Fine_(Whitney_Houston_song)

Fine (Whitney Houston song)

Fine (Whitney Houston song)

2000 single by Whitney Houston


"Fine" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, and was released as the fourth single from her 2000 compilation album, Whitney: The Greatest Hits, in September 2000.

Quick Facts Single by Whitney Houston, from the album Whitney: The Greatest Hits ...

Composition

"Fine" is a mid-tempo R&B tune, written and produced by Raphael Saadiq and Kamaal Fareed. According to Billboard, it features "languid retro-funk guitars" and a "sneaky hook", brought to life by "richly layered harmonies".[1] It was described as having "a sleek lite-funk sound" by The Star-Ledger.[2]

Critical reception

Billboard wrote that "Fine" is "perhaps her most convincing crack at urbanized pop music to date. [Houston] seems to have eased into the chilled soul that propels a street-wise track. She wisely does not give into the temptation to belt and wail her way through the song [...]. Instead, Houston works the more sultry lower register of her voice, saving the big, beautiful notes as a dramatic accent toward the end of the cut."[1] LA Weekly in its review for Whitney: The Greatest Hits wrote that "Only on the stellar R&B track 'Fine' does Whitney stand out. [...] 'Fine' is soulful, funky and tight as hell. And the vocal performance ranks among Whitney's best."[3] The Baltimore Sun wrote that of the new tracks on Whitney: The Greatest Hits, "only the sultry, soulful 'Fine' manages to convey any of the strengths that made Houston a star", and that, "hearing [Houston] work the tune's insistent, retro-funk groove, there's no doubting that she still has what it takes to make hits".[4] CANOE reviewer Jane Stevenson felt that the song "falls flat".[5] The Star-Ledger wrote that the song "grows tiresomely repetitious".[2] According to New Nation the song takes Houston "to even greater heights, changing [her] vocals to a much lower tone, with an added hip-hop bassline".[6] The St. Louis Post-Dispatch called it "a wonderful composition".[7]

Chart performance

"Fine" appeared on the singles charts only in the United States, Sweden, and Canada.[8][9][10] The song peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.[8] In Sweden, it debuted and peaked at number 50, but spent only one week on the chart.[9] In Canada, it peaked at number 39 the week after it debuted and spent a total of four weeks on Nielsen SoundScan's Canadian Singles Chart.[11]

Music video

The music video, directed by Kevin Bray, features Houston at a rooftop cocktail party. In the US, a DVD single was released. It includes the videos for "Fine" and the Houston-George Michael duet "If I Told You That", plus behind-the-scenes footage from the "Fine" video shoot. Houston's then-husband Bobby Brown also appears in the video.

Formats and track listings

  • US CD promo single[12]
  1. "Fine" (radio mix) – 3:34
  2. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34
  3. "Fine" (call out hook) – 0:40
  • Europe CD maxi single[13]
  1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17
  3. "Heartbreak Hotel" (R.I.P. mix) – 3:40
  4. "Love to Infinity Megamix" – 9:22
  • Europe CD single[14]
  1. "Fine" (radio edit) – 3:34
  2. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Jonathan Peters radio edit) – 4:20
  3. "Same Script, Different Cast" (Friburn & Urik Cover Your Ears mix) – 10:49
  4. "Fine" (instrumental) – 3:34
  • Europe CD single card sleeve[15]
  1. "Fine" (album version) – 3:34
  2. "Love to Infinity Megamix" (edit) – 5:17
  1. "Fine" (video)
  2. "If I Told You That" (video)
  3. Behind-the-scenes footage of the "Fine" video shoot

Personnel

Charts

More information Chart (2001), Peak position ...

Release history

More information Region, Date ...

References

  1. "Billboard magazine – Reviews & Previews – p.24". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 2, 2000. Retrieved August 13, 2012. (Transcription of original at Classic-Whitney.com)
  2. Lustig, Jay (May 16, 2000). "The greatest hits of all, but the remix is just so-so". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 18 April 2014. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  3. Hardy, Ernest (Jun 28, 2000). "Saving It". LA Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  4. J. D. Considine (May 25, 2000). "Whitney Houston The Greatest Hits". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  5. Stevenson, Jane. "Album Review: Whitney's greatest hits and misses". CANOE - JAM!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "allwhitney.com - Whitney Houston album reviews". Whfan.free.fr. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. Johnson, Kevin C. (June 25, 2000). "Whitney Houston "The Greatest Hits," Arista Records". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 19 April 2014. (Full review available at Classic-Whitney.com)
  8. "Whitney Houston – Fine". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  9. "Top 50 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  10. "Top 50 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  11. Fine (CD Single). Whitney Houston. US: Arista. 2000. ARPCD-3845.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Fine (Maxi-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2000. 74321 82188 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. Fine (CD-Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2001. 74321-84665-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Fine (Card Sleeve Single). Whitney Houston. EU: Arista. 2000. 74321 82189 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Fine (DVD). Whitney Houston. US: Arista. 2000. 13920-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. Whitney: The Greatest Hits (Album). Whitney Houston. Europe: Arista, BMG. 2000. 74321 75895 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. "Top 50 Singles". Jam!. Archived from the original on March 21, 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  18. "Going for Adds / Advance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1368. September 15, 2000. pp. 152, 162.
  19. "Gavin Top 40/Rhythm Crossover: Impact Dates". Gavin Report. No. 2322. September 15, 2000. p. 10.
  20. "CHR/Rhythmic: Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1369. September 15, 2000. p. 109.
  21. "Whitney Houston: Fine". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on January 13, 2003. Retrieved November 29, 2023.

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