Fine (Whitney Houston song) explained

Fine
Cover:Whitney Houston - Fine.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Whitney Houston
B-Side:Love to Infinity Megamix
Studio:The Record Plant (Los Angeles)
Genre:R&B
Label:Arista
Producer:
Prev Title:If I Told You That
Prev Year:2000
Next Title:The Star Spangled Banner
Next Year:2001

"Fine" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, and was released as the fourth single from her 2000 compilation album, , in September 2000.

Composition

"Fine" is a mid-tempo R&B tune, written by Houston, Raphael Saadiq, and Kamaal Fareed, and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Kamaal Fareed. According to Billboard, it features "languid retro-funk guitars" and a "sneaky hook", brought to life by "richly layered harmonies". It was described as having "a sleek lite-funk sound" by The Star-Ledger.

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that "Fine" is "perhaps her most convincing crack at urbanized pop music to date. [Houston] seems to have eased into the chilled soul that propels a street-wise track. She wisely does not give into the temptation to belt and wail her way through the song [...]. Instead, Houston works the more sultry lower register of her voice, saving the big, beautiful notes as a dramatic accent toward the end of the cut."[1] LA Weekly in its review for Whitney: The Greatest Hits wrote that "Only on the stellar R&B track 'Fine' does Whitney stand out. [...] 'Fine' is soulful, funky and tight as hell. And the vocal performance ranks among Whitney's best."[2] The Baltimore Sun wrote that of the new tracks on Whitney: The Greatest Hits, "only the sultry, soulful 'Fine' manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star", and that, "hearing [Houston] work the tune's insistent, retro-funk groove, there's no doubting that she still has what it takes to make hits".[3] CANOE reviewer Jane Stevenson felt that the song "falls flat".[4] The Star-Ledger wrote that the song "grows tiresomely repetitious".[5] According to New Nation the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing [her] vocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline".[6] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it "a wonderful composition".[7]

Chart performance

"Fine" appeared on the singles charts only in the United States, Sweden, and Canada.[8] The song peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. In Sweden, it debuted and peaked at number 50, but spent only one week on the chart. In Canada, it peaked at number 39 the week after it debuted and spent a total of four weeks on Nielsen SoundScan's Canadian Singles Chart.[9]

Music video

The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the US, a DVD single was released. It includes the videos for "Fine" and the Houston-George Michael duet "If I Told You That", plus behind-the-scenes footage from the "Fine" video shoot. Houston's then-husband Bobby Brown also appears in the video.

Formats and track listings

  1. "Fine" (radio mix) – 3:34
  2. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34
  3. "Fine" (call out hook) – 0:40
  1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17
  3. "Heartbreak Hotel" (R.I.P. mix) – 3:40
  4. "Love to Infinity Megamix" – 9:22
  1. "Fine" (radio edit) – 3:34
  2. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Jonathan Peters radio edit) – 4:20
  3. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Friburn & Urik Cover Your Ears mix) – 10:49
  4. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34
  1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17
  1. "Fine" (video)
  2. "If I Told You That" (video)
  3. Behind-the-scenes footage of the "Fine" video shoot

Personnel

Credits[15]

Recording and mixing[15]

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesSeptember 19, 2000Arista[17]
September 26, 2000Rhythmic contemporary radio[18] [19]
SwedenDecember 11, 2000CD[20]

Notes and References

  1. Billboard magazine – Reviews & Previews – p.24 . September 2, 2000 . Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc. . August 13, 2012. (Transcription of original at Classic-Whitney.com)
  2. Web site: Saving It . Ernest. Hardy . Jun 28, 2000 . LA Weekly . August 13, 2012.
  3. Web site: Whitney Houston The Greatest Hits . J. D. Considine . May 25, 2000 . The Baltimore Sun . 17 August 2012 . 2013-12-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131211110635/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2000-05-25/entertainment/0005240312_1_whitney-houston-greatest-hits-wanna-dance . live .
  4. Web site: Album Review: Whitney's greatest hits and misses . https://archive.today/20130115101547/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/H/Houston_Whitney/AlbumReviews/2000/05/21/771101.html . usurped . January 15, 2013 . Jane . Stevenson . CANOE - JAM! . August 4, 2012.
  5. Web site: Lustig. Jay. The greatest hits of all, but the remix is just so-so. The Star-Ledger. 18 April 2014. May 16, 2000. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  6. Web site: allwhitney.com - Whitney Houston album reviews. Whfan.free.fr. 22 May 2023.
  7. Web site: Johnson. Kevin C.. Whitney Houston "The Greatest Hits," Arista Records.. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 19 April 2014. June 25, 2000. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  8. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20010321005027/http://www.jamcaster.com/JamMusicCharts/SINGLES.html. March 21, 2001. Top 50 Singles. Jam!. April 19, 2024.
  9. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20010321005027/http://www.jamcaster.com/JamMusicCharts/SINGLES.html. March 21, 2001. Top 50 Singles. Jam!. April 19, 2024.
  10. Fine . Whitney Houston . 2000 . CD Single . . US . ARPCD-3845.
  11. Fine . Whitney Houston . 2000 . Maxi-Single . . EU . 74321 82188 2 .
  12. Fine . Whitney Houston . 2001 . CD-Single . . EU . 74321-84665-2.
  13. Fine . Whitney Houston . 2000 . Card Sleeve Single . . EU . 74321 82189 2.
  14. Fine . Whitney Houston . 2000 . DVD . . US . 13920-9.
  15. Whitney: The Greatest Hits . Whitney Houston . 2000 . Album . Arista, BMG . Europe . 74321 75895 2 .
  16. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20010321005027/http://www.jamcaster.com/JamMusicCharts/SINGLES.html. March 21, 2001. Top 50 Singles. Jam!. April 19, 2024.
  17. Going for Adds / Advance Notice. Radio & Records. 1368. 152, 162. September 15, 2000.
  18. Gavin Top 40/Rhythm Crossover: Impact Dates. Gavin Report. 2322. 10. September 15, 2000.
  19. CHR/Rhythmic: Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1369. 109. September 15, 2000.
  20. Web site: Whitney Houston: Fine. click2music.se. sv. https://web.archive.org/web/20030113161936/http://www.click2music.se/product.asp?prd=969&art=1. January 13, 2003. November 29, 2023.

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