"I'm Your Baby Tonight" is a song by American singer

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...

from her third studio album of the same name (1990). Written and produced by L.A. Reid and

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

, in Australia and most European countries it was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

on September 28, 1990; in the United States, the release date was October 2. Following the release of her second studio album ''

Whitney Whitney may refer to: Film and television * ''Whitney'' (2015 film), a Whitney Houston biopic starring Yaya DaCosta * ''Whitney'' (2018 film), a documentary about Whitney Houston * ''Whitney'' (TV series), an American sitcom that premiered i ...

'' (1987), Houston became the first woman ever to debut atop the ''Billboard'' 200; despite this,

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

deemed it safe and formulaic. Additionally, she was booed at the

1989 Soul Train Music Awards The 1989 Soul Train Music Awards was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California and aired live in select cities on April 13, 1989 (and was later syndicated in other areas), honoring the best in R&B, soul, rap, jazz, and gospel music f ...

and accused of being "not black enough"; Houston decided she needed to change her sound if she wanted to recapture black audiences. For ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'', Houston chose to work with Reid and Babyface, who had previously produced her then-boyfriend

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

's 1988 album ''

Don't Be Cruel "Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...

''. The title-track was the last song recorded for the album and marked a departure from Houston's previous works; it is a new jack swing song with pop and R&B influences, and lyrics that talk about sexual desire. Upon release, the single was generally well-received by most critics, who applauded its sound and Houston's vocals. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" received a nomination for

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

at the

33rd Grammy Awards The 33rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's biggest winner winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year. Performers ...

. In retrospective reviews, it has been considered one of her best singles. The song was also commercially successful, becoming Houston's eighth number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, a feat that tied her with Madonna as the female artist with most number one hits at the time. It performed well internationally, reaching the top five of several countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Italy. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was directed by Julien Temple and showed Houston sporting a more "rebellious" look, and emulating the style of figures such as Audrey Hepburn,

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, and

the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

. Houston performed "I'm Your Baby Tonight" on several occasions through the 1990s, including three of her

concert tours A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

, and her HBO special ''

Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston ''Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston'' is the first ever solo televised concert and video by American singer Whitney Houston. Released on May 14, 1991, through Arista Records, the video contains Whitney's HBO concert special ''Welcome Home ...

''. Brandy sang the song at the 2012 BET Awards in tribute to Houston after her death.

Background

In 1987, with the release of her second studio album,

became the first woman ever to debut atop the US ''Billboard'' 200. Despite commercial success, critical reception was lukewarm;

chastised how Houston "plays everything safe", and deemed the album formulaic. At the

, where Houston was nominated in the category of Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single – Female, audible jeers were heard after her name was announced alongside the other nominees. She was accused of being "not black enough". Houston had been discovered by music executive Clive Davis, who had worked with artists such as Barry Manilow and, despite having presented her as an R&B artist early on her career, quickly crossed her over to

adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

; according to author Sherman Andrus Sr., at the time, black artists' music was considered to be "race music" and was not played on "non-black" radio stations. Houston herself later told ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

'' magazine: "When I first came out, black people felt 'she belongs to us' ..then all of a sudden the big success came and they felt I wasn't theirs anymore ..It was felt that I was making myself more accessible to whites, but I wasn't." Her and Davis agreed that a musical change was needed if she wanted to recapture black audiences. In 1989, Houston became romantically involved with new jack swing singer

, whom she had met at the Soul Train Music Awards; according to author Christine Heppermann, Brown's "unrestrained attitude" inspired the singer. For her third studio album ''

I'm Your Baby Tonight ''I'm Your Baby Tonight'' is the third studio album by American singer Whitney Houston released on November 6, 1990, by Arista Records. The album has been certified quadruple platinum in the US by the RIAA. Background By 1989, Whitney Housto ...

'', she decided to work with producers L.A. Reid, and

, who had worked on Brown's breakthrough album ''

''; she felt they could give her the "funky, urban groove critics felt she had been lacking". Houston then flew to Atlanta to begin working on the album with the producers, an experience she found to be quite pleasant. The first songs they worked on were " My Name Is Not Susan", "Anymore", and "I'm Your Baby Tonight". The latter was, according to Babyface, "written in pretty much before she came". Reid recalled that, although him and Babyface composed the track with the intention of vocally challenging Houston, she recorded it in less than an hour.

