On this day in 1988: Whitney Houston scored her 6th consecutive #1 song in the U.S. with ‘So Emotional’.
It was released as the third single from her second studio album ‘Whitney’ (1987) on October 12, 1987 by Arista Records. The song was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Billy Steinberg also wrote Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’, Cyndi Lauper’s ‘True Colors, Heart’s ‘Alone’ and The Bangles’ ‘Eternal Flame’, all of which reached #1 on the charts.
It would become the sixth best charting song of 1988, and was the fourth most played song on the club charts; it is her sixth biggest hit on the Hot 100 chart. “So Emotional” reached the top of the chart in January 1988, giving her six consecutive number-one singles, putting her in a three-way tie with The Beatles and The Bee Gees. It made its debut at #47 on October 31, 1987 and after 11 weeks became the first #1 of 1988, eventually receiving gold certification. The single remained in the Top 40 for 14 weeks, and also reached number one on Billboard’s Hot Club Dance Play chart. The song has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide.
Here’s a look at the Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1988:
1 2 SO EMOTIONAL –•– Whitney Houston – 11 (1)
2 4 GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU –•– George Harrison – 12 (2)
3 1 FAITH –•– George Michael – 12 (1)
4 3 IS THIS LOVE –•– Whitesnake – 12 (2)
5 7 THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL –•– Michael Jackson – 8 (5)
6 10 NEED YOU TONIGHT –•– INXS – 12 (6)
7 5 SHAKE YOUR LOVE –•– Debbie Gibson – 15 (4)
8 9 CHERRY BOMB –•– John Cougar Mellencamp – 12 (8)
9 12 TELL IT TO MY HEART –•– Taylor Dayne – 14 (9)
10 6 DON’T YOU WANT ME –•– Jody Watley – 15 (6)
11 13 CANDLE IN THE WIND –•– Elton John – 10 (11)
12 15 HAZY SHADE OF WINTER –•– The Bangles – 9 (12)
13 8 CATCH ME (I’M FALLING) –•– Pretty Poison – 16 (8)
14 16 COULD’VE BEEN –•– Tiffany – 7 (14)
15 11 VALERIE –•– Steve Winwood – 18 (9)
16 20 SEASONS CHANGE –•– Expose – 7 (16)
17 18 THERE’S THE GIRL –•– Heart – 10 (17)
18 14 DUDE (LOOKS LIKE A LADY) –•– Aerosmith – 15 (14)
19 17 HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH –•– Belinda Carlisle – 16 (1)
20 23 I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN –•– Prince – 9 (20)
