Whitney Houston – Didn’t We Almost Have It All

This was the fifth of seven consecutive US #1 hits for Houston, whose career was being guided by Clive Davis at Arista Records. Davis had quite a knack for finding songs that would be successful for Houston, and enlisted Masser to write for her. He had written the hit ballads “Touch Me In The Morning” (for Diana Ross) and “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love” (for Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson) and also wrote Houston’s hits “The Greatest Love Of All” and “Saving All My Love For You.”

“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” was ranked 22nd on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts (1987), and remained in the Billboard Hot 100 for 17 weeks. It was her fifth number one single on the Billboard Hot 100, her fourth on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart, her fourth on the Hot 100 Airplay, and her fifth on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 2020, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 equivalent units. Three years later, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of 200,000 equivalent units.

“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” received positive reviews from the music critics, who praised its lyrics, production, and Houston’s vocal performance. It became Houston’s fifth consecutive chart topper on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying there for two weeks and also reached the top 10 in various countries. A live performance from her September 2, 1987 concert in Saratoga Springs, New York was used as the official video and played on MTV, VH1, and BET. The recorded performance was also televised along with her performance of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards on September 11. At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards, it received a nomination for the Song of the Year.

“Didn’t We Almost Have It All” – Single by Whitney Houston from the album Whitney
B-side:”Shock Me” (Special Collector’s Bonus Cut)
Released in July 1987.
Songwriters: Michael Masser and Will Jennings
Charted No.1 in US, No.14 in UK, No.1 Canada, No.4 Ireland

Lyrics:
Didn’t we almost have it all
When love was all we had worth giving?
The ride with you was worth the fall my friend
Loving you makes life worth living
Didn’t we almost have it all?
The night we hold on ’til the morning
You know you’ll never love that way again
Didn’t we almost have it all?