My Heart Is Calling
Encyclopedia
"My Heart Is Calling" is a song recorded by American recording artist Whitney Houston
for the 1996 film The Preacher's Wife
. It was released on June 10, 1997 as the third and final single from the accompanying soundtrack. The song was written and produced solely by Babyface. Musically, the song is an R&B
ballad
, with gospel music
and funk
influences, and the lyrics speak about meeting someone special.
"My Heart Is Calling" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who commended Houston's soulful performance. It charted and peaked at number seventy-seven on the United States Billboard Hot 100
, and number thirty-five on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart.
ballad, composed with "a beat". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
, the song is written in the key
of G major
. The beat of the song is set in common time
, and moves at a tempo
of 104 beats per minute
. It has the sequence of Em7–D/F–G–Am7 as its chord progression
. Houston's vocals in the song span from the note of D3 to the high note of E5. According to Ted Cox, the author of the book Whitney Houston, the song sees Houston developing the low end of her range.
Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
viewed the song as a "dance-floor" ballad, while Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times
noted that the song was influenced by both gospel music
and funk
genres. She also wrote that the song explores Houston's more soulful side. Larry Flick of Billboard
magazine also noted the song has an "unusually saucy groove". Lyrically, "My Heart Is Calling" is a love song
. According to Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In
, "Houston exuberantly captures the joy of meeting a special someone" through the song.
wrote that "[the] Babyface-produced My Heart Is Calling; [...] have a spiritual feel. [They] help maintain a thematic cohesiveness that most soundtracks lack these days." Similarly, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times also reviewed the song favorably, writing that "Houston shows her soulful side with equal panache, even if she has a tendency to overdo the obligatory vocal gymnastics at times."
"My Heart Is Calling" debuted at number eighty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100
, issue dated July 5, 1997. Two weeks later, the song peaked at number seventy-seven on the chart. The following week, it dropped out of the chart. On the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, the song debuted at number forty-three, on the week dated June 28, 1997. The following week, the song ascended to number thirty-five, a position which became its peak.
My Heart Is Calling
I Go to the Rock
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...
for the 1996 film The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 romantic-family-dramedy-christmas film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Loretta Devine. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife....
. It was released on June 10, 1997 as the third and final single from the accompanying soundtrack. The song was written and produced solely by Babyface. Musically, the song is an R&B
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...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, with gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
influences, and the lyrics speak about meeting someone special.
"My Heart Is Calling" received mainly positive reviews from music critics, who commended Houston's soulful performance. It charted and peaked at number seventy-seven on the United States Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and number thirty-five on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
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,...
chart.
Composition
"My Heart Is Calling" was written and produced solely by Babyface. It is a moderately paced R&BContemporary 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...
ballad, composed with "a beat". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
, the song is written in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. The beat of the song is set in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
, and moves at a tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 104 beats per minute
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. It has the sequence of Em7–D/F–G–Am7 as its chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. Houston's vocals in the song span from the note of D3 to the high note of E5. According to Ted Cox, the author of the book Whitney Houston, the song sees Houston developing the low end of her range.
Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
viewed the song as a "dance-floor" ballad, while Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
noted that the song was influenced by both gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
genres. She also wrote that the song explores Houston's more soulful side. Larry Flick of 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...
magazine also noted the song has an "unusually saucy groove". Lyrically, "My Heart Is Calling" is a love song
Love song
A love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
. According to Bob Waliszewski of Plugged In
Plugged In
Plugged In was a monthly magazine published by Focus on the Family. Its print version was discontinued and now it survives as a web site, Plugged In Online....
, "Houston exuberantly captures the joy of meeting a special someone" through the song.
Reception
"My Heart Is Calling" garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics. Larry Flick of Billboard reviewed the song favorably, writing that it is "a wonderfully refreshing release that smartly side-steps her tried-and-true balladry in favor of a credible foray into jeep-funk territory." Steve Jones of USA TodayUSA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote that "[the] Babyface-produced My Heart Is Calling; [...] have a spiritual feel. [They] help maintain a thematic cohesiveness that most soundtracks lack these days." Similarly, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times also reviewed the song favorably, writing that "Houston shows her soulful side with equal panache, even if she has a tendency to overdo the obligatory vocal gymnastics at times."
"My Heart Is Calling" debuted at number eighty-one on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, issue dated July 5, 1997. Two weeks later, the song peaked at number seventy-seven on the chart. The following week, it dropped out of the chart. On the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, the song debuted at number forty-three, on the week dated June 28, 1997. The following week, the song ascended to number thirty-five, a position which became its peak.
Credits and personnel
Adapted from The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
My Heart Is Calling
- Babyface – writerLyricistA lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney 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...
– vocals, backing vocals - Shanna – backing vocals
- Shanice WilsonShaniceShanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox , better known as Shanice, is a Grammy-nominated American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. She scored two Top 5 Billboard hit single's "I Love Your Smile" in 1991, and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Shanice scored another top hit song, "When I Close My Eyes"...
– backing vocals - Brad Gilderman – engineer
- Jon Gass – mixerMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
I Go to the Rock
- Dottie RamboDottie RamboDottie Rambo was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She was a Grammy and multiple Dove Award-winning artist. Rambo, along with husband Buck and daughter Reba, formed the award-winning southern Gospel group, The Rambos...
– writer - Mervyn WarrenMervyn WarrenMervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee...
– producer - Whitney Houston – vocals, producer
- The Georgia Mass ChoirGeorgia Mass Choir-Early years:The ensemble, which numbers 150 members, was founded in 1983 by Rev. Milton Biggham, the lead vocalist and songwriter for the group. He put together the group from over 600 applicants, and recorded with them on his label Savoy Records in the middle of the decade...
– choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus... - Joseph Magee – engineer
- Michael White – engineer
- Frank Wolf – engineer, mixer
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak Position |
|---|