"So Emotional" | ||||||||||||||||
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Single by Whitney Houston | ||||||||||||||||
from the album Whitney | ||||||||||||||||
B-side | "For the Love of You" | |||||||||||||||
Released | October 12, 1987 | |||||||||||||||
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Recorded | February 1987 | |||||||||||||||
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Length | 4:36 | |||||||||||||||
Label | Arista | |||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | ||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Narada Michael Walden | |||||||||||||||
Whitney Houston singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"So Emotional" is a song written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, and recorded by American singer Whitney Houston. The song was the third single from her second album Whitney, and was released in October 1987.
Commercially, it peaked at number five in the UK and number one in the Billboard Hot 100, where it became her sixth consecutive number one, and a dance chart hit. It would go and finish as the sixth best selling song of the year and the fourth most played in clubs; it is her sixth biggest hit on the Hot 100 chart.
"So Emotional" was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who also penned Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors," Heart's "Alone," and The Bangles "Eternal Flame," all of which reached #1 on the charts. The song centers on Houston loving being in love, singing, "I get so emotional baby / Every time I think of you / I get so emotional baby / Ain't it shocking what love can do."
Allmusic editor Ron Wynn highlighted this track. Vince Aletti of Rolling Stone wrote: "Walden covers all these bases, out-hopping Kashif (but not Jellybean) with "So Emotional." St. Petersburg Times Eric Snider and Annelise Wamsley wrote: "`So Emotional,`` the record's token rock offering, is hollow and contrived, as if the trumped-up power guitars are supposed to give the song some guts."
At this time Houston already had a string of five consecutive number-one hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "So Emotional" went to the #1 position as well, giving her six consecutive number-one singles; putting her in a three-way tie with The Beatles and The Bee Gees. It made its debut at number forty four on November 28, 1987 and after seven weeks became the first number-one of 1988, eventually receiving gold certification. The single remained in the Top 40 for 14 weeks, and also reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. "So Emotional" was ranked sixth on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end charts (1988). It debuted at number forty four on the Hot 100 and seven weeks later reached number one for one week. The song has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide.