It appeared on the album 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time, produced in conjunction with NBC Sports’ coverage of the Seoul games and which, in addition to Whitney Houston who sang it live at the main ceremony, also featured artists such as: The Four Tops, The Bee Gees, Eric Carmen, Taylor Dayne and the film composer John Williams.
The song’s melody was inspired by the timeless figure of Elvis Presley, with Hammond imagining it as being sung by Presley at the opening of the Olympics. “Those years when we were apart, I was lost,” Houston said to Davis.“One Moment in Time” is an Emmy Award winning song written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis, produced by Narada Michael Walden and recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Paralympics held in Seoul, South Korea. She mentioned her troubled history during her remarks later that evening, when she paid an emotional tribute to Davis. In “Nothin’ but Love,” Houston maintains she has nothing but love for “the family that raised me, the teachers that praised me” and “even the ones who tried to break me.” Warren’s “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” contains the line “I was not built to break,” and the singer said she related to the song because of her struggles as a single mother.
Some of the songs appeared to subtly reference Houston’s struggles. Many of the songs were greeted enthusiastically, with the Keys-written “Million Dollar Bill” generating one of the loudest ovations. Kelly, who has his own notorious past, contributed two songs, including the title track, an ode to spirituality and a higher power. Writers and producers who worked on the album include Warren, David Foster, Akon and Alicia Keys. Her new album, based on the nine “unfinished versions” previewed, appears to be a mix of dance tunes, mid-tempo songs and power ballads, with state-of-the-art production surrounding Houston’s confident, smooth stylings. Thursday night’s unveiling came on the heels of listening parties in London and New York.īefore Davis presented the songs, a clip was shown of Houston performing some of her most popular hits, including “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “One Moment in Time.”
He said the album took more than three years to complete “because we kept wanting to set the bar high, in the tradition of the great vocalists, such as Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan and Lena Horne.” Looking slim and wearing an elegantly simple knee-length black dress, Houston seemed genuinely moved by the reception from the audience - an eclectic mix from the worlds of movies (Jane Fonda, Halle Berry and Penny Marshall, the last of whom directed Houston in 1996’s “The Preacher’s Wife”), music (Stevie Wonder, Barry Manilow and Brian McKnight), industry honchos (Suzanne De Passe, Diane Warren and Richard Perry) and sports (Magic Johnson).īut music mogul Clive Davis - who discovered Houston and has been spearheading her comeback, including a performance at his pre-Grammy party in February - said the album should leave little doubt that Houston is still “one of the all-time great vocalists.” 1.Īs the throbbing beat of her up-tempo version of Leon Russell’s usually intimate ballad “A Song for You” filled the standing-room-only ballroom, Houston emerged from behind a curtain, smiling and clapping as some audience members danced in front of her. Houston - whose hugely successful singing and acting career has been shadowed in the last several years by tabloid headlines, including her tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown and allegations of substance abuse - made a triumphant appearance at the Beverly Hilton at the end of a preview of her upcoming comeback album, scheduled for release Sept.
Whitney Houston did not have to sing a note Thursday night to spark a rousing ovation from a crowd of celebrities and record-industry heavyweights.