All the Man That I Need

Infobox Single
Name = All the Man That I Need


Artist = Whitney Houston
from Album = I'm Your Baby Tonight
B-side = Dancin' On The Smooth Edge
Released = January 1991
Format = CD single
Cassette single
7" single
Recorded =
Genre = Pop/R&B
Length = 4:41
Label = Arista Records
Writer = Dean Pitchford
Michael Gore
Producer = Narada Michael Walden
Certification = Gold (US)
Last single = "I'm Your Baby Tonight"
(1990)
This single = "All the Man That I Need"
(1991)
Next single = "The Star Spangled Banner"
(1991)

"All the Man That I Need" is the second single from Whitney Houston's third album "I'm Your Baby Tonight", a number-one hit in the US.

History

The song was written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore. It is purely a pop song with a solo sax by Kenny G, spiced up from the original version sung by Linda Clifford a decade earlier. The video was directed by Peter Israelson (the same director as for Houston's "Greatest Love of All" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"). The video features Houston declaring her love for a man, saying he is "all the man that I need". The song is also gospel-influenced, and makes prominent use of a choir on the final chorus of the song. Sister Sledge had a mild R&B hit with the song in 1982 and Luther Vandross included it on his 1994 "Songs" CD as "All The Woman I Need." Chikezie performed this song on "American Idol" season 7, also as "All the Woman I Need."

Chart information

At this point, Whitney had achieved eight number-ones in only five years. she was expected to continue her run at number one, and the song succeeded, as "All the Man That I Need" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, from February 23 1991 to March 8 1991. The song also remained in the top forty for fifteen weeks, Houston's longest stay since 1986's "How Will I Know".

On other Billboard charts, the song was a smash, reaching number one on both component charts of the Hot 100, the Hot 100 Single Sales and Hot 100 Airplay, her first song to top both charts since "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" in 1988. It also reached Gold certification. Houston's song also reached number one for four weeks on the Adult Contemporary Chart, and for two weeks on the R&B Chart. Also, the song was notable as being Houston's first release to top all the charts it was eligible on.

Internationally, however, the song was only moderately successful, that is, when compared to the massive success of "I'm Your Baby Tonight". The song didn't reach the top ten in any major international market, reaching only number thirteen in the UK, twenty-eight in France and Switzerland, thirty-seven in Germany, and sixty-three in Australia.

ingle track-listing

#"All the Man That I Need" (album version)
#"All the Man That I Need" (instrumental)
#"Dancin' on the Smooth Edge" (previously unreleased)
#"Greatest Love of All" (live)

Charts

"All the Man That I Need" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty-three. It was ranked sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100 Year End Charts (1991), and remained in the Billboard Hot 100 for twenty-three weeks.

"All the Man That I Need" was Houston's ninth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, her seventh on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay, her eighth on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales, her fifth on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks, and her eighth on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts.