, less than a year after its release, becoming the first album by a female artist to go diamond for sales of ten million copies by the RIAA, eventually selling 19 million copies alone in the country.[76][77]
In addition, after debuting at number two,[78] the album also topped theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in its second week[79] and would go on to stay atop that chart for eight consecutive weeks, matching her run on the chart with her previous effort,I'm Your Baby Tonight (1990). On theBillboard 200, the album would spend 42 of its weeks inside the top ten, her second most weeks inside the top ten afterWhitney Houston (1985), which spent 48 weeks inside the top ten during its run. It would eventually spend 155 cumulative weeks on theBillboard 200 and 122 weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, marking the second time in the chart's history that a female artist had spent 100 or more weeks on the chart, followed by Houston's 1985 debut, which spent 116 weeks.[80][81][82] It held a 19-year chart record as the female album with the most weeks at number one until singerAdele broke it with her album,21, which went on to spend 24 weeks at number one. As of 2025, Houston and Adele remain the only female artists to have an album register at number one on the chart for twenty or more weeks.[83] Due to its success onBillboard, the soundtrack was ranked the top album on theBillboard Year-End pop and R&B album lists, marking the second time Houston accomplished this since her debut,Whitney Houston, had done it in 1986.[84] It was also the first album in Nielsen SoundScan history to rank among the top three albums in two consecutive years, ranking at number three in 1992 and number one for 1993, and the best-selling soundtrack by theNational Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) in 1993–1994.[85][86] After the soundtrack was credited as a Whitney Houston album inBillboard's archives, Houston became the only artist of theBillboard 200 era with three albums to remain atop the chart for over eleven weeks ㅡWhitney Houston (14 weeks),Whitney (11 weeks) andThe Bodyguard (20 weeks). Houston also broke the record for the most cumulative weeks at number one by a female artist with 46 cumulative weeks untilTaylor Swift surpassed it in 2020 with her albumFolklore.[87] It also set an RIAA sales record for receiving the largest initial certification of any album atsix-times platinum on January 18, 1993.[88] The record was later broken by*NSYNC'sNo Strings Attached, certified 7× Platinum initially in April 2000.[89] When the RIAA launched the Diamond Awards on March 16, 1999,The Bodyguard joined it along with 62 other albums.[90][91] It is the first album to reach both the 10 million and 11 million sales mark in the US since 1991, when Nielsen SoundScan started tracking music sales.[92] As of late 2014, it had sold 12,140,000 copies; it is the sixth best-selling album of the SoundScan era in the United States.[93]
The Bodyguard became an international smash, going to number one in 20 other countries, including Australia for five weeks,[94] Austria for nine weeks,[95] Canada for 12 weeks,[96] France for eight weeks, Germany for 11 weeks,[97]Hungary for two weeks,[98]Italy for two weeks,Japan for two weeks,[99]Netherlands for six weeks,[100] New Zealand for eight weeks,[101]Norway for six weeks,[102] Sweden for four weeks[103] andSwitzerland for nine weeks.[104] In the United Kingdom, the album didn't chart on the main albums chart because compilation albums were excluded from the main albums chart from January 1989.[105] Instead, the album reached the top on the official compilation albums chart and stayed there for 11 weeks, spending 60 non-consecutive weeks in the top 10 and for a total of 107 weeks on the chart. Through its massive success across Europe, it topped theEuropean Top 100 Albumschart for 15 non-consecutive weeks.[106] In the UK, the album was certified 7× platinum by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) on January 1, 1994,[107] and has sold 2,255,000 copies, landing at number sixty on the list of UK's 100 best-selling albums of all time.[108] In Japan, it was certified 2× million by theRecording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in 1994, the first time a foreign artist achieved that feat in Japanese music history, and eventually became the best-selling foreign album with 2.8 million copies sold.[109][110] The record was later broken by Mariah Carey's#1's, certified 3× million in 1998.[110] In Germany, the album has sold more than 1.7 million, earning 3× platinum awards by theBundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI).[111][112] In addition, it was awarded Diamond for the sales of over 1 million in both France and Canada.[113][114] It was certified 3× platinum in Brazil, becoming one of the best-selling international album by a female artist and set a record for the best-selling foreign album with the sales of 1.2 million over in South Korea.[115][116][117] In Australia, it became the best selling album of 1993.[118] In Mexico, the soundtrack sold more than 500,000 copies, making it the best-selling English-language record in 1994.[119] To date, the album has sold 45 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling soundtrack of all time, the best-selling album by a female artist ever and the best-selling album of the 1990s.[8]
BothThe Bodyguard soundtrack and its singles received many accolades following its release. At the65th Academy Awards in 1993, both "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You" received nominations forBest Original Song for its songwriters. At the36th Annual Grammy Awards, Houston received four nominations and won three, includingBest Female Pop Vocal Performance andRecord of the Year for "I Will Always Love You", while winning theAlbum of the Year forThe Bodyguard, which made Houston just the second black female artist in Grammy history to win the coveted award. At the1994 American Music Awards, Houston won a staggering seven awards for the soundtrack includingFavorite Pop/Rock Album, an additional eighthAmerican Music Award for Award of Merit earned Houston a record for the most American Music Awards won by a woman, tying overall withMichael Jackson. Houston received 11Billboard Music Awards in 1993, including Top Billboard 200 Album forThe Bodyguard. Internationally, Houston won fiveWorld Music Awards, sixJapan Gold Disc Awards, aJuno Award forInternational Album of the Year and aBrit Award forSoundtrack/Cast Recording.
In later years, the soundtrack has been regarded as one of the best albums of all time.The Ringer ranked it the seventh best movie soundtrack of the past 50 years in 2021.[120] OnPitchfork's 2022 list of its 150 Greatest Albums of the 1990s, the Houston soundtrack was listed at number 147, crediting Houston for influencing future stars such asChristina Aguilera andAriana Grande. In 2023,the A.V. Club listed it as the 12th best movie soundtrack of all time.[121] That same year,Cosmopolitan ranked it as the 38th best movie soundtrack of all time, whileThe Independent ranked it 35th place in its best top 40 film soundtracks.[122][123] In 2024, it was listed among the 101 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time onRolling Stone. A year later, in 2025,Entertainment Weekly listed it as one of the best film soundtracks of the 1990s.[124]
The lead single "I Will Always Love You" is often recognized in all-time rankings. In 2001, theNational Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with theRecording Industry Association of America listed the song at number 108 in its list of 365 songs ofthe 20th century.[125] In 2004, theAmerican Film Institute ranked it 65th place in itstop 100 songs in American cinema of the 20th century.[126] Rod Couch listed it as the top of his book rankingThe Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015.[127] The song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame in 2018, then selected by theLibrary of Congress in 2019 for preservation in theNational Recording Registry. In 2021,Rolling Stone ranked the song 94th on its500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.[128]Billboard listed it as the 60th best pop song of all time in its 2023 ranking.[129]
I Wish You Love: More from the Bodyguard is the 25th anniversary reissue of the album, released byLegacy Recordings on November 17, 2017. The album was released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the movie,The Bodyguard, which marked Houston's film debut.[130] It includes the film versions of her sixBodyguard contributions – "I Will Always Love You", "I Have Nothing", "I'm Every Woman", "Run to You", "Queen of the Night" and "Jesus Loves Me" – as well as remixes and live performances of the songs from subsequent tours.[130] The album's release coincided with a tribute to Houston and the music ofThe Bodyguard at theAmerican Music Awards on November 19 onABC as performed byChristina Aguilera.[130] Ahead of the performance, Aguilera wrote onInstagram, "I am excited, honored and humbled to perform a tribute to one of my idols."[131]
All songs performed byWhitney Houston, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Will Always Love You" | Dolly Parton | David Foster | 4:31 |
| 2. | "I Have Nothing" | Foster | 4:49 | |
| 3. | "I'm Every Woman" | 4:45 | ||
| 4. | "Run to You" |
| Foster | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Queen of the Night" |
| 3:08 | |
| 6. | "Jesus Loves Me" |
| 5:12 | |
| 7. | "Even If My Heart Would Break" (Kenny G andAaron Neville) |
| 4:58 | |
| 8. | "Someday (I'm Coming Back)" (Lisa Stansfield) |
|
| 4:57 |
| 9. | "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" (The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. featuringMichelle Visage) |
| 4:47 | |
| 10. | "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (Curtis Stigers) | Nick Lowe | Danny Kortchmar | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Waiting for You" (Kenny G) | Kenny G | Kenny G | 4:58 |
| 12. | "Trust in Me" (Joe Cocker featuringSass Jordan) |
| Charlie Midnight | 4:12 |
| 13. | "Theme fromThe Bodyguard" (Alan Silvestri) | Alan Silvestri | Alan Silvestri | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 57:44 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "I'm Every Woman" (Clivillés & Cole House Mix) |
|
| 10:37 |
| 15. | "Queen of the Night" (CJ's Master Mix) |
|
| 6:35 |
| Total length: | 74:56 | |||
Notes
"I Will Always Love You"
"I Have Nothing"
"I'm Every Woman"
"Run to You"
"Queen of the Night"
"Jesus Loves Me"
| "Even If My Heart Would Break"
"Someday (I'm Coming Back)"
"It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day"
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?"
"Theme fromThe Bodyguard"
"Trust in Me"
Production and design[edit]
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
All-time charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF)[210] | 4× Platinum | 240,000^ |
| Australia (ARIA)[211] | 5× Platinum | 350,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[212] | 4× Platinum | 200,000* |
| Belgium (BRMA)[213] | 4× Platinum | 200,000* |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[115] | 3× Platinum | 750,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[114] | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
| Chile | — | 100,000[214] |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[215] | 2× Platinum | 160,000^ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[216] | Platinum | 56,486[216] |
| France (SNEP)[113] | Diamond | 1,300,000[217] |
| Germany (BVMI)[219] | 3× Platinum | 1,700,000[218] |
| Indonesia | — | 320,000[220] |
| Italy 1992-1999 sales | — | 1,000,000[221] |
| Italy (FIMI)[222] sales since 2009 | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[224] | 2× Million | 2,800,000[223] |
| Mexico | — | 500,000[119] |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[226] | Platinum | 600,000[225] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[227] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[228] | 4× Platinum | 200,000* |
| Poland (ZPAV)[229] | Gold | 50,000* |
| South Africa | — | 110,000[230] |
| South Korea | — | 1,200,000[116][117] |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[231] | 6× Platinum | 600,000^ |
| Sweden (GLF)[232] | Platinum | 343,000[220] |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[233] | 5× Platinum | 250,000^ |
| Taiwan | — | 305,000[220] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[234] | 7× Platinum | 2,255,000[108] |
| United States (RIAA)[235] | 19× Platinum | 19,000,000‡ |
| Summaries | ||
| Europe (Music & Media) | — | 7,000,000[236] |
| Worldwide | — | 45,000,000[8] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
billboard 1993.
dall'indimenticao"Bodyguard" che in Italia vendette oltre un milione di copie.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Compilation albums | |
| Other releases | |
| Tours | |
| Concerts and appearances | |
| Family | |
| Related articles | |
