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From album
Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston · 1985 · Track 7
Details
Duración4:28
ÁlbumWhitney Houston
Año1985
ISRCUSAR18500148
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The story behind
When one delves into the recording of All at Once, one encounters a ballad that, although not released as a single in the United States, resonated strongly on pop and R&B radio in late 1986 and early 1987. This airplay, which extended into 1987, went on to influence the release schedule of Whitney Houston's next album. The song, written by Michael Masser and Jeffrey Osborne, explores the pain left behind after the abrupt departure of a loved one. It was recorded in 1984 in Los Angeles, with Michael Masser also handling production and Michael Mancini as recording engineer, while Bill Schnee was responsible for the mix. The track became a major hit for Houston in several European countries, such as Belgium, and marked her musical debut in South Africa.
The story behind All at Once is intertwined with the beginning of Whitney Houston's career. In April 1983, at just 19 years old, she signed with Arista Records. After several showcases in New York and Los Angeles, where they were looking for producers for her debut album, Clive Davis, the CEO of Arista, contacted Michael Masser. Davis told Masser that Houston frequently performed his well-known 1977 composition, The Greatest Love of All. Upon witnessing Houston sing the beginning of that song, Masser committed to working with her, on the condition that she participate in a duet with Teddy Pendergrass on the ballad Hold Me. After recording this track, Masser sent Houston three solo songs to record in 1984, including All at Once. Interestingly, this song was originally intended for co-writer Jeffrey Osborne to record for his album Emotional, but he decided not to include it, considering the album already had too many ballads.