Whitney Houston returns to several Billboard charts following Dolly Parton’s death, as “I Will Always Love You” reenters the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 13. UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of Whitney HOUSTON (Photo by Suzie Gibbons/Redferns)
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Whitney Houston has been gone for nearly a decade and a half at this point, but she remains a force on the Billboard charts most weeks. The superstar regularly appears on tallies all around the world, and sometimes in the United States, often with one compilation or another. Last month, a new singles project titled WH1TNEY gathered together all 11 of her champions on the Billboard Hot 100 – one of the greatest accumulations of leaders among all acts – and became another posthumous win for the vocalist.
The set debuted on multiple rankings in America only a few weeks ago, and then quickly disappeared. Following Dolly Parton’s passing, Houston is back on the charts with not only her latest posthumous compilation, but also one of her most famous singles.
Whitney Houston’s WH1TNEY Returns to Two Charts
WH1TNEY returns to the Billboard 200 and Top R&B Albums charts this frame, breaking back onto those rosters at Nos. 178 and 24, respectively. The rankings are compiled using similar measures of album consumption, though the Billboard 200 includes projects of every style, while the latter focuses entirely on R&B releases.
Whitney Houston and Clive Davis attend a party circa 1989. (Photo by Lester Cohen)
Lester Cohen
WH1TNEY Recently Gave Whitney Houston Another Chart Win
WH1TNEY debuted on the rankings dated August 22. On the Billboard 200, the compilation topped out at No. 148, where it stands as Houston’s second-lowest-peaking project on the all-encompassing roster.
The collection stalled at No. 20 on the Top R&B Albums chart. As it arrived, the compilation became Houston’s fourth title to appear on that ranking. It outpaced I Wish You Love: More from The Bodyguard, which spent one frame at No. 22 nearly a decade ago.
“I Will Always Love You” Becomes a Bestseller Again
At the same time that WH1TNEY returns, so too does one of the songs featured on its track list. “I Will Always Love You,” one of the most successful singles of all time and a career-defining smash for Houston, reenters the Digital Song Sales chart at No. 13. The tune sold 2,600 copies during the most recent tracking period on platforms like iTunes, according to Luminate – enough to make the decades-old recording one of the bestselling songs in America again.
“I Will Always Love You” Remains Whitney Houston’s Biggest Sales Hit
“I Will Always Love You” remains Houston’s highest-charting hit on the Digital Song Sales ranking. The track debuted on the tally in February 2012 and, one week later, nearly dominated the list – but instead it ended up stalling at No. 2.
The Parton cover is one of only two top 10 hits by the late superstar on the chart. “Higher Love,” which utilized Houston’s reworking of the Steve Winwood smash of the same name, alongside electronic dance producer Kygo, debuted and peaked at No. 4 in the summer of 2019.
Houston has sent 14 tracks to the Digital Song Sales chart throughout her career, though only four of those would have placed on the tally if it had always been structured as it is today. Billboard has shortened the ranking to just 25 spaces, while many of Houston’s past wins peaked beneath that number.
Two Versions of “I Will Always Love You” Chart Together
Two versions of “I Will Always Love You” appear on the Digital Song Sales chart this week. As Houston’s rendition reenters at No. 13, Parton’s original recording debuts at No. 1.
Parton’s take, which was released more than a decade before Houston turned the composition into a global blockbuster, gives the country legend her first leader on the Digital Song Sales chart after three previous tracks peaked at No. 2. That group includes “Jolene,” which hits that runner-up position this frame as Parton invades the purchase-focused ranking following her death.
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