Composition and release

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" was written and produced by both by L.A. Reid and Babyface. Recording took place at Los Angeles' Elumba Recording studios and New York's Axis Studios; personnel working on the song included Kenneth Richardson on programming and keyboard arrangement, alongside Donald Parks; Rodney Ascue and Jim Zumpano worked as recording engineers, Reid overlooked the

percussion instrument A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

s and Babyface was in charge of the bass and keyboards. Musically, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" has been described as a new jack swing song with pop and R&B influences that "marries the

call-and-response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

of the

black church The black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian congregations and denominations in the United States that minister predominantly to African Americans, as well as their ...

with the percussiveness of dance music". According to '' Stereogum''s Tom Breihan, it was composed to "showcase" Houston's vocals but, unlike her past songs, it doesn't build up toward one "massive howled-out money-note". It is written in the key of A minor, with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 110 beats per minute in compound quadruple meter ( time); it counts with a

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of Am9Fmaj7Bm75E7susE7, with Houston's vocals spanning from C₄ to A₅. Lyrically, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" marked a departure from Houston's previous work, as it talks about sexual desire: ''Whatever you want from me/I'm giving you everything/I'm your baby tonight'', she sings on the refrain. Other lines include ''I can do anything for you, baby/ I'll be down for you, baby/ Lay all my cards out tonight/ Just call on me, baby'', which are sung with "raw" vocals and an "ecstatic sense of need"; Breihan held that it is the word ''tonight'' that does "a lot of work sit lets us know that this is a temporary arrangement". In Australia and most European countries, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was released as the album's lead single on September 28, 1990; in the United States, the release date was October 2.

Critical reception

Upon release, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was met with generally positive reviews from critics: author Gerrick Kennedy referred to it as a "sassy ..fiery track with a throbbing kick ..bursting with the sort of brash hip-hop energy" that would go on to become a staple of Houston's future work. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s James Hunter singled out Houston's vocals; "L.A. and BabyFace have led her into new, less formal territory, where she sheds her gowns, swings and sounds confident, rhythmically challenged and very much at home". Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' praised the singer's "relaxed and soulful performance". Another positive review came from the staff of '' Music & Media'', who called the song a "sure hit" and applauded its "moody dance beat" and usage of piano, which "form the basis for La Houston's chilling vocals". Breihan wrote that, despite the hooks not being "as hard" as those of her previous singles "

How Will I Know "How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album. The song was released on November 22, 1985, by Arista Records as the album's third single. Originally written and composed by Geo ...

" (1985) and " I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (1987), "Whitney herself is spectacular n 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' ..She manages to hit big notes without ever sounding like she's trying to flex .. ervoice brings more and more urgency, and she sounds like she's having more and more fun." In a more critical review, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

''s David Browne opined that the song "tries too hard to follow in the footsteps of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's '

The Way You Make Me Feel "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 9, 1987, as the third single from his seventh studio album, '' Bad''. It was written and composed by Jackson, and pro ...

', ..but at least it has a discernible melody". Less favorable was Duncan Holland from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'', who said that " I'm Your Baby Tonight'fails to rescue ouston'scrown from

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

and Mariah Carey. Weak to the point of little return, only safe airplay policies will save this. A belting ballad is what's required." The song received a nomination for

at the

. Retrospective reviews have been positive; Paul Grein from ''Billboard'' considered "I'm Your Baby Tonight" Houston's 12th best song, deeming it a "stylish smash". A poll conducted of ''Rolling Stone'' readers found the song to be Houston's eight best. Alexis Petridis from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' placed "I'm Your Baby Tonight" at number seven of his ranking of Houston's songs, praising its "catchy as hell" refrain. The staff of ''Entertainment Weekly'' concluded that, despite having a "grittier, more street-oriented" sound, Houston's voice "remained a technical marvel"; they named it her 18th best song. '' Slant Magazine''s Andrew Chan deemed it Houston's second best song, saying the track was a "relentless whirligig of rhythm, drenched in synths ..a vocal tour de force, one that demonstrates how much pleasure Whitney could wring out of doing battle with a sick beat". Also from ''Slant Magazine'', Eric Henderson named it the best Babyface single. For

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

, the song is one of Houston's "funkier, harder-edged" as well as her 23rd best. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was included on Bruce Pollock's ''Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock & Roll Era'' (2014).

