It was 1993. Whitney Houston was arguably the biggest star on the planet, fresh off the stratospheric success of The Bodyguard. Then she did something that left critics scratching their heads and fans glued to MTV: she teamed up with her new husband for a New Jack Swing duet. Whitney Houston Something in Common wasn't just a song; it was a public statement set to a thumping Teddy Riley beat.
Honestly, looking back at it now, the track is a fascinatng time capsule. It captures a moment when the "Princess of Pop" and the "Bad Boy of R&B" tried to tell the world that their marriage wasn't the car crash everyone predicted.
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The Studio Fight That Created a Hit
You might think a duet between the two biggest R&B stars of the era was a planned corporate move. It wasn't. The story goes that Whitney was just hanging out at the studio while Bobby Brown was recording his third solo album, Bobby.
They kept disappearing.
Producer Teddy Riley—the genius behind the New Jack Swing sound—was getting frustrated. Every time he needed them to record, they were outside taking "smoke breaks." Finally, a fed-up Riley snapped at them, shouting that they clearly had "something in common" because they wouldn't stop slacking off together.
The lightbulb went off.
Riley and Bernard Belle hammered out a rough draft of the track on the spot. Whitney and Bobby liked the vibe but insisted on writing their own lyrics to make it personal. This is why the song feels so conversational. It’s basically them talking to each other over a drum machine.
Why Whitney Houston Something in Common Was a Risk
At the time, Whitney’s image was pristine. She was the girl next door with the voice of an angel. Bobby? He was the guy who got arrested for "lewd" dancing on stage.
The media hated them together.
Critics called it a "mismatch made in hell." By releasing Whitney Houston Something in Common, they were directly addressing the gossip. Look at the lyrics: Whitney sings about "old fashioned rules" and "honesty," while Bobby admits he's "made mistakes before."
It was a defensive play.
They wanted to show they were just two people in love, despite the chaos. The music video, directed by Andy Morahan, leaned into this hard. It’s full of domestic bliss—swimming pools, laughter, and Whitney looking radiant while pregnant with Bobbi Kristina.
The Chart Mystery: Why Wasn't It a #1?
If you lived in the UK in 1994, you heard this song everywhere. It hit #16 on the Official Singles Chart and stayed in the Top 20 for weeks. But in the United States? It’s a weird bit of chart history.
It was never released as a commercial single in the US.
Back then, Billboard rules were strict. If a record label didn't put a physical CD or cassette single in stores, the song couldn't chart on the Hot 100, no matter how much it played on the radio. Because Arista and MCA (their respective labels) couldn't agree on how to split the profits of a physical release, the song was "ineligible."
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Even so, it peaked at #32 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. People wanted to hear it. Radio programmers loved the "shuffling" L.A. Reid remix that added extra punch to the bassline.
A Vocal Powerhouse vs. A Performance King
There is a huge contrast in the vocal delivery. Whitney is, well, Whitney. She’s effortless. When she sings "my man" over that heavy swing beat, you can hear the grit in her voice that she’d later use on the My Love Is Your Love album.
Bobby brings the attitude.
He doesn't try to out-sing her. He knows he can’t. Instead, he uses that "seductive growl" to play the perfect foil. It’s one of the few times we got to hear Whitney play around with a more "street" sound before the late 90s.
Fun Facts You Might Have Missed:
- Cameo Fever: The music video features cameos from Cissy Houston and even Chaka Khan.
- The Remixes: There are at least five different versions, including a "Quiet Storm" mix for late-night radio.
- The Performance: Their live performance at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards is often cited as one of their happiest moments on stage together.
The Reality Behind the Lyrics
Is it hard to listen to now? Kinda.
Knowing how their story ended makes lyrics like "I'll stand by your side till the very end" feel heavy. But if you strip away the tragic hindsight, the song stands up as a high-quality R&B production. It represents a specific era of black excellence where New Jack Swing was transitioning into the hip-hop soul of the mid-90s.
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The track proved Whitney could do more than just power ballads. She had rhythm. She had soul. She had—honestly—a lot of fun.
How to Experience the Track Today
If you want to understand the full impact of Whitney Houston Something in Common, don't just listen to the album version.
- Find the L.A. Reid Remix: This is the version used in the music video. It’s got more "swing" and better EQ on Whitney’s vocals.
- Watch the Soul Train 1994 Footage: You can see the genuine chemistry. It wasn't just for the cameras back then.
- Listen for the Ad-libs: The end of the song features about two minutes of them just riffing. It's the most "human" Whitney ever sounded on a studio recording.
Whitney might be remembered for her high notes, but this duet reminds us she was also a woman who just wanted to sing with her husband. It’s a rare, upbeat glimpse into a complicated life.
If you're building a 90s R&B playlist, this belongs right between Janet Jackson and En Vogue. It’s a masterclass in how to turn a "PR nightmare" into a solid groove that still gets people on the floor thirty years later.