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Where Do Broken Hearts Go
1988 single by Whitney Houston From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, written by Frank Wildhorn and Chuck Jackson and produced by Narada Michael Walden. The song was the fourth single released from Houston's second studio album, Whitney, released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on February 15, 1988. A pop-soul ballad set in the key of D major, the song is about a woman seeking an ex-lover to return to her following a breakup. The quiet storm ballad was later cited as marking a shift towards more introspective and emotional themes in Houston's music. It had been one of the first songs to be presented to the album and was one of the last to be recorded, mainly due to Houston's initial reluctance to record it. The song received mixed to positive reviews from critics upon its release.
The music video of the song, directed by Peter Israelson, was shot in Houston's hometown of Newark and featured the singer's real-life boyfriend at the time, restaurateur Brad Johnson, as the love interest in the video. The video received some notoriety and controversy from black music critics, due to Johnson's racially ambiguous appearance, furthering claims that Houston had "sold out". Much like a lot of her music videos of this era, it received heavy rotation on MTV and BET and won Houston a Soul Train Music Award nomination for R&B/Urban Contemporary Single – Female.
The song helped Houston to set an all-time chart record on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Houston's seventh consecutive number one single on the chart, beating the record of six, previously held by The Beatles and The Bee Gees. As of 2025[update], the record still holds. Houston also became the first female artist to produce four number one singles from a single album. The song helped to cement her status as a pop music icon.
Houston would later perform the song in full on her Moment of Truth World Tour, while in later tours such as the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour and The Bodyguard World Tour, the final bridge and chorus of the song was included in a "Love Medley" segment, usually near the end of the medley.
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Background
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In February 1985, Whitney Houston released her acclaimed self-titled debut album. After a slow start, the album's sales picked up after the success of her single "You Give Good Love", which first topped the Hot Black Singles chart in May 1985 before surprisingly crossing over successfully to pop and adult contemporary radio, later peaking at numbers three and four respectively on the Billboard Hot 100 and adult contemporary chart two months later that July. It was then followed by three successive singles - "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All" - all of which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in a row, the first for a female solo artist (singer Andy Gibb had preceded Houston seven years earlier achieving this milestone) and also set a record for the most number one pop singles off a single album by a female artist, while the album itself would become the best selling album of all time by a black female artist at the time.[2]
Davis initially had plans to work on Houston's sophomore album, Whitney, in early 1986 and initially planned for the album to be released in September of the year but due to the debut album's continued success on the pop charts, buoyed by the success of "Greatest Love of All", Davis pushed the date to February 1987 and then to June 1987 following the airplay success of the ballad "All at Once", which Houston had performed on television and in festivals such as the Sanremo Music Festival in February 1987.
Around late 1985, Arista head Clive Davis contacted musical composer Frank Wildhorn, who later conceived the Broadway musical, Jekyll & Hyde, to compose a new song for Houston's sophomore album. Wildhorn had wanted to write Houston a ballad after hearing her on her duet with singer Teddy Pendergrass' 1984 hit, "Hold Me". Wildhorn was teamed up with acclaimed lyric songwriter Charles "Chuck" Jackson to work on the then-unnamed ballad. Jackson had been primarily known for writing the lyrics of many of Natalie Cole's early hits including "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)", "I've Got Love on My Mind" and "Our Love".[3]
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Recording
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Wildhorn would later tell Songfacts that he got the title of the song from Jackson over the phone. From there, Wildhorn said, he "sat there at the piano... and in about 40 minutes, 90% of the sketch of the song was done".[4] Afterwards, he called Jackson back and told him to come over his house because "I think we've got something" and the duo finished the song later that night with Jackson writing the rest of the lyrics.[4]
The song was among the first to be sent to Arista for the Whitney album around September 1986. Wildhorn admitted later that he and Jackson were worried that the song would be passed over after not getting word for months after submitting the song:
"From what I understand, it was one of the first songs chosen for the album. Knowing [it was for] Whitney's project, there must have been 50,000 songs submitted after (ours). So every week it was, 'Do we still have it?' We were going through hell."[5]
According to published reports, when Houston heard the demo of the song, she flatly turned down recording it, feeling the song was "trite" and "had no depth", something the singer confirmed in later interviews.[4] In 2000, Houston admitted, "I didn't even wanna do '[Where Do] Broken Hearts [Go]', I hated the song, I didn't wanna sing it."[6] In a 2010 interview, Houston claimed she was in Davis' office having "such a big fuss" about recording it.[7]
In both interviews, Houston stated that Davis continually stressed to her that the song was a number one song for her.[6]
Because of Houston's reluctance, other singers offered to record it, including Motown artist Smokey Robinson, who was at the time recording content for his comeback album, One Heartbeat. Despite Robinson's insistence on recording the song, he was rebuffed by the songwriters and Davis, who still were pinning their hopes on Houston changing her mind in recording the song.[8]
It was only after producer Narada Michael Walden retooled the song's sound that Houston eventually agreed to record it around February 1987, following her performances at the 14th Annual American Music Awards, Brit Awards, Sanremo Music Festival and the 29th Annual Grammy Awards. In 2012, Wildhorn told Playbill that after initially sending the song to Davis and Houston, he received a letter from the pair saying they loved the song but that they wanted a second bridge, to which Wildhorn composed on the spot. It was eventually accepted.[9]
The recording took place at Manhattan's Right Track Studios. Houston admitted that she eventually found "some meaning in [the song] that [she] could relate to". Walden admitted that the song was the hardest to record because, "[Houston] wasn’t used to having her heart broken. We had to lower all the lights, put the candles on, take a moment, just kind of imagine how [she’d] feel broken down with tears, and have nowhere to go. That was the hardest gear to shift into. But once she got there, if you hear 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go,' it’ll break your heart."[10] Along with the uptempo single, "So Emotional", recorded a month later, it became one of the last songs to be recorded for the album.[6]
Following the release of Whitney, three singles — "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost Have It All" and "So Emotional" — preceded the ballad, all going to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. As planned, Davis set the release for "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" to be the album's fourth official single in February 1988, exactly a year after its recording.
Wildhorn recalled to Songfacts on being struck by her performance of the song after Davis played it for him:
“I cried the first time I heard Whitney sing ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go.’ I've had Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Johnny Mathis, Trisha Yearwood and Patti LaBelle (sing songs I've written), but if someone put a gun to my head, the answer is Whitney's version of ‘Where do Broken Hearts go,’ going No. 1, that's as good as it gets.”
By 2010, more than twenty years later, Houston cited the ballad as being "now one of [her] most favorite songs".[7]
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Composition
“Where Do Broken Hearts Go” is a pop song with R&B and soul influences. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony Music Publishing, the song is written in the key of D major with a key change of D♯ near the end of the song. [11]
The beat is set in common time, and moves at a moderate tempo of 66 beats per minute.[11] Houston's vocals in the song span from the note of A3 to the note of D5, while the piano elements range from the low note of B♭1 to the high note of C6.[11]
Critical reception
Initial critical reception was mostly positive. AllMusic's Ron Wynn highlighted the track in his review of the Whitney album.[12] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described it as a ballad "that raises questions without making you care about the answers."[13] People Magazine said that songs like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" "have some substance".[14] Pop Rescue noted it as a "classic big 80s power ballad", adding it as "the perfect ending to a school disco."[15]
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Chart performance
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"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" broke the all-time record of most consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 first set by The Beatles and the Bee Gees.
