Why Whitney Houston’s ‘Higher Love’ Cover Didn’t Become a Hit Until the 2010s
TL;DR:
- Whitney Houston released a cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” in 1990.
- The recording was only released as a bonus track in one country.
- Houston’s “Higher Love” became a hit with some help from another artist.
Whitney Houston once recorded a cover of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love.” Subsequently, her management was skeptical of releasing the song. With help from another artist, Houston’s “Higher Love” eventually became a hit in the 2010s.
Whitney Houston’s management thought her cover of Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’ would make her a ‘cover artist’
According to a 2019 Rolling Stone article, Houston recorded “Higher Love” for her 1990 album I’m Your Baby Tonight. “When [producer] Narada Michael Walden sent me ‘Higher Love’ with the Whitney vocal, we didn’t want her being a cover artist at that time,” record producer Clive Davis said. “The only place it was released was as a bonus cut in Japan.”
In 2019, Houston’s “Higher Love” was remixed by EDM artist Kygo and released as a single. Pat Houston, the executor of Whitney’s estate, discussed the remix. “The current cultural environment has been thirsty for something uplifting and inspiring,” she said. “Who better to inspire than Whitney, the most exhilarating vocalist of all time?”
Why Whitney Houston’s estate didn’t try to tell Kygo what to do when he remixed the song
Pat discussed Kygo’s role in creating the single. “Kygo was the first person that was mentioned,” she said. “He put his spin on it and did a fantastic job.”
Pat didn’t try to dictate how Kygo remixed the song. “You can’t tell Michael Jordan how to shoot a basketball,” Pat opined. “We knew when his name was brought up that it would be successful in the hands of someone of his caliber.”
Kygo discussed his approach to “Higher Love.” “I was trying to make it sound like something that she would’ve done, but also something that’s my style,” he said.
How Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’ and the cover performed on the pop charts in the United States
Winwood’s “Higher Love” became a massive hit in the United States. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week, staying on the chart for 22 weeks. It became Winwood’s first No. 1 single in the U.S. The track appeared on the album Back in the High Life. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 86 weeks.
On the other hand, the remix of Houston’s “Higher Love” reached No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for nine weeks. The remix appeared on Kygo’s album Golden Hour. The album hit No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and spent 17 weeks on the chart.
Winwood’s “Higher Love” became a huge hit and the remix brought new life to the song.
