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In 1985, Whitney Houston burst onto the scene with a debut single that: #1: Wasn't originally intended for her, #2: Was expected to be a modest R & B hit, and #3: Was incorrectly identified as "trashy and sexually suggestive.
"You Give Good Love" was written for Roberta Flack, but songwriter LaLa Cope couldn't seem to get Roberta's attention. Frustrated, she contacted producer Kashif Shaleem, who was working with Whitney on her debut album for Arista Records.
LaLa sang the song to Whitney, and before she was even done, Whitney started to sing harmony with her. It was decided right then and there to make "You Give Good Love" Whitney's first single release.
Legendary music Guru and Arista owner Clive Davis thought it was the [perfect song to introduce Whitney to Black audiences, and was more than a little surprised when it ended up being quite a bit more! It not only topped Billboard's Back Chart, but reached #3 on The Hot 100 and #4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart.
And then, controversy: Answering a letter about the negative effect of suggestive song titles and lyrics on children, Advice Columnist Ann Landers included "You Give Good Love" on a list of sexually provocative songs, and called it, "Pretty trashy stuff."
Obviously, she had never actually LISTENED to the song.
Whitney said as much in an interview with the Chicago Tribune:
"I don't think that the title is suggestive at all. It didn't say anything but 'you give good love,' and it didn't say anything in the song that was sexual or outrageous. I think that Miss Landers just looked at the title and didn't view the song itself."]
Did the controversy help sell more records? Probably,,, because controversy almost always sells. But on the other hand, "You Give Good Love" was, without a doubt, a Great Song of 1985. In fact, it was named Favorite Soul/R & B Single at the American Music Awards, and was nominated for two Grammys : Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female!
Take THAT, Ann Landers!
Tomorrow: Knee Deep in the Hoopla.
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