"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 47 on February 27, 1988, less than three weeks after its release.[16] After entering the top 40 on March 5, it hit the top ten on April 2.[17][18] Three weeks later, it peaked at number one on the week of April 23, 1988 in its ninth week replacing Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", setting an all-time chart record in which Houston became the first and only artist in pop music history with seven consecutive number one singles, a record Houston still holds.[19][20] Houston's record was also significant in that it broke the record first set by The Beatles and later shared with the Bee Gees, each of which scored six consecutive number one hits in a row. It also topped the Hot 100 Singles Sales and Hot 100 Airplay charts. After a two-week run, it was replaced by Terence Trent D'Arby's "Wishing Well". The song would spend 13 weeks inside the top 40, six weeks inside the top ten and a cumulative total of 18 weeks on the chart altogether. Following the song's chart peak, Houston wrote a congratulatory letter to Wildhorn that simply said, "Where do broken hearts go? I have no idea".[8] When Davis called Houston to inform her that she had set a chart record with the ballad in "surpass[ing] Elvis and The Beatles and I was the only woman to do that," Houston replied in 2000, "ah, that's history."[6] The song was also the first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for both Wildhorn and Jackson.
The song achieved additional chart records. Houston followed Michael Jackson as just the second artist to produce four or more number one singles off a single album at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, over a month after Jackson had set the record with "Man in the Mirror" off his Bad album. Houston was also the first female artist to set this record.[21][22] Since then, only five other artists have set this record, including George Michael (Faith, 1987-88), Paula Abdul (Forever Your Girl, 1989-90), Janet Jackson (Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989-91), Mariah Carey (Mariah Carey, 1990-91) and Katy Perry (Teenage Dream, 2010-11). Houston briefly set the record for the most number one singles by a female solo artist in chart history, surpassing Diana Ross.[23] The song helped Houston to become the top female pop singles artist of 1988.[24] The song found success on other charts, entering the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart (now "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs") at number 60 on the week of March 5, 1988, peaking at number two nine weeks later, bested by Al B. Sure!'s "Nite and Day", becoming Houston's tenth consecutive R&B top ten hit in a row and helped Houston to be the top black female artist of the year, according to Billboard.[25][26][24] On the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, the single peaked at number one, the issue dated April 2, 1988, and remained there for three weeks, making it her sixth number one single on the chart.[27][28] It was also her ninth consecutive top ten record on the chart, a 1980s record for a female artist. In 2020, the record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for digital sales and stream equivalent sales of 500,000 units.[29]
The ballad was ranked number 33 and 47, on the Billboard Top Pop and Top Black Singles year-end charts for 1988, respectively.[30] The single also placed at number two on the Top Adult Contemporary Singles year-end chart of the same year.[31] In Canada, the song entered RPM Top 100 Singles chart at number 76, the issue date of March 5, 1988, and peaked at number six on the chart on May 14, 1988, becoming Houston's eighth top ten hit in the country.[32][33]
Outside North America, "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" achieved more moderate success than her previous singles from the Whitney album. The single debuted at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart, for the week ending date of March 12, 1988, and three weeks later reached a peak of number 14 on the chart.[34][35] In Ireland, it peaked at number two, the highest chart position of the song outside the United States.[36] The song also reached number 48 in Australia,[37] number 47 in the Netherlands,[38] and number 23 in New Zealand.[39]
In 2022, the record was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for digital sales and stream equivalent sales of 200,000 units.[40]
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Music video
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The music video, directed by Peter Israelson in his second music video collaboration with Houston after "Greatest Love of All" was shot at the singer's hometown of Newark, New Jersey in 1987.
In the beginning of the video, Houston gets a bouquet of flowers from her boyfriend sent to her dressing room. Upon receiving the flowers, she finds a small note that simply says "goodbye".
Fearing that her boyfriend has simply moved on, she reflects on happy memories; asking herself, "where do broken hearts go?" Houston leaves her dressing room, picking out one of the flowers from the bouquet. In the conclusion, as she walks, she is stopped by her boyfriend in surprise and the couple reunites. The video was shot in color and in black or white for the "memories" portions.
