Didn’t We Almost Have It All

When you encounter Didn’t We Almost Have It All, it's inevitable to feel that vocal power that characterizes it. The song, written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings, has that ballad quality that grabs you from the first moment. What's interesting is that, although today we associate it directly with Whitney Houston, the original idea for the second single from her album *Whitney* was different; they planned to release a version of the Isley Brothers' For the Love of You. However, the record label, Arista Records, bet on original material for her, and that's how this piece saw the light of day in July 1987.

The composition of Didn’t We Almost Have It All was not a quick process. Michael Masser and Will Jennings worked on it intermittently for a couple of years. Jennings recalls that phone calls to coordinate the work cost over two hundred dollars from a hotel in Nashville, which gives an idea of the dedication involved. Despite the back and forth, the result was a song that became a milestone for Houston. Not only did it reach the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, adding her fifth consecutive number one, but it also received a nomination for Song of the Year at the 30th Annual Grammy Awards. The recording took place in several studios, including Devonshire in Los Angeles and Sigma Sound in New York, and the final result, with its orchestral production and Contemporary R&B touch, remains one of her most recognized songs.