The Preacher's Wife (soundtrack)

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the soundtrack to the 1996 film of the same name and features songs performed and produced by American singer Whitney Houston, who also stars in the film. The soundtrack was released on November 26, 1996, by Arista Records and BMG Entertainment. The album has sold 6 million copies as of 2016, and over 10 million to date, making it the best-selling gospel album of all time.^[2] The soundtrack and film cemented Houston’s status as a pop culture icon.

The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album
Soundtrack album by Whitney Houston
Released	November 26, 1996
Recorded	January – February 1996
Genre	Gospel soul R&B[1]
Length	62:20
Label	Arista BMG Entertainment
Producer	Whitney Houston Mervyn Warren Ricky Minor Steve Lipson Babyface David Foster
Whitney Houston chronology
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1992) The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album (1996) My Love Is Your Love (1998)
Singles from The Preacher's Wife
"I Believe in You and Me" Released: December 10, 1996 "Step by Step" Released: February 24, 1997 "My Heart Is Calling" Released: June 10, 1997

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable)[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A−[4]
The New York Times	(favorable)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]

Music critics saw a more emotionally engaged side of Houston, particularly with the soundtrack's gospel offerings. “For the first time in her 12-year recording career, Houston sounds genuinely moved by her material. Early on she stumbles through the Annie Lennox-penned "Step By Step," but the presence of the Georgia Mass Choir on six subsequent tracks melts her frosty reserve,” People magazine wrote.^[7]

Commercial performance

Released on November 26, 1996, The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 albums chart on the issue dated December 14, 1996, selling 90,500 units in the first week.^[8] On its second week, the album jumped to number four on the chart with the Greatest Gainer mark, and the following week reached number three which was the album's peak position, with reported sales of 330,000 copies that week, producing the highest first-week sales of a gospel release in history, a record it holds to this day.^[9][10] The album also debuted at number eight on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart, and in three weeks later, peaked at the number one and remained there for two weeks, becoming her fourth number one album on the chart.^[11][12] It stayed for a total of 43 weeks and 49 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top R&B Albums chart respectively.^[11][13] In Europe, the soundtrack became the first and only gospel album in history to sell a million copies in the continent.

In addition, the soundtrack was more successful on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. It debuted at number one, becoming the first album by a female solo artist to do so. It spent 26 consecutive weeks at the top from December 14, 1996, to June 7, 1997. It remained on the chart for 117 weeks during its initial run.^[14][15] It has since returned to the Top Gospel Albums chart for 45 more weeks, bringing its total to 162 cumulative weeks. The album was the number one gospel album on the 1997 Billboard Top Gospel Albums year-end chart.

Prior to the album's release, music industry insiders had expected The Preacher's Wife soundtrack to "do at least as well as" Waiting to Exhale's soundtrack, which sold 5,100,000 copies in the United States.^[16] The album was the Best-selling Gospel Recording by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) in 1996–1997.^[17][18] It was certified 3× Platinum for shipping 3 million copies in the United States alone by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on June 30, 1998.^[19] According to Nielsen SoundScan, as of 2012, the album has sold 2,627,000 copies in the United States alone.^[2]

Singles

The lead single, "I Believe in You and Me" (originally by The Four Tops), became a top five hit in the U.S.^[20] and was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 40th Grammy Awards, where the soundtrack overall was nominated for Best R&B Album.^[21]

"Step by Step" was another hit single, peaking at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "My Heart Is Calling" became the soundtrack's final single release.

Promotion and appearances

Pacific Rim Tour

Chart success of the soundtrack and its hit singles, "I Believe in You and Me" and "Step By Step", the singer further promoted the album and singles touring across Asia, Australia, and in North America. Known as the Pacific Rim Tour, Houston played shows in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia and Hawaii. The setlist featured tracks from the album, as well as duet performances of "Count On Me" with singer CeCe Winans and "In Return" at select shows in Japan.

Date	Title	Details
December 13, 1996	Rosie O'Donnell Show	Houston is interviewed by Rosie O'Donnell to promote The Preacher's Wife film and her soundtrack album.[22]
December 14, 1996	Saturday Night Live	Houston performed "I Believe in You and Me" and "I Go to The Rock".
March 15, 1997	UK National Lottery Show	Houston performed "I Believe in You and Me" and later followed by a brief interview broadcast live on the BBC in the United Kingdom.