Houston is depicted in various "glamour girl" shots throughout the video; Arista executives reportedly joked at the time, "there's her screen test", referring to rumors about Houston's Hollywood ambitions.[41] In 2002, Israelson told Liquid Assets, a British TV documentary series focused on the net worth of celebrities, that Houston's performance in the video's 1940s-themed train station scene (filmed at Newark Penn Station) convinced Kevin Costner of her acting abilities for The Bodyguard.
The video was moderately controversial since the ambiguous ethnic background of Houston's love interest (reportedly Houston's then real-life boyfriend, black New York restaurateur Brad Johnson) highlighted the racial sensitivities that accompanied Houston's success during the 1980s. The singer had been criticized for "selling out" and "acting white".[42]
Some members of the audience at the Soul Train Music Awards jeered at Houston's name when "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was nominated for an award at the 1989 ceremony.[43] Despite this, the video was still heavily played on the black station BET as well as MTV and VH1, which continued Houston's success with all racial demographics.
The video has been currently viewed more than 95 million times on YouTube and is her second most viewed music video from the Whitney album on the channel.[44]
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Live performances
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Houston first performed "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" at Montreux Golden Rose Rock Festival on May 15, 1987. The performance was broadcast later in the US, as well as on various European TV channels.[45] Houston sang the song at the 15th American Music Awards, held on January 25, 1988.[46] She performed the song on the UK BBC1 TV show Wogan, which was hosted by Terry Wogan in 1988. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" was one of the songs performed on Houston's set list during Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Celebration concert, televised live worldwide via BBC, at Wembley Stadium in London on June 11, 1988. In the US, the edit version of the concert was broadcast later on Fox TV network.[47][48]
Aside from the several live televised performances, the song was included on the set-lists on four of Houston's world tours. During her Moment of Truth World Tour (1987–88), the performance of the song was slightly different from the album version. Starting the song in its usual tempo, Houston ended the song with an extended coda vamp where she used her chest voice and head voice, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience while doing so. On her Feels So Right tour in Japan, the song started to be included in the so-called "Love Medley", arranged by Houston and then-musical director Rickey Minor, including the song with Houston's other ballad hits such as "All at Once" and "Didn't We Almost Have It All", while it would be preceded by half-brother and background vocalist Gary Garland performing bits of Luther Vandross' rendition of "A House Is Not a Home" and ending it by sampling bits of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "Say You Love Me", by Dionne Warwick and Jennifer Holliday respectively. The same medley would later be used on Houston's 97-date I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour (1991) and performed live on the HBO-TV concert, Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston on March 31, 1991.[49]
The song would be used slightly different on her Bodyguard World Tour where the song would be included along with "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do", "All at Once", "Didn't We Almost Have It All" and afterwards would be followed by "All the Man That I Need". On the 1993 and 1994 performances of the medley at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, the song would be followed by a full rendition of "Say You Love Me" before ending the song. Houston continued to use the song on two more tours, the Pacific Rim Tour (1997) and the European Tour (1998) as well as in her 1996 concert, Whitney: Brunei The Royal Wedding Celebration.
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Legacy
The ballad landed at number 11 on Entertainment Weekly's 25 best Whitney Houston songs in 2024.[50] In their list of Houston's 20 greatest songs that same year, Forbes listed the ballad at number 18 and cited it as the song that "marked a shift towards more introspective and emotional themes in her music."[51] On the site About.com, the song was ranked as the sixth best Houston song.[52] The song was very popular in the Philippines, and it became one of the main focus of the 2014 indie romantic film That Thing Called Tadhana.
It also became one of Houston's most covered tunes, being performed by the likes of artists such as Pia Toscano, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and Wayne Wonder.[53] The same song was sampled in 1994 by reggae artists Tony Rebel and Garnett Silk in the song of the same name on their 1994 collaborative album, Tony Rebel Meets Garnett Silk in a Dancehall Conference, their final effort before Silk's death that same year.[53]
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Track listing and formats
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Charts and certifications
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Credits and personnel
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"Where Do Broken Hearts Go"
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"If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful"
"Where You Are"
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See also
References
External links
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