I Look to You (song)
Encyclopedia
"I Look to You" is a pop-soul song performed by American R&B
-pop
recording artist Whitney Houston
, from seventh studio album also titled I Look to You
. It was released as a worldwide promotional single and as the first US single for the album also titled I Look to You
on July 23, 2009 on US radio following highly favorable reviews at pre-release album listening parties.
The single is one of two songs written by R. Kelly
which appear on the album and was produced by Tricky Stewart and Harvey Mason, Jr.
. Following its preview on US radio the single was released fully for airplay on July 27, 2009. On July 30, just one week after its premiere (and 3 days after its promotional release) the song reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart
, becoming her 30th top 20 hit. The song has since become her highest charting single in the United States in nine years, charting at #70.
and produced by David Foster
would be released as the lead single. However on July 14, 21 and 23 Houston held 3 pre-release album listening parties in which 9 of the 11 songs where previewed, "Call You Tonight" was described as a possible lead single by mentor Clive Davis
. Swizz Beatz
producer of the song "Million Dollar Bill" (written by Alicia Keys
) said that his record was definitely a potential comeback record and with critical acclaim at all three parties it was widely expected that the song would succeed the others as the lead single. However both Rap-Up
and Houston's official website have confimed the title song will indeed be the first US single whilst "Million Dollar Bill" is being released as the worldwide lead single (second US single, almost simultaneously with first single). "I Look to You" was the second single from the album in the UK
, where it was released on 14 December 2009.
.
The video, also directed by Melina Matsoukas
, features the singer in front of a plain beige and gray backdrop with different angles of her. She is sitting on a concrete pillar with a spotlight focused on her. Toward the end of the video, a shower of flowers are shown falling all around her. Houston is wearing a white dress in mood of the beige and grey background.
during the second season episode Grilled Cheesus
. With Amber Riley
on lead vocals, the song debuted and peaked at #74 on the Hot 100 during the week of October 23, 2010.
said that with the two tracks from R Kelly (the chippy kiss-off "Salute" and the steely title track produced by Tricky Stewart, Emanuel Kiriakou
and Harvey Mason, Jr.
) Houston seems to be aiming for a younger audience and the radio. Showbiz411's Richard Freidman called R Kelly's contributions "excellent tracks, including the beautiful title song" Billboard magazine's Mark Surtherland wrote "The overall feel of the album was notably contemporary, while retaining Houston's trademark vocal flourishes. Clive Davis praised Houston by saying that on songs like "I Look to You" it is not difficult to say she is 'the premium balladeer of our time'.
Billboards Monica Herrera gave the song a positive review, writing that Houston is "both vulnerable and in control". She adds that "the minimalist production, which features a lone, sullen piano and soft synths, exists purely to cushion Houston's moving vocal performance". Lastly, she stated that it "stands firmly in the tradition of her most emotive hits ("Greatest Love of All," "I Will Always Love You") and signals the long-awaited return of a true diva".
German double A-side single
UK digital single
UK digital remix EP
Other Version
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
recording artist Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, from seventh studio album also titled I Look to You
I Look to You
I Look to You is the seventh studio album by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston. It was first released on August 28, 2009 through Sony Music in Europe, then August 31, 2009 with Arista Records in the United States before being released by RCA Records in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2009...
. It was released as a worldwide promotional single and as the first US single for the album also titled I Look to You
I Look to You
I Look to You is the seventh studio album by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston. It was first released on August 28, 2009 through Sony Music in Europe, then August 31, 2009 with Arista Records in the United States before being released by RCA Records in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2009...
on July 23, 2009 on US radio following highly favorable reviews at pre-release album listening parties.
The single is one of two songs written by R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
which appear on the album and was produced by Tricky Stewart and Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Mason, Jr. is a songwriter, record producer and movie producer. He has written and produced songs for some of the biggest legends in the music industry including Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Whitney Houston, and Luther Vandross as well as today’s superstars like Britney Spears, Jordin...
. Following its preview on US radio the single was released fully for airplay on July 27, 2009. On July 30, just one week after its premiere (and 3 days after its promotional release) the song reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Chart
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, becoming her 30th top 20 hit. The song has since become her highest charting single in the United States in nine years, charting at #70.
Background
Initially Vibe magazine reported that another song titled "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" penned by Diane WarrenDiane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
and produced by David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
would be released as the lead single. However on July 14, 21 and 23 Houston held 3 pre-release album listening parties in which 9 of the 11 songs where previewed, "Call You Tonight" was described as a possible lead single by mentor Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
. Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
producer of the song "Million Dollar Bill" (written by Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
) said that his record was definitely a potential comeback record and with critical acclaim at all three parties it was widely expected that the song would succeed the others as the lead single. However both Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
and Houston's official website have confimed the title song will indeed be the first US single whilst "Million Dollar Bill" is being released as the worldwide lead single (second US single, almost simultaneously with first single). "I Look to You" was the second single from the album in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it was released on 14 December 2009.
Music video
The video for "I Look to You" premiered on September 10, 2009 on Whitney Houston's official website and on Entertainment TonightEntertainment Tonight
Entertainment Tonight is a daily tabloid television entertainment television news show that is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution throughout the United States, Canada and in many countries around the world. Linda Bell Blue is currently the program's executive producer...
.
