I Learned from the Best

"I Learned from the Best"
U.S. single cover
Single by Whitney Houston
from the album My Love Is Your Love
Released	November 29, 1999 (UK) February 22, 2000 (US)
Format	CD single
Recorded	Fall 1998
Genre	R&B, pop
Length	4:20 3:56 (Radio Edit)
Label	Arista
Writer(s)	Diane Warren
Producer(s)	David Foster
Certification	Gold (RIAA)
Whitney Houston singles chronology
"My Love Is Your Love" (1999) "I Learned from the Best" (1999) "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" (2000)
Music video "I Learned from the Best" on YouTube

"I Learned from the Best" is a 1999 single from American R&B/Pop singer Whitney Houston. The ballad was the fifth and final single from Houston's multi-platinum 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. When released, it became a moderate hit, peaking at number 27 on the US Hot 100. Dance remixes of the song by Hex Hector and Junior Vasquez topped the U.S. dance chart for three weeks. Houston gained another top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart with this song, where it peaked at number 19. The song was written by Diane Warren.

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that it is "a song that has most-added stamped all over it. Written by the ultimate pop/R&B scribe of the 1990s, Diane Warren, this gorgeous ballad will take fans old and new to that sacred territory that Whitney established back in the years of classics like "Saving All My Love For You" and "All The Man That I Need." But make no mistake; the Houston of today is a fully seasoned, well-traveled diva, leaving the wannabes in scattered remains with this spine-chilling performance. You'll be throwing your hands in the air over the wisdom she's gained in this tale of the strong woman who's breaking bad with her lessons about heartbreak. Producer/arranger David Foster, meanwhile, puts forth all that he's learned in the past two decades with a forceful instrumental package that borrows from his days of commandeering the horns-heavy Chicago through its comeback in the early 1980s. The three together—Houston, Warren, and Foster—simply can't miss in this stellar effort that brings together the best of their talents"^[1]

Chart performance

"I Learned from the Best" became the fifth and final single to be released from the album in late November 1999 in UK and February 2000 in US. The song debuted at number eighty-three on the Hot 100 and peaked at number twenty-seven.^[2][3] It reached the number thirteen on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks.^[4] According to the Nielsen SoundScan, the single sold 500,000 units in the United States and certified Gold. Outside the U.S., it was not as successful as the previous singles from the album. The single reached the number six in Finland,^[5] the number eight in Spain,^[6] and the number nineteen in the United Kingdom with 95,000 copies sold.^[7][8] Besides, it went to the top forty in the Netherlands,^[9] Sweden,^[10] and Switzerland.^[11]

Music video

The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston giving a concert performance of the song to a small intimate audience, as a man—presumably the ex-lover referenced in the song—watches with regret. It was filmed in Cologne, Germany,^[12] and was featured in the first season of MTV's Making the Video.

Formats and track listings

• UK CD 1

1. "I Learned from the Best" (Radio Edit) – 3:55
2. "I Will Always Love You" (Hex Hector Club Mix) – 9:52
3. "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" (Thunderpuss Radio Mix) – 4:26

• UK CD 2 – The Remixes

1. "I Learned from the Best" (Album Version) – 4:20
2. "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Uptempo Radio Mix) – 4:23
3. "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez UK Club Mix) – 11:37

• US maxi single

1. "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Uptempo Radio Mix) – 4:23
2. "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez Disco Radio Mix) – 4:22
3. "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Club Mix) – 10:37
4. "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez USA Millennium Mix) – 11:37
5. "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez Disco Club Mix) – 9:21
6. "I Learned from the Best" (HQ2 Dub) – 8:56
7. "I Learned from the Best" (Junior Vasquez UK Radio Mix) – 4:59
8. "I Learned from the Best" (Original Version) – 4:09

• Note: The Junior Vasquez Disco mix is unique in that Houston re-recorded her vocals for this version.^[13]

Charts

Chart positions Chart (1999/2000) Peak position Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 6 France (SNEP)[15] 44 Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 48 Ireland (IRMA)[17] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 20 Spain (AFYVE Singles Chart)[19] 8 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[20] 23 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 28 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 19 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 27 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[24] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 13 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[26] 20

Year-end charts Chart (2000) Position Finnish Singles Chart[27] 24 U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Singles[28] 82 US Hot Dance Club/Play Songs 3 Decade-end charts Chart (2000–09) Position U.S. Dance/Club Play Songs[29] 24

Chart procession and succession

See also

• Number-one dance hits of 2000 (USA)

References

1. http://www.classicwhitney.com/review/music/singles/billboardsingles.htm
2. "Billboard Hot 100 chart listing for the week of February 19, 2000". Billboard. February 19, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
3. "Billboard Hot 100 chart listing for the week of March 25, 2000". Billboard. March 25, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
4. "Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart listing for the week of March 11, 2000". Billboard. March 11, 2000. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
5. ""I Learned from the Best" on the Finnish Singles Chart". finnishcharts.com. 49th week, 1999. Retrieved October 8, 2010. Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ""I Learned from the Best" on the Spanish Singles Chart, Hits of the World". Billboard. January 22, 2000. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
7. "The Official UK Countdowns – Whitney Houston Official Top 20". MTV (UK and Ireland). Retrieved January 6, 2011.
8. ""I Learned from the Best" on the UK Singles Chart". The Official Charts Company. December 11, 1999. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
9. ""I Learned from the Best" on the Dutch Singles Chart". dutchcharts.nl. January 8, 2000. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
10. ""I Learned from the Best" on the Swedish Singles Chart". swedishcharts.com. January 13, 2000. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
11. ""I Learned from the Best" on the Swiss Singles Chart". hitparade.ch. December 26, 1999. Retrieved October 8, 2010.
12. Billboard
13. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1430165/whitney-phones-it-enrique-duet-remix-new-single.jhtml
14. "Whitney Houston: I Learned From The Best" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
15. "Lescharts.com – Whitney Houston – I Learned From The Best" (in French). Les classement single.
16. "Musicline.de – Whitney Houston Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2011.
18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Whitney Houston search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
19. Hits of the World: Spanish AFYVE Singles Chart for "I Learned from the Best". Billboard. January 22, 1999. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
20. "Swedishcharts.com – Whitney Houston – I Learned From The Best". Singles Top 100.
21. "Swisscharts.com – Whitney Houston – I Learned From The Best". Swiss Singles Chart.
22. "Archive Chart: 1999-12-11" UK Singles Chart.
23. "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Whitney Houston.
24. "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for Whitney Houston.
25. "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Whitney Houston.
26. "Whitney Houston – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Whitney Houston.
27. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972. Finland: Otava. p. 68. ISBN 951-1-21053-X.
28. http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/1114806
29. "Decade End Charts – Dance/Club-Play Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2011.

External links

• I Learned from the Best at Discogs