Whitney: Road to the Comeback (Part 3)

This next post in the Whitney series focuses on the best period of her career: The Bodyguard Era.

I Will Always Love You (1992) - It was the song that made her a pop icon. Her remake of the Dolly Parton classic quickly turned Whitney's stalling career around in a heartbeat. "I Will Always Love You" became her biggest hit ever, spending a mind-blowing (at the time) 14 weeks on top of the US charts, as well topping charts across the world. Her voice never sounded better before, with a heart-stopping climax that is so legendary, hundreds have tried and failed to match it. This song helped solidfy Whitney's stance as one of the greatest voices in music history. Rating: 10/10

I Have Nothing (1993) - It may be hard to believe, but The Bodyguard Soundtrack didn't become the best-selling soundtrack of all time because of the aformentioned song. This one definitely helped push the album into diamond territory. Again, Whitney sounds top-notch here, and under different circumstances, this song would've been another #1 hit. Unfortunately, "IWALY" was still burning up airwaves and shelves, keeping this song from the penthouse. Still, Top 5 isn't bad, huh? Rating: 9.5/10

I'm Every Woman (1993) - Pop divas can dance, too. Or that's what "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover from the soundtrack implied. Whitney was known for her rousing ballads, but this was nice change of pace, sounding as funky as she'll ever get. The uptemo, New Jack Swing-like style didn't deter "The Voice" at all. Taking a break from the acrobatics, her voice is full of attitude, perfect for a song about being every woman. Rating: 9/10

Run to You (1993) - The fourth single from the Bodyguard soundtrack didn't perform to expectations, peaking at a lowly #31. To be fair, the album had already sold 8 million copies at that point, so sales would be reasonably low. The song was deserving to be a hit, though. Although not as good as "I Have Nothing" or "IWALY", it was a very good song. Again, Whitney sang fantastically on the record, and its a nice song lyrically. Call its flop an unfortunate situation. Rating: 7.5/10

Queen of the Night (1993) - Remember "I'm Every Woman"? Well, this song takes it to another level. The title was taken from the movie within the movie, and Whitney sings about being everything she essentially wasn't (at least to the public, at the time). The song was a bit of a detour, with a guitar-laden edge  to match the dramatic vocals. It's something that was easy to dance to, without sounding (god forbid) cheesy, like many of her uptempo hits from the past were accused of being. Rating: 8/10