The video, also directed by Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas is an American music video director.-Life and career:Matsoukas is of Greek, Jewish, Jamaican and Cuban descent. Both her name and surname are Greek: Μελίνα Ματσούκα. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute and New York University...
, features the singer in front of a plain beige and gray backdrop with different angles of her. She is sitting on a concrete pillar with a spotlight focused on her. Toward the end of the video, a shower of flowers are shown falling all around her. Houston is wearing a white dress in mood of the beige and grey background.
Glee version
The song was covered on the television show GleeGlee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
during the second season episode Grilled Cheesus
Grilled Cheesus
"Grilled Cheesus" is the third episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 25th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and premiered on the Fox network on October 5, 2010...
. With Amber Riley
Amber Riley
Amber Patrice Riley is an American actress and singer best known for her role on the series Glee as Mercedes Jones.-Early life and career:...
on lead vocals, the song debuted and peaked at #74 on the Hot 100 during the week of October 23, 2010.
Promotion
- Houston performed this song at Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
on September 1, 2009. The show aired the following day. - Houston sang "I Look To You" at German television Wetten, dass..?Wetten, dass..?Wetten, dass..? is a long-running German-language entertainment television show. It is the most successful Saturday television show in Europe...
where she performed this song with great reviews. - "I Look To You" was performed at 2nd annual Bet Celebration of Gospel gala by Houston together with Kim BurrellKim BurrellKimberly Burrell is an American gospel singer from Houston, Texas. She calls her musical style jazz gospel. Though she is comparatively new to the gospel music industry, having only performed since 1989, she has quickly become one of the most influential voices in the genre, often named as "this...
and gospel choir. The performance was acclaimed as the best performance of the night.
Reception
Houston says that the powerful piano ballad that sums up the album and is all she wants to say at this stage of her life. From the album parties Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said that with the two tracks from R Kelly (the chippy kiss-off "Salute" and the steely title track produced by Tricky Stewart, Emanuel Kiriakou
Emanuel Kiriakou
- Early life :Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou started playing music at the age of thirteen in his father’s Greek band.-Producer:...
and Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Mason, Jr.
Harvey Mason, Jr. is a songwriter, record producer and movie producer. He has written and produced songs for some of the biggest legends in the music industry including Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Whitney Houston, and Luther Vandross as well as today’s superstars like Britney Spears, Jordin...
) Houston seems to be aiming for a younger audience and the radio. Showbiz411's Richard Freidman called R Kelly's contributions "excellent tracks, including the beautiful title song" Billboard magazine's Mark Surtherland wrote "The overall feel of the album was notably contemporary, while retaining Houston's trademark vocal flourishes. Clive Davis praised Houston by saying that on songs like "I Look to You" it is not difficult to say she is 'the premium balladeer of our time'.
Billboards Monica Herrera gave the song a positive review, writing that Houston is "both vulnerable and in control". She adds that "the minimalist production, which features a lone, sullen piano and soft synths, exists purely to cushion Houston's moving vocal performance". Lastly, she stated that it "stands firmly in the tradition of her most emotive hits ("Greatest Love of All," "I Will Always Love You") and signals the long-awaited return of a true diva".
Track listing
Digital download- "I Look to You" — 4:25
German double A-side single
- "I Look to You" — 4:25
- "Million Dollar BillMillion Dollar Bill"Million Dollar Bill" is a song performed by American R&B and pop recording artist Whitney Houston, from her seventh studio album titled I Look to You which samples R&B singer Loleatta Holloway's "We're Getting Stronger" from Holloway's 1976 debut LP...
" - 3:24
UK digital single
- "I Look to You" - 4:25
- "I Look to You" (Giuseppe D. Club Mix) - 7:39
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Club Mix) - 8:52
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) - 9:08
- "I Look to You" (Christian Dio Club Mix) - 7:53
UK digital remix EP
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Radio Mix) - 4:08
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Club Mix) - 8:52
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Warehouse Mixshow) - 5:50
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Radio Mix) - 3:52
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Mixshow) - 6:06
- "I Look to You" (Johnny Vicious Club Mix) - 9:08
- "I Look to You" (Christian Dio Radio Mix) - 4:01
- "I Look to You" (Christian Dio Mixshow) - 5:51
- "I Look to You" (Christian Dio Club Mix) - 7:53
- "I Look to You" (Giuseppe D. Radio Edit) - 3:47
- "I Look to You" (Giuseppe D. Club Mix) - 7:39
- "I Look to You" (Giuseppe D. Mixshow) - 5:52
Other Version
- "I Look To You" (7th Heaven Radio Edit)
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Brazil (Billboard Brazil) | 34 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
115 |
| US Jazz Songs Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
21 |
| US Hot Gospel Songs Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
14 |
Accolades
| Year | Region | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | United States | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Music Video |
Release history
| Country | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | July 23, 2009 | Premier/debut | Arista Records Arista Records Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records... , Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
| Austria | July 27 until July 31, 2009 |
Limited free download | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Germany | |||
| Italy | |||
| North America | Arista Records, Sony Music | ||
| Spain | Sony Music Entertainment | ||
| Sweden | |||
| United States | August 11, 2009 | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
Arista Records |
| August 4, 2009 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
||
| Germany | October 2, 2009 | Double A-side Single | Sony Music Entertainment |
| United Kingdom | November 6, 2009 | Digital Download
|
RCA Records RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
| December 14, 2009 | Digital Download
|