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Houston and Mervyn Warren, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I Believe in You and Me" (film version)	David Wolfert Sandy Linzer		4:01
2.	"Step by Step"	Annie Lennox	Stephen Lipson	4:12
3.	"Joy" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Kirk Franklin		3:16
4.	"Hold On, Help Is on the Way" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Rev. Kenneth Paden		3:09
5.	"I Go to the Rock" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Dottie Rambo		4:05
6.	"I Love the Lord" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Richard Smallwood		4:57
7.	"Somebody Bigger Than You and I" (Featuring Bobby Brown, Faith Evans, Johnny Gill, Monica and Ralph Tresvant)	Johnny Lange Hy Heath Sonny Burke	Whitney Houston Rickey Minor	4:42
8.	"You Were Loved"	Diane Warren	Babyface	4:13
9.	"My Heart Is Calling"	Babyface	Babyface	4:14
10.	"I Believe in You and Me" (single version)	David Wolfert Sandy Linzer	David Foster	3:52
11.	"Step by Step" (Remix)	Annie Lennox	Remixed by Teddy Riley	4:34
12.	"Who Would Imagine a King"	Mervyn Warren Hallerin Hilton Hill		3:31
13.	"He's All Over Me" (with Shirley Caesar and the Georgia Mass Choir)	Alvin Darling		3:53
14.	"The Lord Is My Shepherd" (performed by Cissy Houston with Hezekiah Walker & The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir)	Traditional		4:24
15.	"Joy to the World" (with the Georgia Mass Choir)	Isaac Watts		4:41

Charts

Weekly charts 1996–1997 weekly chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (1996–1997) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 34 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 8 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 34 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 45 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[27] 29 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] 17 European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[29] 17 French Albums (SNEP)[30] 28 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 9 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[32] 11 Icelandic Albums (Tónlist)[33] 19 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[34] 22 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[35] 24 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[36] 39 Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] 50 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 16 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] 11 UK Albums (OCC)[40] 35 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[41] 3 US Billboard 200[42] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[43] 1 US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[44] 1 2012 weekly chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2012) Peak position UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[45] 12 US Billboard 200[46] 80 US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[47] 4 2023 weekly chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2023) Peak position Spanish Vinyl Albums (PROMUSICAE)[48] 42 UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[49] 10 Year-end charts 1996 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (1996) Position Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 78 1997 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (1997) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[51] 49 European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[52] 85 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[53] 73 US Billboard 200[54] 17 US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[55] 1 US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[56] 17 US Top Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)[57] 3 1998 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (1998) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[58] 10 2017 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2017) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[59] 35 2018 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2018) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[60] 35 2021 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2021) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[61] 41 2023 year-end chart performance for The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album Chart (2023) Position US Top Gospel Albums (Billboard)[62] 49

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[63]	Gold	35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[64]	Platinum	100,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[65]	Platinum	20,000*
Italy (FIMI)[66]	Gold	50,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[67]	2× Platinum	400,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[68]	Gold	50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[69]	Gold	40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[70]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[71]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[72]	3× Platinum	2,471,000[73]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[74]	Platinum	1,000,000*
Worldwide	—	6,000,000 (as of 2016)[2]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

American Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Soundtrack[75]	Nominated

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Female, R&B[76]	Won
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Favorite Soundtrack[77]	Nominated

Essence Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1997	Whitney Houston (herself)	The Triumphant Spirit Award[78][79]	Won

GMA (Gospel Music Association) Dove Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1997	Special Award	Outstanding Mainstream Contribution to Gospel Music[80]	Won
1998	"I Go to the Rock"	Traditional Gospel Song of the Year (with Dottie Rambo)[81][82]	Won

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1998	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Best R&B Album[83]	Nominated
	"I Believe in You and Me"	Best Female R&B Vocal Performance[83]	Nominated

NAACP Image Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Outstanding Gospel Artist (with Georgia Mass Choir)[84][85][86]	Won
		Outstanding Album[84][85][86]	Won

The NARM Best Seller Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1997	The Preacher's Wife Original Soundtrack Album	Best-selling Gospel Recording[18]	Won

People's Choice Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1998	Whitney Houston (herself)	Favorite Female Musical Performer (tied with Reba McEntire)[87][88]	Won

Soul Train Music Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1998	Special Award	The 1998 Quincy Jones Award — for Outstanding Career Achievements in the field of entertainment[89][90]	Won

Trumpet Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1998	Whitney Houston (herself)	The Pinnacle Award[91][92]	Won

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1997 (U.S.)