Background[]
"Didn't We Almost Have It All" is a power ballad recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her second studio album, Whitney (1987). It was written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings, and produced by Masser. The song was released in July 1987 as the second single from the album. Arista Records decided to release "Didn't We Almost Have It All" as the second single instead of Houston's cover of "For the Love of You," believing all of her material should be original. The lyrics reflect on a relationship that was close to perfect but ultimately ended. The song became Houston's fifth consecutive number one on the Billboard Hot 100, continuing her historic run of seven consecutive number one singles, a record that has yet to be broken.
Music video[]
The music video for "Didn't We Almost Have It All" is an official live video of Houston performing the song during her 1987-1988 world tour. The performance was filmed at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. The video features a simple, heartfelt rendition of the song, with Houston singing a stripped-back version with minimal staging and a backing band.
Charts[]
| Chart (1987) | Peak position | | :--- | :--- | | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | | U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 | | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | 2 | | UK Singles (OCC) | 14 | | Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 18 | | West Germany (Official German Charts) | 20 | | Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 17 | | New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 49 |