Houston single takes the lead for longevity

Date: February 20, 1993
By Marty Racine, Staff

From The Houston Chronicle
Submitted by: Larry A.


Bank on it, Whitney Houston is on a roll.

The public is infatuated with Houston's "I Will Always Love You." On Thursday the song set a record for the longest-running No. 1 single in history -- 14 straight weeks as reported by the industry trade magazine Billboard.

That breaks the 6-month-old mark of 13 weeks held by Boyz II Men for "End of the Road." That song had broken a record set in 1956 by Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel." Presley's double-sided hit was No. 1 on the charts for 11 weeks.

Billboard compiles its list using sales figures and radio airplay information.

For Houston, another benchmark will soon follow -- that of the all-time best-selling single. At last report, "I Will Always Love You" was tied with "We Are The World" for No. 1 with sales of 4 million apiece.

That's not all, folks. Houston's single is from the soundtrack of her film debut "The Bodyguard." The movie is one of 1992's biggest grossing films, making more than $110 million in the United States.

The soundtrack has held up its end of the bargain, ranking No. 1 on the album chart, with 7 million U.S. sales. It's also No. 1 throughout much of Europe and Asia, with an additional 8 million in sales.

Local SoundScan figures show "I Will Always Love You" topping pop single sales and "The Bodyguard Soundtrack" No. 1 on the pop album and R&B album charts.