Commercial performance

On October 20, 1990, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" debuted at number 42 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. By November 17, after the single reached the Hot 100's top five, it tied "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" as Houston's fastest-rising top five hit. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" reached the chart's first position on December 1, 1990, and received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies in the US; it was Houston's eighth number one on the Hot 100, which tied her with Madonna as the female artist with the most number one hits at the time, as well as the first number one pop hit for Babyface and L.A. Reid. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" also reached the top spot of ''Billboard''s

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, where it remained for two weeks. The single came in at number 42 and 79 of ''Billboard''s year-end charts for Top Pop Singles and Top R&B Singles, respectively. In January 2022, the single was re-certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

for sales of one million. In Canada, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" debuted in the 85th position of ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...

''s Top Singles chart on the week of October 27; it peaked at the second position the week of December 22. In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at the 16th position of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on October 14, 1990, and, 2 weeks later, peaked at number 5; it spent 11 weeks on the chart overall. In Australia, the single entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 36 on the week of November 4, 1990, eventually reaching the seventh spot, and lasting 13 weeks on the chart. In New Zealand, "I'm Your Baby Tonight" peaked at number 16. The single found success across Europe as well, topping the charts in Portugal, Italy, and Greece. It peaked within the top five of countries such as Austria, Belgium, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" reached the second position of the European Hot 100 Singles chart. Following Houston's death in 2012, the single re-entered the French charts at number 190.

Music video, live performances and cover

Whitney Houston Welcome Heroes 6 (cropped)

The

for "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was directed by Julien Temple and filmed at a park on the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

on New York's West Side, and at a nightclub called Tatou. Adam Shankman was in charge of choreography. In the video, Houston emulates Audrey Hepburn's dance sequence from ''

Funny Face ''Funny Face'' is a 1957 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Stanley Donen and written by Leonard Gershe, containing assorted songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Although having the same title as the 1927 Broadway musical ''Funny ...

'' (1957), and recreates the looks of

and

. ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

''s Tshepo Mokoena pointed out how the music video saw an image change in Houston; dressed in ripped high-waisted jeans and an oversized leather jacket, her style was "androgynous, slightly rebellious", a contrast from her previous 1980s videos, which had her in "Barbie heels and candy-colored dresses", and focused on her "onscreen cuteness and clothing-catalogue smile". Mokoena noticed influence from the music video in the work of artist such as

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

Jessie Ware Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, '' Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produc ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, and M.I.A., among others. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" can be found on the video edition of Houston's 2000 compilation '' Whitney: The Greatest Hits''. In early 1991, Houston performed "I'm Your Baby Tonight" on ''

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, ...

'', and on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

''. She also sang it on her

I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour The I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour was a concert tour by American pop/ R&B singer Whitney Houston, in support of her multi-platinum album ''I'm Your Baby Tonight''. Prior to Houston performing two dates in Japan early-March, the official tour s ...

, and on some dates of her The Bodyguard (1993–94) and My Love Is Your Love (1999) concert tours. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" was one of the songs performed on Houston's 1991 HBO special ''

''; this performance was then included on '' Whitney Houston Live: Her Greatest Performances'' (2014). At the 2012 BET Awards, Brandy sang "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" as a tribute to Houston.

Track listings and formats

* Europe

CD maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, "In the Summertime" was the ...

# "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (album edit) — 4:16 # "I'm Knockin' — 4:04 # "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (extended remix) — 6:20 # "Feels So Good" — 4:07 * Germany CD maxi-single – The Remixes # "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (L.A. Babyface US Mix) — 4:16 # "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (dub mix) — 5:25 # "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Whit-A-Pella) — 4:35 * US 12-inch vinyl single :A. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (extended remix) — 6:20 :B1. "I'm Knockin'" — 4:59 :B2. "Feels So Good" — 4:55 * US

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

:A1. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" — 4:15 :A2. "I'm Knockin'" — 4:59 * UK VHS video single # "I'm Your Baby Tonight" (music video) — 4:15

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. *

– vocals, vocal arrangement * L.A. Reid – songwriter, producer, percussions, vocal arrangements *

– songwriter, producer, keyboard, bass, vocal arrangement * Kenneth Richardson – keyboards, programming * Donald Parks – keyboards * Jim Zumpano – recording engineer * Rodney Ascue – recording engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

I'm Your Baby Tonight
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:I'm Your Baby Tonight (Song) 1990 singles 1990 songs Arista Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Music videos directed by Julien Temple New jack swing songs Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Portugal Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Babyface (musician) Songs written by L.A. Reid Whitney Houston songs